Overview

Den Rock Park is a 120-acre wooded preserve that includes walking trails, a granite rock face with fissures perfect for technical climbing, scenic overlooks, and access to the Shawsheen River. The park is owned by the City of Lawrence, the Town of Andover, and the Merrimack River Watershed Council. The land was first purchased for a cemetery in 1877 but was designated as a city park in 1896. In the 1930s, the park was improved by workers with the Civilian Conservation Corps, who installed rock steps, two amphitheaters, a boardwalk, and numerous trails. In 1995 an Andover Town Meeting approved rezoning property abutting the park from industrial to residential.

Subsequent residential development produced significant additional protected open space on the park’s western border. In the summer of 2003, the Student Conservation Association created an attractive stone pathway leading from Andover’s Stirling Street into the park. In 2004, the City of Lawrence and Groundwork Lawrence built a new visitor parking area at the Route 114 entrance to the park. In the summer of 2005, the City of Lawrence and Groundwork Lawrence implemented the first phase of trail improvements and installed new trail signage throughout the park. Today, the park serves as a recreational amenity for the region and attracts hundreds of visitors throughout the year.