Lower Burke Estate

Work sessions take place in the Lower Burke Estate frequently.
Email us to find out our next one. Scout troops welcome!

News

Come on down and check out the news signs in the Burke Estate Restoration Project area. Courtesy of HHS student Erik Ghalib, with funding from the Bloomberg Youth Climate Action Fund. For more on this project, click here.

Burke Estate Location and Features

The Lower Burke Estate is a mix of forest, meadow, and wetland environments.  Although much of it is deteriorated, there is still much to see! We aim to restore the site to the biodiversity hotspot it once was.

Several paths traverse the park, including some which are "off-road" - i.e., only accessible when weather and vegetation permit. 

The park has many access points. The primary ones are a path down from the school playing fields on Farragut Avenue, an old gate on Broadway, and a dirt path off of Burnside Drive.

Those with mobility concerns should consider accessing the park through the gate on Broadway, where a small pull-out area is available for drop-offs. This gate leads to level grassy paths. The lower Burke Estate is not wheelchair accessible, as it is composed of off-road dirt and grass paths with varying inclines.

Street parking is available on Burnside, and in the playing field parking lot off of Burnside outside of school hours.

Burke Estate: History 

The Good Witch Glinda lived here!

What to See

Historic Landmarks and Natural History

Factory Brook

A River Runs through It: Learn the geography of this historic stream

The Restoration Project

What We're Doing to Restore the Lower Burke Ecosystem

Science in the Burke

In summer of 2022, Zach Navarette conducted a soil solarization study at the Burke Estate for Melissa Shandroff's Science Research class. Zach recorded heat and moisture with embedded sensors and analyzed nutrient content in soils under various kinds of plastic film. Read more.

Just like other parks in the region, be mindful of ticks and poison ivy when visiting. Consider covering up with long sleeves and pants, closed toed shoes, and sticking to paths in order to reduce your risk.