Weir Pond at Weir Farm National Historical Park

Length: 1.1 miles round trip
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy cardiovascular-wise but with plenty of rocks and roots along the path

In 1896, Julian Alden Weir entered a painting into the Boston Art Club Exhibition and won first place, pocketing $2,500 in prize money. With this he purchased an additional ten acres of land on the east side of Nod Hill Road and had a dam built to create a 4-acre fishing pond complete with a small house and a boat dock. All of these structures are gone today, and the pond is now surrounded by a thick forest except at the dam. In Weir’s day, the entire area was a hay field, and you could see the pond from Weir House.

Those wanting to visit Weir Pond can take a round-trip hike of a little over a mile on a lollypop-shaped trail that starts from either the Weir House or the barn. Either way, you end up at Truant’s Meadow where the stick portion of the trail officially begins (the stick leads to the loop, thus the lollypop shape). If starting from the house as I did, walk through the fence gate and cross Nod Hill Road, then head north (left) until reaching the meadow. The National Park Service keeps a path mowed, so follow this to lessen the chance of picking up ticks or brushing up against poison ivy.

Gate to Nod Hill Road and the Weir Pond Trail at Weir Farm National Historical Park

Path through Truant’s Meadow at the start of the Weir Pond Trail, Weir Farm National Historical Park

The small house in Truant’s Meadow is the Palace Car, a portable art studio once used by Weir. The building was built on runners and could be pulled to different locations by oxen. It eventually became a playhouse for Weir’s three daughters.

Palace Car in Truant’s Meadow, Weir Farm National Historical Park

The trail splits just past the Palace Car. Stay to the right; a left leads back to Nod Hill Road at the barn. Once on your way, you will be heading slightly downhill until reaching the pond, but it is a gradual slope and would be considered easy by most people. It is not, however, recommended for those who have difficulty walking on uneven terrain. The stick portion isn’t bad, but the loop is filled with rock and roots.

Typical terrain on the stick portion of the Weir Pond Trail at Weir Farm National Historical Park

The trail surface is soft earth, and once past the meadow it is wide enough to keep hikers away from the vegetation where ticks are likely to be hiding. I hiked the trail in mid-July and ran into a few mosquitoes, but not enough for me to wish that I had applied insect repellent.

Typical terrain on the stick portion of the Weir Pond Trail at Weir Farm National Historical Park

The route of the Weir Pond Trail is marked with yellow blazes—paint splotches on trees or posts that you follow like Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs. The hike to the pond is pretty straightforward, but there are a few detours on the loop portion of the trail that are not on the park brochure map. In fact, that map is nowhere near accurate, so don’t bother using it as a guide.

Yellow blazes mark the Weir Pond Trail at Weir Farm National Historical Park

There are many stone walls along the trail, and most of these were on the property when Weir purchased it in 1896. In contrast, the walls on the other side of Nod Hill Road where the house, barn, and gardens are located were mainly commissioned by Weir’s daughter, Cora, in the 1930s and 40s.

Stone walls along the Weir Pond Trail at Weir Farm National Historical Park

Before reaching the pond—.3 mile into the hike—the trail forks. Both paths will get you down to the loop around the pond, but staying to the left is an easier route. Taking a right leads directly to the loop, but you must walk down a stone staircase that comes just after passing through a stone wall.

Fork in the Weir Pond Trail just before coming to the loop around the pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

Gap in the stone wall just before a stone staircase that leads down to the loop around Weir Pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

View from the top of the stone staircase that leads down to the loop around Weir Pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

If you arrive at the stairs and decide this route is too difficult, take a left prior to the wall and follow the path until coming to a second gap that provides easier access to the loop. However, this still isn’t the easiest way, and per a sign, if you continue along the wall you will eventually come to a third gap. Here the Weir Pond Trail merges more gently onto the loop around the pond.

Path along the stone wall leads to a second gap and easier access to the loop around Weir Pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

Second gap in the stone wall provides easier access to the loop trail around Weir Pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

If you take the staircase or the second gap in the wall to get down to the loop around Weir Pond, there are some stepping stones over a muddy area to contend with. This is why accessing the loop via either of these paths presents a few challenges for elderly people or those who have difficulty walking on rocky terrain.

Stepping stones along the Weir Pond Trail on the western side of the pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

Anyone hiking the Weir Pond Trail wants to see the pond, but there is so much vegetation between the trail and the water that clear views are hard to come by. The dam on the opposite (north) side of the pond has the best views, and the easiest way to get there is by hiking clockwise. So regardless of how you get to the loop, turn left to begin the hike around the pond.

Typical terrain on the west side of the Weir Pond Trail, Weir Farm National Historical Park

View of Weir Pond from the dam, Weir Farm National Historical Park

Geese on Weir Pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

Dam at Weir Pond, Weir Farm National Historical Park

Just after crossing the dam at the northern end of Weir Pond is the intersection with trails that lead into the Nod Hill Refuge. This is Connecticut state land and not part of Weir Farm National Historical Park. Just stick to the trail that hugs the pond shoreline (stay right) to continue the hike.

Weir Pond Trail at the intersection with the Nod Hill Refuge trails, Weir Farm National Historical Park

The terrain on the east side of Weir Pond, which is where you will be heading after the dam if you are hiking in the clockwise direction, is much more difficult. There are sections with so many roots and rocks that I couldn’t even see the trail. There are also plenty of stepping stones used to cross muddy areas and the creek that flows into Weir Pond. If you don’t want to deal with this, just turn around at the dam and walk back the way your came.

Rough terrain on the east side of the Weir Pond Trail, Weir Farm National Historical Park

Rough terrain on the east side of the Weir Pond Trail, Weir Farm National Historical Park

The only benefit of completing the loop, other than you don’t have to see the same things twice, is that there are a couple of clearings with nice views of Weir Pond. For photographers, if the sun was shining in your face at the dam, you may get better photos at these other clearings.

View of Weir Pond from a clearing on the east side of the Weir Pond Trail, Weir Farm National Historical Park

For the record, I did the entire loop, though I did cut it short by taking the stone staircase back up to the stick portion of the trail.

Stone staircase connects the stick and loop sections of the Weir Pond Trail, Weir Farm National Historical Park

My overall impression of Weir Pond is that it is not particularly picturesque, and unless you hike the trail in the fall when the leaves are changing color, you aren’t missing much. This is the only trail at Weir Farm National Historical Park. However, there are an additional three miles of trails at the Weir Preserve located adjacent to the southern boundary of the park. You can pick up a trail map in the Burlingham House Visitor Center, and you can access the Preserve from there as well.

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