Wells State Park covers about 1,400 acres of second-growth forest in Sturbridge and neighboring Southbridge, with Walker Pond as its centerpiece. The park has roughly 15 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy lakeside walks to more strenuous ridge loops. Most trails are well-maintained and clearly marked, passing through mixed hardwood forest that turns dramatically in mid-October. The swimming beach at Walker Pond is one of the better freshwater swimming spots in central Massachusetts — clean water, a sandy entry, and rarely as overcrowded as the Cape or the larger reservoirs.
Camping is available at over 60 sites, making Wells a reasonable base for a multi-day visit to the Sturbridge area. The park also has mountain biking trails on designated routes, and the fishing on Walker Pond is decent — perch, bass, and pickerel are the main catches. In fall the park fills quickly on weekends for foliage viewing, so weekday visits are considerably more peaceful. The park entrance is off Route 49 North, about four miles northeast of the Sturbridge town center.