| Hemlock Gorge Reservation | |
|---|---|
 View throughEcho Bridge | |
  Location in Massachusetts Show map of Greater Boston area Hemlock Gorge Reservation (Massachusetts) Show map of Massachusetts Hemlock Gorge Reservation (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Newton Upper Falls andNeedham,Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°18′52″N71°13′35″W / 42.31444°N 71.22639°W /42.31444; -71.22639[1] |
| Area | 23 acres (9.3 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 79 ft (24 m)[1] |
| Established | 1895[3] |
| Administrator | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| Website | Official website |
Hemlock Gorge Reservation is a state-owned, public recreation area andurban wild comprising 23 acres (9.3 ha) on theCharles River inNewton andNeedham,Massachusetts. Thereservation is managed by theMassachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.[2]
An original part of theMetropolitan Park System of Greater Boston designed by landscape architectCharles Eliot in the 1890s, Hemlock Gorge Reservation protects the banks of theCharles River where it passes through the corners ofNeedham andNewton Upper Falls. The park takes its name from a gorge through which a side branch of the Charles River once passed, whose ledges were, according to Eliot, "clothed withhemlocks".[4] The side channel was cut off in the 20th century by the construction of nearbyRoute 9, and water flowing through the gorge now enters a holding pond, called New Pond,[5] from which water is returned to the river when water levels are low.
The main features are the steep Hemlock Gorge, the river, andEcho Bridge, a carrier of theSudbury Aqueduct, which now forms part of backup systems of the Boston area water supply. The bridge was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1982. A platform under the bridge's central arch lets visitors hear theecho that earned the bridge its name. At the northern end of the park, just before the river flows underRoute 9, it flows over a horseshoe-shaped dam constructed in the early 20th century at a site that housed a mill as early as the 18th century.
Hiking trails start at the parking lots on Hamilton Place in Needham and on Ellis Street in Newton.[3] Trails on both sides of the river connect with the trail on top ofEcho Bridge. A loop hike is possible by crossing the Charles on the sidewalk of the Route 9 frontage road.
