Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area Day Trip
Welcome to Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in Northampton, Massachusetts
Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area is a beautiful nature preserve for hiking, kayaking, fishing, wildlife viewing and photography in the town of Northampton, Massachusetts (MA). With diverse nature and wetland habitats, wooded trails and an accessible boardwalk, this preserve is a great day trip for hikers, outdoor enthusiasts and families.
How to get to Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area |
Plot directions in Google Maps to the parking lot on North Farms Road in Northampton. There is room for around 10 vehicles, and cars were also parked on the shoulder when we visited in early January.
What to see at Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area
From there, start walking on the paved, accessible trail into the woods,. It’s only about one-quarter mile to a small wooden footbridge where you can continue onto dirt trails or turn right and follow a boardwalk path to a kayak dock and overlook with beautiful lake views.
If you only have a little time or want to look for birds and wildlife, turn right onto the boardwalk path and go to the dock. This path is suitable for strollers and all levels.
The views you see standing on the dock, especially at sunset, are fantastic making this an awesome spot for photography.
Of course, the wooded trails are great too and fairly easy to navigate. Simply go straight when reaching the small footbridge (where you can turn onto the boardwalk), and you’ll soon reach this marker pictured below.
You can take the Lake Trail (left) to a dam and pasture, or the Fishing Place Trail (right) to follow the lake. We went right to check out the views from the water’s edge.
When we visited, the trails were covered in wet leaves from snow melt so look out for the occasional big puddle when hiking here in winter. Also, there are sections of the wooded paths with roots and dips so proper hiking shoes will help.
Following the Fishing Place Trail, you’ll quickly reach the shore line and find places for serene, beautiful views and wildlife viewing.
And we also found this bench for more scenic nature views. At this point, you can continue on the trail and link up with the Lake trail or turn back and visit the overlook dock..
During our visit, the trail became quite muddy in sections, and we turned around to get to the boardwalk path and dock for incredible sunset sky views like this.
If you are planning a visit to Western Massachusetts or even driving through the Northampton area, I highly recommend going to hike and see the beauty of Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, even if you only have time to walk to the overlook dock.
Have you hiked at or visited Fitzgerald Lake in Northampton, MA for the scenic views?
Leave a comment below and share your experience.
