Twice a year, hundreds of visitors flock to Clinton for an opportunity to hike over the top of the Wachusett Dam and gaze over the Wachusett Reservoir.
For guests eager to be one of the first to walk over the dam in 2024, opening day is right around the corner, on Saturday, May 11, from 2-5 p.m.
Guests will also have the option of participating in a 1-mile guided walk along the North Dike from gate 39 leading to the Wachusett Dam. Gate 39 is located at the intersection of South Meadow Road and Route 110. The one-hour walk starts at 12:30 p.m.
“This open hillside walk along the Wachusett Reservoir offers interesting views and points of interest while featuring the history of its construction,” according to the Department of Conservation and Recreation website. Participants can explore the area around the dam on their own after the hike until the top walkway opens at 2 p.m.
The dam is only open once in the spring and once in the fall, so if visitors miss the spring showing, they only have one more chance to hike across for the rest of the year. The fall date has not yet been announced.
The lower gatehouse at the Wachusett Dam in Clinton, Massachusetts. (Noah R. Bombard)
Before you go:
To get to the dam, plug 265 Boylston St. Clinton into your GPS.
Visitors can park along routes 70 and 62 in Clinton. Parking is also allowed about a mile away at Clinton Middle School or Clinton High School.
There is a limited number of reserved spots for people living with disabilities at the entrance to the promenade, according to the state’s website. Call the Wachusett Reservoir Ranger Station at 978-365-3800.
Visitors can walk across the top of the dam, from one side to the other and down to the grounds below on the land side of the dam, which are open year-round from sunrise to sunset.
Department of Conservation and Recreation rangers are typically on hand to provide information about the agency’s watershed protection program during Dam Day.
Backpacks, briefcases and large bags will not be allowed due to security, according to the Dam Day page on the state’s website.
Other items may be subject to search.
Dogs are also not allowed at the top of the dam and there are no restrooms on the property.
Mill Pond below the Wachusett Dam. There is no public boat launch here, but you can put in further down the river if you know where to look.
Noah R. Bombard
About the Wachusett Dam:
The Wachusett Dam was completed in 1905.
At the time, it was the largest gravity dam in the world. The walkway to the top of the dam closed to the public in the 1990s due to water supply security and public safety concerns.
The Wachusett Reservoir provides water to metropolitan Boston and holds about 65 billion gallons of water. It is the second-largest body of water in the state.
