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Kamon Farm
Kamon Farm in Ipswich with your dog: fields to Turkey Hill
Kamon Farm was a family farm with a dairy, and parts of it are still hayed. Greenbelt owns it now, the town holds a conservation restriction, and the trails run from open fields into wooded uplands and on to Turkey Hill. Here is how the rules fit together, what the walk is like and where the farm is still at work.
The rule
Greenbelt welcomes dogs and asks for a leash where required; the Ipswich bylaw sets six feet
Greenbelt's page for Kamon Farm lists dog walking alongside hiking, birdwatching, trail running, mountain biking and winter recreation, and it posts no leash rule specific to the property. Its Trail Safety Guidelines fill in the rest: leash dogs where required and follow posted guidelines, which may vary by property and season; keep dogs from approaching wildlife, horses, other dogs or people uninvited; and step off the trail and hold your dog when hikers, riders or bikers pass.
Two more layers apply. Greenbelt's general policies ask every owner to carry a leash, leash an aggressive dog, never leave a dog unattended and stop digging, and all Greenbelt land is open from sunrise to sunset only. Kamon Farm also sits in Ipswich, whose leash bylaw says a dog off its owner's premises must be restrained on a leash not exceeding six feet. Put together, the plain answer is a six-foot leash for the whole walk.
- Dog walking: listed by Greenbelt as a permitted activity
- Ipswich bylaw: a leash of six feet or less
- Step aside and hold your dog for riders, runners and bikes
- Open sunrise to sunset, like all Greenbelt land
The walk
2.4 easy miles from open fields to wooded uplands, with an accessible path to a view
Greenbelt rates Kamon's 2.4 miles of trail as easy terrain. On the east side of the property, trails climb from open fields into wooded uplands and join the wider network on Turkey Hill and other conserved land. The all-access portion of the trail leads to a bench with sweeping views across the fields, which makes Kamon a good choice for an older dog or a short, level outing. Greenbelt publishes both a standard trail map and a gentle trail map.
The farm is still working in places. Greenbelt notes that portions of the land are used for haying, and its 2026 trail map marks an active farm area with no public access, so keep to the marked trails and leave the hay alone. The land matters beyond the farm as well: it straddles two watersheds and helps protect Ipswich's drinking water, with groundwater flowing to the Bull Brook Reservoir to the north and the Mile Lane Wells to the south. Bag every bit of waste and carry it out.
Turkey Hill
The spur to Turkey Hill puts you on town land, where the leash stays on at all times
Turkey Hill Conservation Area, at 31 Pineswamp Road, is town-owned, and a quarter-mile spur to the west of its trail links it to the Kamon trails. The town's loop is a mile long and climbs to one of the highest undeveloped hilltops in Ipswich: a rugged, steep first quarter mile, then a more gradual ascent. Its trailhead lot holds four cars, so Kamon's large lot is the easier place to start a combined walk.
On Turkey Hill the town's rule is spelled out: dogs are welcome on town-owned trails but must be leashed at all times, with the waste picked up and disposed of, and the town's open space regulations add no dogs off leash and no hunting. The ground has a long human story. Greenbelt notes that Indigenous people grew corn on Turkey Hill's lower slopes, and that hunter-gatherers met near Kamon some 14,000 years ago to hunt caribou together.
- 01
Park in Greenbelt's large lot on Pineswamp Road and clip on a six-foot leash
- 02
Download the Kamon Farm trail map, or the gentle trail map for a level stroll
- 03
Follow the trail from the fields into the wooded uplands
- 04
Take the quarter-mile spur onto Turkey Hill and walk its steep first stretch slowly
- 05
Loop the hilltop and return to Kamon the same way
- 06
Check for ticks before your dog gets back in the car
Through the year
Fall hunting, ticks and snow: what changes at Kamon with the seasons
Greenbelt allows deer hunting with archery equipment, by written permission, on some of its land, and its Kamon Farm page does not say whether this property is one of them. The town's regulations prohibit hunting on Turkey Hill. With the Kamon side unclear, follow MassWildlife's advice for anyone outdoors in the fall: wear blaze orange, keep your pet leashed and visible in a blaze orange vest or bandana, and remember that Sunday hunting is not permitted in Massachusetts.
The open fields and wood edges are tick ground. The CDC places ticks in grassy, brushy or wooded areas, most active from April to September but possible all year, and advises walking in the center of trails. Greenbelt lists winter recreation at Kamon, so a snowy weekend can bring other people onto the trails; keep your dog to one side as they pass. A field walk in mud season ends with a towel, a hose or a tub.
- Hunting: not stated for Kamon; prohibited on Turkey Hill
- Blaze orange for you and the dog from October
- Ticks: walk the center of the trail
- Snowy days: give other trail users room
After the walk
From Pineswamp Road to Eastern Ave: a bath for a hayfield dog
Seeds, burrs and mud travel home in a coat. At Dogtown, 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester, a bath and brush is priced by size from $55 to $95, and a full-service groom with a haircut runs $75 to $120. Dematting adds $15 for every 20 minutes when the burrs have done their work. Grooming books online or in the Dogtown app and needs no evaluation, and you save $5 if you book the next appointment at pickup.
Ipswich is outside the Pup Van towns, so drive over or ask us about pick-up. If your dog gets its long walks at Kamon on weekends and waits for you all week, daycare in Gloucester at $42 a full day adds the play that a leash walk cannot, after a free weekday evaluation between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. We do not take dogs to Kamon Farm; the fields are yours to share with your dog.
At Dogtown
Burrs out, coat clean
Baths and full grooms by size at 210 Eastern Ave, with no evaluation, plus daycare for weekday energy.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Do dogs need a leash at Kamon Farm?
Where do I park for Kamon Farm?
Is Kamon Farm good for an older dog?
Can my dog run in the hay fields at Kamon Farm?
Who owns Kamon Farm?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Essex County Greenbelt: Kamon Farm
- Essex County Greenbelt: trail safety guidelines
- Essex County Greenbelt: policies and FAQs
- Essex County Greenbelt: hunting policy
- Town of Ipswich: Kamon Farm
- Town of Ipswich: Turkey Hill Conservation Area
- Town of Ipswich: open space properties
- Town of Ipswich: open space rules and regulations (PDF)
- Town of Ipswich Animals Bylaw, Chapter 109 (sections 109-5, 109-8, 109-10)
- MassWildlife: wear blaze orange during hunting seasons
- CDC: preventing tick bites
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Hayfield seeds in the coat? Book a bath.
No evaluation for grooming. Book a bath and brush from $55 online or in the Dogtown app.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
