Skyfields Arboretum

The 40 acres of bucolic meadows and mixed-deciduous forest surrounding the headquarters of Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust are a pleasure to wander. You can take a leisurely walk around the arboretum, where signs will help you identify and learn about native trees of our region. 

Highlights & Activities

Trail Guide

Trail Map

Activities

Directions & Parking

Public Access

Skyfields Arboretum is open to the public for non-motorized outdoor recreation including hiking, bird watching, nature study, and hunting.

Directions

1461 Old Keene Rd, Athol, MA 01331

There is a large parking area that provides access to hiking on both sides of Old Keene Rd.

Views from the Trail

Ownership

Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust

Gift From

Margaret "Peggy" Power Biggs (1999)

Year Protected

1999

The 40 acres of bucolic meadows and mixed-deciduous forest surrounding the headquarters of Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust are a pleasure to wander. You can take a leisurely walk around the arboretum, where signs will help you identify and learn about native trees of our region. Heading west across Old Keene Rd, you can walk around the gently sloping hills of Willis Woods on a loop trail created in 2006. You can circumnavigate both the arboretum and Willis Woods trails in about an hour, but take your time!

Property History

Mount Grace’s Skyfields Arboretum was owned for many years by the Willis family. It then became the summer home of noted organist E. Power Biggs and Margaret Power Biggs, who bequeathed it to the trust so it could be maintained as a place for the community to encounter nature.