Rules & Regulations

The former Assabet River NWR Visitor Center is now the headquarters for the USFWS Staff of the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildife Refuge Complex.

Assabet River, Oxbow and Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuges are open for visitors to spend time outdoors on the trails. The Refuges are open year round from sunrise to sunset. Wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities, including hiking, photography, interpretation, and environmental education, are permitted on designated trails shown on the refuge maps.

Occasional Tuesday and Saturday Visitor Outreach is offered by Friends of Woodlands and Waters. The schedule is announced monthly on the Friends of Woodlands and Waters Facebook page, and in our newsletters.

Visitors are welcome to stop in during Visitor Outreach to learn more about your local National Wildlife Refuges, browse the Nature Store items for a variety of nature themed books, children’s items, and fold out guides, borrow a pair of binoculars, pick up a trail map and brochures, and ask for trail suggestions. Visitors can sign up for our email newsletter, and find out about current volunteer opportunities.

2025 is the 25th Anniversary of the Assabet River NWR, and our Friends group! Information is available at Visitor Outreach about our “25 Miles for 25 Years” celebration activity.

To receive updates about Open Houses, Visitor Outreach, programs and events, please sign up for our email newsletter on this website under Get Involved.

Please note that there is an entrance fee at the Great Meadows Concord Unit. America the Beautiful passes are accepted.

America The Beautiful Interagency Passes - Please note that the Passes are not available for sale by Refuge staff until further notice. 

Please follow these guidelines when visiting the Refuge:

• There are no picnic areas or campsites.
• The disturbance, destruction, or removal of wildlife, vegetation and facilities are prohibited.
• Stay on designated trails and out of “Closed” areas. This is to protect you and the habitat and prevent the spread of invasive species. You must get a special permit from the refuge staff to go off the trails.
• Pack in and pack out. There are no trashcans on the refuges and we ask you to please take your trash with you.
• No pets or horses are allowed. Please leave your pets at home to protect wildlife and their habitats. Certified service animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities are permitted on trails as long as they are under the direct control of their owner at all times and all feces is removed from the site.
• Camping and campfires are not allowed.
• Please only bike along designated roads. This is for everyone’s safety and to protect refuge resources. Bicycles are allowed on the Assabet River refuge only and on a very limited number of trails. All cyclists entering the Refuge should check in at the kiosks at the entrances in order to obtain information about which trails are open to bikes, speed limits, and other restrictions.
• Park in designated parking areas. Motorized vehicles are restricted to the parking area and its access road only. If parking lots are full, please continue on.
• Motorized boats are not allowed. Canoes and kayaks are allowed on rivers and streams but not in ponds and pools such as Puffer Pond.
• Drones are prohibited. Launching, landing, or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) within the refuge is prohibited.

Hunting and Fishing are allowed subject to refuge regulations, State and Federal laws and permit restrictions.

Hunting

Hunting is allowed only during regulated periods and requires a refuge hunt permit. The most intense hunt period is during the shotgun deer season late November and/or into December. Most other times, hunt pressure is generally light. There is no hunting on Sundays.

For more information please refer to the kiosks at the refuges and on their specific U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service webpages:

• Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge Hunting
• Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge Hunting
• Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Hunting

Fishing

All anglers must comply with Massachusetts State fishing regulations. Catch and release only.

For more information please refer to the kiosks at the refuges and on their specific U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service webpages:

• Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge Fishing
  • Fishing is only allowed from the two fishing piers on Puffer Pond: the Barron Fishing Access Site on the Puffer Pond trail, and the handicap-accessible fishing pier on the Sandbank Trail. 
  • Fishing from the banks of Puffer Pond is not permitted.
• Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge Fishing
  • Fishing is allowed on the Nashua River and along its banks within the refuge.
  • The northern boat launch is located at the Bill Ashe Visitor Facility in Devens MA.
  • The southern boat launch is located at our Still River Depot Road entrance in Harvard MA.
• Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Fishing
  • Fishing is allowed via nonmotorized boats on the Concord and Sudbury Rivers and from the launch areas.
  • There is a boat launch off the Weir Hill Trail at the Sudbury Unit for Sudbury River access.
  • There is a boat launch off Route 225 in Carlisle for Concord River access.