Thayer Brook Trailwalk

About the Area

• Facilities:
  • Parking
  • Portable toilet
• Features:
  • Several stone walls including a stone wall corner
  • Whale Rock; a huge rock that resembles a whale with an open mouth and flippers
• Activities Permitted: All passive recreational activities are permitted. Please be careful not to leave litter and not to deface the property. Please park in designated areas and be respectful of neighborhoods in the area.
  • Hiking
  • Cross-country skiing / snowshoeing
  • Educational studies
  • Nature observation
• Length of Trail: This trail is 1.6 miles long.
• Hiking Directions:
  • The kiosk at the back of the parking lot at the NE Corner of the Community Garden is the start of the path.
  • When you come to the stone wall opening, you take a left. From this point, the stone wall parallels the trail for a short distance.
  • At the corner of the stone wall, turn right and continue to follow the well-worn trail. Continue over the stream footbridge.
  • Keep an eye out for the right turn which comes up in about five minutes. It is marked by a sign.
  • After a short trek through the woods, you merge back with the main trail. Look for the “Whale Rock” sign and the white blaze markers on the other side of the main trail and follow them.
  • This short path leads you to the site of a huge erratic "Whale Rock" at elevation 725 ft.
  • Return via the same path to the main trail that you crossed earlier. Take a left on this trail.
  • This marked way returns you to the stone wall opening.
  • From here just return back down the trail to the entrance kiosk.
• Location: This trail is located at Wilbraham Community Gardens, 700 Monson Road in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.
• Elevation Factors: The trek starts at the 300 foot level and is mostly flat out to Whale Rock. This area rises to 725 feet. The way back to the starting point is mostly at 300 feet with slight rises and dips.
• Directions: From Main Street in Wilbraham, take Monson Road heading towards Monson, Massachusetts. Proceed over the mountain past Ridge Road on the left and down into the valley. Pass Hollow Road on the right and Glendale Road on the left. The entrance to the Community Gardens is just past Glendale on the left. There is a small sign at the entrance to the driveway that says "Community Garden." Make the turn and take your first right. Park as far down the dirt road that runs parallel to the Community Garden as you can. To access the trail head on foot, walk around the back of the garden (where the garden meets the wood line) to the north east corner. There you will see the Thayer Brook Kiosk and a small, matted down, grassy entry path.
• Map: View the map (PDF).

End note: From this point retrace your original route out to the community garden.