The National Trust for Historic Preservation has listed Walden Pond and Walden Woods, the inspiration for Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 classic “Walden,” one of “America’s 11 Most …

Getting outdoors and exploring Walden Woods is a great way to connect with this important and historical landscape. About 80% of the 2,680 acres that make up Walden Woods is conserved by state, municipal, and non-profit organizations, and most is …

Walden Pond is the centerpiece of Thoreau’s Walden Woods and is the focus of Thoreau’s most famous piece: Walden. It is owned and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and sees nearly 600,000 visitors every year.

Walden Woods became a marginalized landscape where people and activities that didn’t fit within the proper society of Concord were pushed. Itinerant laborers, freed slaves, and other marginalized people lived in Walden Woods.

The Walden Woods Project advocates for the preservation of historic Walden Woods and Thoreau Country in Concord and Lincoln, Massachusetts, and for the broader, global environment.

We manage nearly 200 acres on 17 key sites within Walden Woods and work to ensure that this national treasure remains a model of preservation and conservation to inspire an international ethic of environmental stewardship for generations to come.

Since 1990, when Don Henley founded The Walden Woods Project, we have protected over 170 acres of highly-threatened land on 14 sites within Walden Woods. Our properties are highlighted in dark green on this map.

The reason that his brief time at Walden and his one night in jail have become such defining moments in his life can be summed up under one term: Writer. Thoreau is one of the most powerful and influential writers America has produced.

Hunters and waterfowlers roamed its woods and stationed themselves on its shores. Picnickers, berry pickers, and skaters made Walden a frequent destination, and then as now it was a popular swimming hole. Abolitionists met at Walden and local celebrations were held there.

Table of Contents Title Page Introductory Note Economy Where I Lived, and What I Lived For Reading Sounds Solitude Visitors The Bean-Field The Village The Ponds Baker Farm Higher Laws Brute Neighbors House-Warming Former Inhabitants; and Winter Visitors Winter Animals The Pond in Winter Spring Conclusion Index