On Walden Pond

October 21, 1996

Walden Pond is a serene travel destination right out of literary history. The pond was immortalized in Henry David Thoreau's famous writing "Walden," which he penned in a tiny self-built cabin there on property owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson, his mentor and friend.

Located in Concord, Massachusetts, just 20 miles northwest of Boston, it's evident why Thoreau was drawn to the picturesque area. On an early morning, boats dot the water as fishermen quietly await the day's first bite. Leaves float by on the water's glassy surface, coloring the deep, half-mile pond. Runners move along a well-worn 1 and 3/4 mile path around the pond that leads to the site of Thoreau's hut.

The Walden Pond State Reservation welcomes 650,000 visitors a year. The area is perfect for a side trip by car from nearby Boston, or easily accessible via Concord's train station.

During the peak summer months, starting with Memorial Day and ending with Labor Day, the park is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. However, calling ahead is recommended because only 1,000 visitors are allowed in per day to protect the fragile environment. Hours vary during the winter.

In Thoreau's own words: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." -- from "Walden."

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Related sites:

• Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond

• Walden Facts & Chronology

• The Life of Henry David Thoreau

• Adam's Boston Travel Guide