The 802-acre Reserve includes over a mile of shoreline on Heald Pond and over half a mile on Bradley Pond in an area known as Slab City. It is a terrain of forests, streams, hills, and wetlands. The summits of Whiting Hill (801 feet) and Flat Hill (891 feet) and Amos Mt. (955 feet), offer excellent views, including the White Mountains to the west.
The Reserve was acquired by the Greater Lovell Land Trust (GLLT) in 1996 through the generosity of several hundred individuals, public agencies, and organizations that support conservation to preserve the water quality of the Kezar Lake watershed. An additional 198 acres was purchased in 2009 from long term stewards, the Rogers family. The GLLT manages the property for many public benefits including outdoor recreation, scenic vistas, forest products, and native wildlife.
Heald Pond was named for Benjamin Heald, who built a sawmill here in 1840. Timber back then was the area’s economic backbone. When the sawmills were operating, the “slabs” - the outside cuts of the logs – were piled high along the road, accounting for the name. Evidence of these “shook” and cooper mills (where barrels were made to hold the rum and molasses of the Caribbean) is still found at the outlet of Heald Pond. While timber harvesting and milling continue locally, outdoor recreation is gaining an ever greater economic