Puffer Pond Trail
- 0.4 mi
- round trip
- 136 ft
- climb
- 199 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct
- best months
Puffer Pond Trail is a short, easy out-and-back hike in the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The trail is about 0.4 miles long, with a total round-trip distance of roughly 0.8 miles and an elevation gain of about 10 feet. The route reaches a high point of 199 feet, with the steepest stretch at about 0.25 miles in, where the grade reaches about 6 percent. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Maynard show May highs around 73°F and September highs around 78°F, while July averages climb to about 87°F. Several other trails sit close by. Otter Alley is about 0.4 miles away and Hill Trail about 0.5 miles. The Tri-Town Trail is roughly 0.9 miles off, and the Assabet River offers fishing about 2.5 miles away.
Best time to go · Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct
Best time to visit Puffer Pond Trail
Best months: April–June and August–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
37° / 15°
11 wet
Feb
41° / 16°
9 wet
Mar
48° / 24°
12 wet
Apr
62° / 34°
12 wet
May
73° / 45°
12 wet
Jun
81° / 55°
11 wet
Jul
87° / 60°
10 wet
Aug
85° / 58°
10 wet
Sep
78° / 49°
9 wet
Oct
66° / 38°
11 wet
Nov
54° / 29°
10 wet
Dec
43° / 21°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Maynard 2, MA, 1.7 mi away at 205 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Otter Alley
Next door
0.34-mile out-and-back trail in Massachusetts with 25 ft elevation gain.
Photo: photofarmer, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Hill Trail
Next door
0.38-mile out-and-back hill trail in Massachusetts with 79 ft gain.
Pine Garden Trail
~1 min drive
0.32-mile out-and-back hike in Massachusetts with 11 ft gain.
Tri-Town Trail
~2 min drive
Easy 1.38-mile out-and-back trail connecting three Massachusetts towns.
Petapawag Trail
~2 min drive
0.84-mile out-and-back trail in Massachusetts with 45 ft elevation gain.
Towhee Trail
~2 min drive
0.93-mile out-and-back trail in Massachusetts with 115 ft gain.
Photo: leewrightonflickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Old Concord Road
~3 min drive
0.96-mile out-and-back trail on Old Concord Road in Massachusetts.
Old Pine Trail
~4 min drive
0.56-mile out-and-back trail in Massachusetts with 143 ft gain.
Desert Loop Trail
~4 min drive
Easy 1-mile out-and-back trail perfect for a quick Massachusetts hike.
Desert Trail
~4 min drive
0.58-mile out-and-back hike in Massachusetts with 30 ft elevation gain
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors