Sterling – Heywood Reservoir and Devils Pulpit Hike

Quick Facts

Distance: 4 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Restrictions:
- Hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are permitted.
- In season and with proper licenses, fishing and hunting are also allowed.
- Motorized vehicles are prohibited.

Sterling. Park in the Heywood Reservoir lot, which is on Upper North Row Road, about 1.2 miles from Justice Hill Road. Google Maps
An annotated map and brochure for the Heywood Reservoir loop can be accessed on the Sterling Open Space Page here.

The Heywood Reservoir Trail traverses a portion of Wekepeke Watershed lands owned by the Town of Clinton in both Sterling and Leominster. The trail offers scenic vistas of the Heywood Reservoir, a lovely section along Heywood Brook and a short open meadow trail section near Sholan Farms.
Distance is about 4 miles due to the hike up to Devil’s pulpit, which is a large boulder up on a surrounding hill. Elevation is around 450 ft.

Start at the kiosk and walk straight down Hapgood Road (an abandoned paved road).

Look for Sign #175 on your left and turn onto that trail.
Head uphill past Sign #155 to Sign #145.
Optional Detour: Turn left at #145 for a rough, yellow-blazed path to Devil’s Pulpit, a large painted boulder perfect for photos.

Return to the main trail and head north to Sign #140.

Cross left over the berm and take the trail to the right around Heywood Reservoir.
Cross the open field (stay to the right), then follow the path back down toward the water.
Turn left, climb over a steep hill, and head south toward the dam.

Pass the dam and follow the path down to the brook. Cross the brook via the new bridge.
The path winds through an open area by the reservoir, heads through the woods, and returns to Hapgood Road.
Turn left on Hapgood Road to return to your car.

Shorten the Hike: Skip the Devil’s Pulpit loop to reduce the total distance to 3 miles.
Sholan Farms Extension: About halfway along the east side of the reservoir, a trail leads left through a field to Sholan Farms’ apple orchards. You can also park here.
The Rocky Hill Challenge: For a steeper, more difficult hike, scramble from Devil’s Pulpit up to Rocky Hill (marked by radio transmitters) and loop back down to Fall Brook Reservoir.

A very interesting and complete history of the Wekepeke Watershed can be found here.