Scenes of Vermont Forums

Hello! Today I spent tooling around the incredible Quabbin Reservoir with our very own very talented photographer Ed McGuirk. I've never been to this scenic and enormous body of water in north central Massachusetts and it did not disappoint! Ed is an excellent tour guide and his knowledge of the history of the Quabbin and all of the details of the different entry gates and roads and access points is outstanding. We met at 9:30 at the Visitor's Center and finished at 2:30. The sky was blue and full of interesting cloud formations and it was a lovely fall day! The color was not quite there yet and we decided that in another week it would be very nice. This is truly one of the largest bodies of water I've seen yet and it feeds the drinking water into eastern Mass. There are islands all over the middle of the reservoir and we drove around the whole thing! Stopped in two adorable towns, New Salem and Petersham. We had a nice lunch in the general store there as well. Harvard Pond, where Ed does a lot of his photography, was super nice but will hopefully peak in a week.

I was quite impressed with the Quabbin Reservoir. Not sure how many folks know its history or have been there to experience its massive beauty, as it is 26 miles from lower to upper sections. It has different fingers that stretch on forever. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if Ed were not the one to educate me on all aspects of its history and places to hike in.

Thank you Ed for the tour and your expertise and your photography tid bits . I know I will return to this grand beauty again in different seasons. CT

Hi ctyanky (at least I spelled it right), I'm glad that you enjoyed the tour around the Quabbin area. I'm happy to be able to return a favor for all the help you have been here on Scenes of Vermont.

To me the Quabbin is like a little slice of Vermont that exists in Massachusetts. In fact, many people call Quabbin the "Accidental Wilderness", because it is so unspoiled and remote. In the 1930's the state of Massachusetts decided to create a drinking water reservoir for Boston by damming the Swift River. The state took 4 entire towns by eminent domain, dammed the river and flooded the valley to create the reservoir. It also left a large buffer zone of undeveloped forest around the reservoir, which helped create the "Accidental Wilderness" In my travels around the Quabbin I have seen moose, bears, coyotes, loons and eagles among other species.

ctyanky - now if you had just been able to arrive at 7:00 am yesterday instead of 9:30 am, you would have seen a gloriously foggy sunrise at Harvard Pond at the north end of the Quabbin

Ed: thanks for the data on the eminent domain. It really made me sad that this happened to the folks living in the towns that were flooded over for the creation of the reservoir. I love these photos of your sunrise, now seeing that we were standing in the exact spot where you took them. Getting there at 9:30 was a struggle as I was already on the road two hours just getting there! I loved the term "accidental wilderness". It all comes into focus now, the history and value of the Quabbin. Thanks again for sharing this great day with me.

I forgot to mention to everyone that there is a nice viewing tower to give folks a superb visual experience at the top of the five flights. I can only imagine the scene there when it is fully peaked over the reservoir!

Also, you can walk over the dam from one side to the next! So impressive! CT

https://www.mass.gov/locations/quabbin-reservoir

Here is the link for those who are so inclined to visit. It gives you a look at the beauty of the reservoir and everything you need to know!