Farnsworth Reservation with your dog: vernal pools in North Andover

Greenbelt's page for Farnsworth lists four activities: birdwatching, dog walking, hiking and winter recreation. Its policies say dogs are welcome on Greenbelt properties except where a property page says otherwise, and the Farnsworth page says nothing otherwise. The conditions are short: carry a leash, leash any aggressive dog, keep noise down, never leave a dog unattended, prevent digging and destructive behavior, and pick up and carry out the waste. All Greenbelt land is open from sunrise to sunset.

Greenbelt's Trail Safety Guidelines, written for all its properties, add the trail manners. Dogs go on the leash wherever it is required, and the posted rules can differ from one property, and one season, to the next. Keep your dog from approaching wildlife, horses, other dogs or people uninvited, and when hikers, riders or bikers come by, recall it, step off the trail and hold it. Bag the waste and take it with you, since a bag left beside the trail is litter. The guidelines even suggest packing a K9 rescue sling when you hike with a dog.

Greenbelt's directions give two places to start, South Bradford Street and Winter Street, and say to park on the shoulder of the road at either one. The property page lists no lot and no fee. Pull fully off the travel lane, clip the leash on inside the car, and let your dog out on the side away from traffic. A full shoulder is a sign to come back later, not to squeeze in.

Choose the side by the walk you want. South Bradford Street is the start of the suggested loop across the boardwalk toward Purgatory Swamp. Winter Street is the way to the Bruin Hill uplands, the higher ground on the property. Farnsworth also borders the North Andover Town Forest, so a longer outing can link the two; on town land, North Andover's open space rules keep dogs leashed at all times and on the trails.

A walk past a red maple swamp and a string of vernal pools sends most dogs home with dark legs and a wet belly. A bath and brush at Dogtown, a warm bath, blow-dry and brush-out, runs $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, $65 to 50 pounds, $75 to 90, $85 over 90 and $95 for an extra-large long coat, with the final price confirmed at check-in after a look at the coat. No evaluation is needed for grooming, so the booking can be made online or in the Dogtown app.

North Andover is about 50 minutes from Gloucester outside rush hour by our estimate, and outside the Pup Van towns, so a bath makes most sense on a day you are coming to Cape Ann anyway, or added to a daycare day for a dog that has passed its free evaluation. Add Shed Release for $10 if your dog is dropping its undercoat, or nail clipping for $16, and book the next groom at pick-up to save $5. We do not take dogs to Farnsworth; the walk is yours.