Explore a beautifully preserved farmstead that dates to the 17th century and wander trails that lead past stone walls through restored woodlands.
Cormier Woods lies within the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, a designated area extending from Worcester to Providence that celebrates the historical and cultural importance of the river and the birthplace of America’s Industrial Revolution. Easy to moderate-intensity trails wind through open meadow and along stone walls, opening up a quintessential 1800s New England agricultural landscape and small-scale farmstead, replete with an historic house, barn, and a blueberry patch that ripens in late summer.
Five miles of connected loop trails pass through easy to moderate terrain, including pastures, woodlands, and a boulder field. Pass beneath evergreens and hardwood species including oaks, maple, and birch. Oaks are dominant: you’ll pass several species, each with distinct leaves and acorns, especially as you venture away from the farmstead.
On the one-and-a-half-mile loop trail leading toward the reservation’s northwest border, look for groves of 80-to-100-foot white pines. Listen for bluebirds at field edges, warblers in the thickets, and melodious thrushes, their flute-like song echoing across the woodlands. You’ll also wander through fields of native grasses and flowers, and, deeper into the woods, past brooks and giant boulders, rock outcrops, and cellar holes.
FREE to all.
Open year-round, sunrise to sunset.
217 Chapin St.
Uxbridge, MA 01569
Telephone: 781.784.0567
E-mail: charlesrivervalley@thetrustees.org
Get directions on Google Maps.
From Rt. 495: Take Exit 48 and follow Rt. 109 West. Take a left onto Rt. 16 West and follow for 7.4 mi. through Milford. Take a left onto Blackstone St. (at island with Uxbridge sign) and follow for 0.6 mi. Take left onto Chapin St. and follow for 0.7 mile. Parking near barn.
There is a trail map posted on a kiosk in the parking area.
We recommend that you take a photo of the map on your phone so you can refer to it during your visit, or download a trail map before you head out.
This rustic farmstead dates to the 1700s and represents three centuries as an agricultural landscape. The cellar holes and stone walls you’ll see here remind us that the zeal of colonists to literally carve a life from the landscape was at first primitive, but then powerful. By the mid-1700s, settlers had cleared forest for crop fields and livestock pastures. Only 50 years later, their enterprising descendants were transforming the Blackstone River Valley into our young nation’s first industrial center.
Property Acquisition History
Gift, with endowment, from the estate of James Cormier in 2005.
Archival Collections
Archival material related to Cormier Woods is available to researchers at the Archives & Research Center in Sharon, Massachusetts.
Wow, some of the smoothest trails I've ever run on. Great place for a run or hike.
– Dave D, Trip Advisor