Massachusetts City Is Home to a Desert You Can Visit

Except for the four years I lived in Syracuse, New York, I have lived in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts my entire life. I know a lot about this state. Most of it is useless knowledge like the fact that the chocolate chip cookie was invented here.

They're dad facts that I like to use to make my kids roll their eyes and say, "Dad! We know! You already told us that!"

I was today years old when I found out that Massachusetts is home to an actual desert.

Get our free mobile app

How crazy is that? I classify deserts as places with quicksand. I thought they'd play a much bigger role as dangers in my life than they have (so far) but deserts, of course, are more common out west and in other countries. Right?

It turns out that maybe I should have been more concerned about the desert after all.

According to the City of Marlborough, you can venture into a real-life desert right off of I-495.

Because the soil is so poor on a 615-acre slice of land there, it's referred to as a desert and has been pretty much left untouched. Only three or four homes from colonial times have ever been documented there.

However, the remoteness of the land has made it a great place for wildlife.

In fact, some great walking trails have been created by Marlborough's conservation department there. The brochure for the walking trails in the desert boast that you may see deer, coyotes, muskrats, racoons, beavers, and other wildlife there.