Directions

Our main farm is located on the Thoreau Birthplace Farm property.
341 Virginia Rd, Concord, MA 01742

From the east, south and north: From I-95/Rte. 128, exit onto Rte. 2A west (exit 46B). Follow signs to Hanscom Field and turn right at the blinking light onto Hanscom Drive (the airport access road). After about 1/2 mile, bear left at the fork and through one stop sign. Turn left onto Old Bedford Road (Do not go straight into Hanscom Airport or right into Hanscom Airbase). Old Bedford Road turns into Virginia Road, and Gaining Ground is on the right after about 1.5 miles. Park and walk through the large gate and down the dirt farm road. Near the end of the road, there is a sign-in station on your right—please sign in and then gather at the pavilion.

From the west: Take Rte. 2 east and bear right just before the overpass toward MA-2A East. Turn left at the light to go under the overpass and then right on to MA-2A East. Go 2 miles and turn left onto Hanscom Drive (the airport access road). After about 1/2 mile, bear left at the fork and through one stop sign. Turn left onto Old Bedford Road (Do not go straight into Hanscom Airport or right into Hanscom Airbase). Old Bedford Road turns into Virginia Road, and Gaining Ground is on the right after about 1.5 miles. Just past Thoreau Farm House at 341 Virginia Road, turn into the parking lot for Gaining Ground. Park and walkwalk through the large gate and down the dirt farm road. Near the end of the road, there is a sign-in station on your right—please sign in and then gather at the pavilion.

Transportation Assistance

We recognize that the farm property is inaccessible for many folks and want to make visiting and/or volunteering available to all. If transportation to the farm is a logistical or financial barrier for you, we can offer an Uber voucher to sponsor the trip to and from Concord. Please reach out to Avery Indermaur at avery@gainingground.org to get a voucher and for more information about how they work.

Parking and Proceeding to the Volunteer Pavilion

With limited parking, carpooling is encouraged. Gaining Ground’s parking entrance is marked by the green Gaining Ground sign on Virginia Road. Pull in and park on your left. If you pull into the driveway marked with the Thoreau Birthplace Farm sign, please continue around the U-shaped driveway and park on your right just past the sugar house (shed for boiling maple sap).
You may not park in the Thoreau Farm parking lot or beside the stone wall adjacent to the farm house.

Please leave valuables in a safe place and just bring essentials, such as water, hat, rain coat, snack, allergy medications, etc. We have a carry-in, carry-out policy for all garbage. Following the signs, walk through the large gate and down the dirt farm road. Near the end of the road, there is a sign-in station on your right—please sign in and then gather at the pavilion, where you’ll meet the farm team and get started!