Emery Preserve West + Six Ponds East Preserve

951 Ship Pond Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360, USA

Wildlands Trust: 774-343-5121

info@wildlandstrust.org

https://wildlandstrust.org/davis-douglas-conservation-area

Owned By: Wildlands Trust

• Directions
• Trail Map

Emery Preserve West is a 142-acre wooded property featuring a 3-mile loop trail with rolling hills. Another prime attraction is a clearing with a cluster of benches and picnic tables in the shade of a giant beech tree.

Six Ponds East Preserve is an 80-acre woodland with about a half mile of trails that connect to the trails of Emery Preserve West and Davis-Douglas Farm, along with conservation land in Plymouth.

Also nearby, check out Emery Preserve East.

For up-to-date information and real time trail conditions, visit wildlandstrust.org/trails

Features

According to the website of the Wildlands Trust, this part of Plymouth was protected thanks in large part to the local Six Ponds Community. In 1973, the preserves known as Emery East and Emery West were donated to the Wildlands Trust by Mary B. Emery, Arthur H. Emery, Edward S. Emery, III, Richard B. Emery, Mary Charlotte (Emery) Russell, H. Shippen, and Lydia Goodhue. These were the first-ever lands protected by the Wildlands Trust. Then, in 2001, Six Ponds East Preserve was acquired. In 2010, the Town of Plymouth acquired a parcel of land in between Six Ponds East Preserve and Emery West Preserve with the assistance of Wildlands Trust. And then in 2012, the Wildlands Trust purchased Davis-Douglas Farm, with funding from public and private sources. It became the organization’s headquarters in 2014.

Long before European settlers arrived in 1620, this land was part of Pokanoket, a Wampanoag village governed by Massasoit. To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mashpee Wampanoag, the Herring Pond Wampanoag, the Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett, and the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag all share information on their websites.

Trail Description

There are three access points to the 3-mile loop trail. You can begin at the Emery West parking area on Ship Pond Road, or at the trailhead on Long Pond Road across from Davis-Douglas Farm, or via the Six Ponds East Conservation Area. All 3 offer relatively quick access to the loop, which is quite hilly in places. The trail has a few rooty spots, but it is well-marked, well-maintained, and user-friendly. The red blazes signify the loop, while the green blazes mark the trail that extends across Plymouth conservation land between the property’s two entrances on Ship Pond Road and Long Pond Road.

To enter Six Ponds East Preserve directly, look for the unmarked trailhead on Long Pond Road, a little to the left of the Six Ponds East property sign. (This area is also suitable for parking.). Follow the trail through the woods for about 1/3 mile, up and down some moderate hills. It links directly to Emery Preserve West. Follow the trail markers (red and green) to enjoy a 3-mile loop through the woods.

Also don’t miss the 0.15-mile Beech Tree Trail, which begins across the street from the Ship Pond Road parking area. At the end, you’ll find a giant beech tree surrounded with benches and picnic tables. A truly enchanting spot, especially in autumn when the leaves are turning!

Habitats and Wildlife

Several different forest types are represented here among the rolling hills and dry kettle holes. The northern section is predominantly scrub oak and pitch pine. Look for sand soil under the leaf litter. In the middle section, the trees are more mature oaks and pines, along with the occasional birch. The southern section is mostly white pine. Look low to the ground for lady slippers and starflowers, as well as an outcropping of quartz along the trail. According to the Wildlands Trust, avian species often observed here include great horned owl, black-capped chickadees, prairie warblers, rufous-sided towhees, common yellowthroats, hermit thrushes, and ovenbirds.

Interpretive signage at Davis-Douglas Farm nearby offers fascinating detail about this property’s geography. It is situated on an outwash plain — thick layers of sand and gravel deposited by retreating glaciers 14,000 years ago. Kettle ponds, esker ridges, and kames (steep-sided mounds of sand and gravel) — common features of outwash plains — are all present here. The soil is sandy, acidic, and well-drained, which is why Pine Barrens have flourished here. The streams here flow east and empty into Cape Cod Bay near Ship Pond.

The Six Ponds East Preserve extends to both sides of Long Pond Road and Route 3. The forest within is primarily scrub oak and pitch pines with some maples, beech and sassafras, and an understory of ferns, viburnum and sweet pepperbush.