New Boston Trail

Branching out from the southwestern edge of the Mattapoisett River Reserve, this small but picturesque property offers a mile of trail through forest and wetland habitat. New Boston is a great place for everything from an afternoon walk to a full day spent exploring this little gem and its neighboring properties.

Features

Two women walking on a trail of bog boards through a muddy part of the woods.

Bog boards elevate walkers above the muddiest parts of New Boston’s occasionally swampy trail.

New Boston is part of the Mattapoisett River Reserve, a growing network of 212 acres of conserved land in the Mattapoisett River valley. These habitats protect clean drinking water for residents of Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester.

Despite being under a mile, this trail is not one to rush through. New Boston offers views into the diverse forest and wetland habitats that Mattapoisett River Reserve was created to protect, and it rewards those who slow down to look for the fine details. Look out for unfurling fiddlehead ferns in the late spring and early summer, a variety of mushrooms peeking out after rainy days, frogs hiding in muddy ponds, and the tell-tale remains of a squirrel’s afternoon pine cone snack. With beech trees filtering soft green light through their leaves and hosting a chorus of songbirds above, New Boston is a great place to immerse yourself in nature.

Trails

Though free of any major hills, the New Boston Trail is a treat for walkers looking for a little bit of a challenge. With gnarled tree roots jutting from the ground, large rocks scattered about the path, and muddy moss all around, this trail involves a little more concentration than most trails you would find on the South Coast.

Because it traverses through wetland, New Boston can also be quite damp in places. Bog boards placed underfoot for the majority of your journey will keep shoes from getting too wet. Even so, footwear that can withstand a little mud is recommended.

After about 0.75 miles, the New Boston trail ends at a fork that will lead you onward into the other Mattapoisett River Reserve properties. For a longer trek, turn right to explore the amphibian oasis of The Bogs, or left for views of the scenic Tripps Mill waterfront and to continue onward into the Tinkhamtown Woodlands.

Habitats & Wildlife

New Boston crosses through wetland, making it a great place to look for wood frogs, peepers, American toads, and a variety of salamanders. Many birds, such as golden finches, can be spotted throughout the property. Red squirrels like to call this place their home as well, and often leave chips of pine cones on the bog boards throughout the trail.

On this property there is also a small beech grove, a beautiful place to stop and soak in the quiet of the woods.

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