Ashland State Park is a public recreation area surrounding the Ashland Reservoir in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Ashland,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

's incorporate the entire shoreline of the reservoir, which is abutted by the Warren Conference Center and Inn of

Framingham State University Framingham State University (Framingham State or FSU) is a public university in Framingham, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate programs as well as Graduate school, graduate programs, including MBA, MEd, and Master of Science, MS. History As ...

, town-owned land once the site of Camp Winnetaska (a Girl Scouts camp), and residential houses. The park is managed by the

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...

History

The park was created when the Ashland Reservoir, which was completed in 1895, was taken out of service in 1947. The reservoir's dam and spillway are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The park was unstaffed from 2009 through 2012 due to budget cuts and reopened in 2013 with funding to restore facilities that had deteriorated during the shutdown.

Activities and amenities

The park's trails are used for hiking, bicycling, and cross-country skiing. The park has wheelchair-accessible restrooms, picnic grounds and swimming beach in addition to a ramp for motorized and non-motorized boating and fishing. It is staffed seasonally.

In the news

The film Sea of Trees starring

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...

was partially filmed in Ashland State Park in August 2014. On August 24, 2016, an

ultralight helicopter Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

crashed into the Ashland Reservoir after experiencing engine trouble. No one was injured when the craft submerged in water up to 30 feet deep some 200 to 300 yards offshore.

References

External links

Ashland State Park
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Ashland State Park Map
Department of Conservation and Recreation {{authority control State parks of Massachusetts Ashland, Massachusetts Massachusetts natural resources Parks in Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1947 establishments in Massachusetts Protected areas established in 1947