Assabet River Stream Watch

Organization for
the Assabet River
9 Damonmill Sq., Suite 1E
Concord, MA 01742
Tel. (978-369-3956)

Streams - Nashoba

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Pictoral Tour of Nashoba Brook, Concord and Acton

Littleton Common	Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Nashoba Brook is the largest tributary of the Assabet River and has a drainage area of over 48 square miles. (This figure includes the area that drains into Fort Pond Brook, which joins Nashoba Brook shortly before the stream discharges into the Assabet). Its headwaters are in Littleton, near the Littleton Common, but the stream soon flows into Westford, where it forms the northeastern edge of the Nashoba Valley Ski Area.
	Looking downstream from Rt. 27
The stream continues under Powers Road, behind a residential neighborhood, and through the Richard Emmet Conservation Land, which has walking trails that are accessible from Texas Road or Powers Road. There it is fed by Vine Brook and Nonset Brook before entering Acton, where it is fed by Butter Brook and then flows under Rt. 27 and Carlisle Road.
Robbins Mill Pond	The staff gage is located just to the left of this bridge
Shortly after it passes under Carlisle Road., Nashoba Brook enters Robbins Mill Pond and then pours into the Nashoba Brook Conservation area, which is accessible from Wheeler Lane or Davis Road and features lovely walking trails. The StreamWatch gaging site is located close to the Wheeler Lane entrance.

Farther downstream in the conservation area is the site of an old pencil factory that was powered by Nashoba Brook. A small kiosk there presents information about the natural and human history of the area.	The path that runs along the stream has a number of boardwalks and a bridge that make it easier to get close to the stream. At the far end of the conservation area Nashoba Brook flows under an old railway line that runs along its course almost all the way to the Assabet.
Veterans Field	Nashoba Brook behind Great Road
Nashoba Brook then runs behind Veterans Field before being joined by Conant Brook and Nagog Brook, which flows out of Nagog Pond.	The stream passes under Great Road (Rt. 2A) and Brook St. and then parallels Great Road, running behind the businesses on its western side for a couple of miles.

A dam on the brook forms Ice House Pond, which is accessible from Concord Road. There are some pleasant but overgrown paths running through the woods by the lakeshore.	Nashoba Brook flows under Rt. 2 just over the border into Concord.

It then joins Fort Pond Brook before entering Warners Pond, a popular place for canoeing and fishing in the summer and ice skating in the winter. The pond is accessible from Commonwealth Avenue.	After leaving Warners Pond, the brook flows under Commonwealth Avenue (the site of the StreamWatch staff gage), where there used to be a pail factory.

It runs behind some of the businesses in West Concord and under an old railroad bridge before emptying into the Assabet.
Nashoba Brook joins the Assabet
There is a path that runs along the old railway tracks and provides access to the place where the brook joins the Assabet River. It's very pretty, but beware of poison ivy and mosquitoes!