Woodland Acres in Rockport with your dog: vernal pools and stone walls

Greenbelt's page for Woodland Acres lists six activities: birdwatching, dog walking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and trail running. Its policies welcome dogs on Greenbelt properties unless a property page says otherwise, and ask owners to carry a leash, leash an aggressive dog, keep the noise down, never leave a dog unattended, prevent digging, and pick up and carry out the waste. The Trail Safety Guidelines add that leash rules can vary by property and season, so read the posted signs at the entrance each time.

The land itself belongs to the town. Greenbelt's 2026 map says Woodland Acres is owned by the Town of Rockport and conserved by Greenbelt, and Rockport's guide to public paths says the Conservation Commission manages it with the Cape Ann Trail Stewards. Rockport's by-law requires a dog on public property to be on a leash or under direct voice control, and Pigeon Cove is well outside the downtown district where only a leash will do. A dog off the leash still needs its owner beside it and a leash in that owner's hand.

Greenbelt counts five spaces on Hillside Road and two on Woodland Road, each beside a trail entrance. Rockport's guide gives the route: from the Pigeon Cove post office on Granite Street, go up Curtis Street, take the first left onto Pigeon Hill Street and the second right onto Stockholm Avenue. Hillside Road is the first left off Stockholm, with the entrance a tenth of a mile up on the right beside number 10 and the spaces along the left shoulder. Woodland Road is the third left, with the entrance and its two spaces at the end.

Seven cars fill quickly on a fine weekend, and both are residential streets, so do not block a driveway or idle while you wait for a space. The fallback is Pine Pit, off Curtis Street between numbers 64 and 72, where the town's guide describes a free lot for about 10 vehicles and access to Woodland Acres along the rail trail. The walk in from there is longer, which most young dogs count as a bonus.

For most Pigeon Cove households Woodland Acres is a weekend walk, and the weekdays still need one. Our at-home dog walking sends a Dogtown staff member for a solo walk of 20, 30 or 60 minutes at $25, $35 or $55, with a photo and a note after each one, and 10-packs cost $225, $315 and $495. Whether we cover your street depends on the address and the season, so ask us before you plan around it.

Every walking client starts with the free evaluation at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester, on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records and a current Rockport license. A dog that needs more than a walk can spend the day in a matched playgroup at $42, and the Pup Van collects in Rockport for $10 each way. After a muddy spring loop, a bath priced from $55 by size needs no evaluation at all.