Haggetts Pond, Andover

Haggetts Pond is the Town of Andover's drinking water reservoir, so swimming, wading, kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and dogs in the water are all banned. Walking, jogging, biking and licensed shoreline fishing are allowed, and since April 2026 the paved, 0.6-mile Haggetts Pond Rail Trail leads from Haggetts Pond Road to a boardwalk overlook. It is Andover's first town-sponsored trail built to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Haggetts Pond Rail Trail

The Town of Andover describes the Haggetts Pond Rail Trail as a 0.6-mile paved trail on a former railbed, running from Haggetts Pond Road to a scenic overlook with wide views of the pond. It has an 8-foot-wide asphalt path, a boardwalk lookout at the pond and benches. Parking is on Haggetts Pond Road, with accessible spaces, and a rapid flashing beacon marks the crosswalk between the lot and the trail. Construction ran through 2025 and early 2026, and the trail opened to the public in April 2026.

The trail grew out of a 2015 request from the Andover Commission on Disability for a trail its members could use with friends and family. Town departments reviewed every town trail and chose this one in 2016 for its gentle railbed grade. A 2017 study by the Institute for Human Centered Design, which involved 24 residents of a range of ages and abilities, guided the design.

What You Can Do

The town's guidance lists "passive recreation" in and around the pond:

• Walking, hiking, jogging and biking.
• Fishing from the shore, with a valid Massachusetts fishing license.
• Fishing from a registered rowboat, if you are an Andover resident in the town's boating program.

What Is Not Allowed

Because Haggetts Pond is the town's water supply, the town bans:

• Swimming, bathing or wading.
• Dogs or any other animals in the water.
• Hip waders. Fish from the shore or a rowboat only.
• Ice fishing and ice skating.
• Canoes, kayaks, windsurfers, paddleboards and sailboats.
• Motors of any kind.

The Resident Rowboat Program

Only square-back rowboats registered with the town may go on the water. Registration is for Andover residents, at the Treasurer's Office at 36 Bartlet Street, and requires proof of residency and a Massachusetts fishing license. The registration sticker goes high on the transom. Registered boats may be stored behind the Old Pump House in the pine grove. Stay at least 300 feet from the water treatment plant. The town's page gives the boating season as April 1 to November 30, dawn to dusk, in one place and April 15 to November 1 in another, so confirm with the town before launching.

Parking

The rail trail lot is on Haggetts Pond Road. For the boating and fishing area, the town says the parking lot gates are open 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day; if you leave after 7 p.m., drive up to the gate and wait a few seconds for it to open. Park facing the pond where possible and leave room around town vehicles.

Haggetts Pond and Harold Parker

If you want to swim or paddle, go to Harold Parker State Forest, a short drive east: DCR allows swimming at Berry Pond in season and non-motorized boating on Stearns and Field Ponds. If you want a smooth, accessible walk by the water, the Haggetts Pond Rail Trail is the better choice; Harold Parker's trails mix fire roads with rocky, rooty singletrack. For Andover's swimming beach, see Pomps Pond.

Report a Problem

The town asks visitors to report threats to the water supply, such as dumping, and lists a contact for boating violations at 978-694-2556.