The All Persons Trail at Goldsmith Woodlands Starts at a Very Small Lot on Route 28

From the parking area at 491 South Main Street, a six-foot-wide path of crushed stone runs into the woods. It follows old woods roads for about three-quarters of a mile and climbs over a glacial esker. It ends at Bessie's Point, where the trees open onto Foster's Pond and there is a picnic area with a view of the water.

This is the Andover Village Improvement Society's first All Persons Trail, and it is complete. AVIS celebrated the finish of Phase I on May 16, 2026. The trail no longer limits who can reach Bessie's Point. The trailhead does. The lot off Route 28 holds 8 to 10 vehicles, and the fix is planned for 2027. That leaves this late fall and winter as the trail's first cold season, with the old parking setup still in place.

A Trail Built to a Federal Standard, on a Ridge Left by a Glacier

The trail was designed to the Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines for visitors with mobility challenges. Most of the route stays below a 5 percent grade, and the standard requires keeping it under about 8 percent. The eskers made that hard. The route crosses a series of them that were too steep for the standard, and the builders had to lower their high points so a wheelchair could get all the way to the pond.

The Appalachian Mountain Club Professional Trail Team did the work. According to the AVIS Fall 2026 newsletter, the crew camped in Harold Parker State Forest Monday through Thursday every week from July to October 2025. They laid six inches of crushed stone across the six-foot width. AVIS Trustee Susan Stott led the project and Land Manager David Dargie oversaw it.

The Eagle-Tribune put the cost of Phase I trail construction at $350,000. Support included a MassTrails grant from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and a major grant from The Boston Foundation. The Boston Foundation also transferred the 140-acre reservation to AVIS. Bessie Goldsmith had left the land in trust in 1966. Other support came from the Highland Street Foundation, the Bafflin Foundation, the Fields Pond Foundation, the Rotary Club of Andover, the Andover Chamber of Commerce, and Rockland Trust. Edgewood Life Care Community donated a Rough Rider wheelchair for opening day.

The Last 300 Feet Took Two Seasons

The trail opened in stages, and some people walked it before it was finished. Here is the order:

1. July 8–9, 2025. The Andover Conservation Commission approved the work, and AMC preparation began the next day. Most of the reservation closed, but the path from Willard Circle to Journey's End stayed open.
2. December 2, 2025. Goldsmith reopened to the public. Walkers could reach Bessie's Point, but the 300-foot section over the esker still had no finished surface, so wheelchairs could not easily make the whole trip.
3. April 23, 2026. The lot and the trail closed so the AMC crew could come back and surface the esker.
4. May 2, 2026. The work finished early and the trail reopened.
5. May 16, 2026. The official opening celebration. AVIS noted that the lady slippers had started blooming about a week earlier.

If you last visited over the winter and turned back at the esker, the surface is now finished the whole way to the pond. A first full trip in November runs over ground that was still gravel and grading a year ago.

Eight to Ten Cars on a State Highway

The trail work is done. The trailhead hasn't changed. AVIS has added a handicapped parking marker at the existing lot and says cars with handicapped tags are using that space. Its June update also says the lot "can accommodate only 8-10 vehicles," and that "most days, visitors also park along Route 28 in the state highway right-of-way."

So the trailhead now limits who can use the trail. The path to Bessie's Point is graded for people who use wheelchairs or walkers, or who are pushing strollers. Those same visitors have the hardest time with a full lot and a spot on the shoulder of a busy state road.

Phase II is meant to fix that. The Conservation Commission has already approved the plan. It expands the trailhead to 22 spaces, including two ADA-compliant spaces, and marks clear entry and exit points. There is also an environmental reason. AVIS says the current parking layout has let wetlands encroach over the past 20 years. Phase II would recreate those wetlands farther into the reservation, beyond the kiosk.

The plan depends on funding. The Fall 2026 newsletter says AVIS has raised about $530,000 for the Goldsmith project so far. It has about $100,000 of the roughly $500,000 needed for the parking work, and its goal is to have the money in hand for construction in 2027. In June, AVIS said it planned to announce a dollar-for-dollar challenge grant in November 2026. AVIS has also received an Essex Heritage grant for new signage at Bessie's Point.

Stott described where the project came from in AVIS's June update:

"During the pandemic, we saw how vitally important it was for people to have the opportunity to get outside and experience nature. Unfortunately, it also became strikingly clear that not everyone could access our reservations. That's how this project was born."

Why the Lot Matters More in Winter

AVIS opens its lands for quiet enjoyment from sunrise to sunset, and dogs must be leashed at all times. In June, that leaves most of the day to spread visitors out. In late fall and winter, the same rule squeezes every visit into a short window of daylight. The weekend hours after the sun clears the trees are when most people want to walk, and a lot that holds 8 to 10 cars fills quickly.

Snow changes the trip too. Andover Trails lists cross-country skiing as allowed in all the trail areas it covers, and AVIS invites visitors to walk or ski its reservations. A wide, gently graded path on an old woods road could make one of the easier ski outings in town. Visitors still need a place to park.

A few habits help in the season ahead:

• Go on a weekday or early in the morning if you want a spot in the lot. Leave the marked handicapped space for the visitors it serves.
• Plan the walk out and back. Bessie's Point is about three-quarters of a mile from the parking area, so the round trip is about a mile and a half on crushed stone.
• Keep dogs leashed for the whole trip, including at the picnic area on the point.
• If you have more daylight, follow the older loop past Journey's End and Scout Hollow. AVIS also points out Zack's Way and the site of Zack's hop pit among the reservation's landmarks.

When the Goldsmith Lot Is Full, Head to Haggetts Pond

Andover gained a second accessible trail this year. The Town posted that the Haggetts Pond Rail Trail was open this spring. On a cold afternoon when Route 28 is lined with parked cars, Haggetts Pond is the obvious backup. It is a different kind of walk.

Andover Trails describes the Haggetts route as ADA-compliant. It runs from Haggetts Pond Road to the overlook and has a crosswalk with a rapid-flashing beacon. Its rules also prohibit alcohol and motorized vehicles other than wheelchairs, ask visitors to carry out their trash, and ask cyclists to yield to walkers and wheelchair users. The Eagle-Tribune reported that the project was funded by a $500,000 MassTrails grant plus ARPA money, and that Bates and Son was the contractor.

The two trails suit different outings. The pavement and boardwalk at Haggetts make for an easy, open walk with a bike allowed. Goldsmith is a wooded mile and a half round trip to a picnic spot on Foster's Pond. Until the Phase II lot is built, how full the Goldsmith lot is on a given winter morning will often decide which one you walk.

A first walk to Bessie's Point is one of the better reasons to get outside before the year ends. If you have questions about Andover, or about what is changing in the town around you, I'm always glad to talk them through. Kimberly Zecher. Let's Connect.