Gardner Farm

Formerly a vegetable farm along the east of side of Hummock Pond, the Land Bank’s Gardner Farm property runs along Hummock Pond, a glacial meltwater river bed that once ran roughly 75 miles south out to the edge of the continental shelf. Now closed off to the ocean and filled with slightly brackish water — the Town of Nantucket opens the pond to the ocean twice a year — the pond is home to painted and snapping turtles, one to two pairs of nesting ospreys and scores of mute swans.

The area is within Nantucket’s oldest outwash plain of sandplain grasslands and contains pitch pine forests and a cattail-choked inlet over which a small walkway passes. This is one of the shorter hikes Nantucket Walkabout leads and is close to Cisco Beach and Cisco Brewery.

Logging your steps and counting the miles.
If you’re counting your steps with a fitness/activity tracker, this hike offers around 4,200 steps and is 1.1 miles in length.

Hiking fees.
This hike costs $50 for adults and $30 for children under 13. Nantucket Walkabout offers a 20-percent military discount to active and retired military personnel, and their spouses. When booking your hike, please enter the promo code, MILITARYDISCOUNT when prompted to do so. If you’re booking a hike with non-military hikers, please book for yourself or, yourself and your spouse in a separate booking from your friends and family. Also, please present your military ID card to our guide at the time of pick up. Check the Hike Calendar to see when we are hiking the Gardner Farm trail and to book it. To arrange for a private hike on this route, call or email us for our rates and to discuss your hiking needs.

Continuing your island discovery!
We encourage you to explore Nantucket on your own! There are more than 15,000 acres open for exploration on land owned by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, the Nantucket Islands Land Bank, the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, The Trustees of Reservations and The ’Sconset Trust. After your hike with Nantucket Walkabout, ask your guide for a package of maps from most of these conservation organizations.