Muddy Creek Headwaters Preserve
Muddy Creek Headwaters Preserve
Acres: 17Total Trail Length: 0.3 (1/3 mile)
Conservation History and Importance: Thanks to enthusiastic supporters from across the four-town Pleasant Bay Watershed raising $1.6 million, this 17-acre landscape with 1,400 feet of shoreline on Muddy Creek that flows into the bay was preserved by HCT in 2017. Kingfishers chatter creekside while red-tailed hawks and songbirds explore the forest and meadow. The site was formerly occupied by an abandoned house and derelict tennis court. Through ecological restoration, 1.5 acres has been transformed into grassland habitat, resulting in a wildflower-rich meadow of black-eyed susans, partridge pea, butterfly weed, and blazing stars. The volunteer Chatham-Harwich Newcomers’ Woodworkers Club installed a trailhead kiosk and volunteer Eagle Scout Carl Furner led the effort to build three benches.
Trailhead Parking: From the stoplight intersection of Old Queen Anne Road and Route 137, drive about 150 feet east (toward Chatham) and take your immediate left onto Church Street. After approximately one-tenth of a mile, the parking area will be on your right.