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| A view of the freshwater marsh at South River Bogs in Duxbury. |
As winter turns to
spring, the days are often bright but also blustery. The sunshine tempts us
outdoors, but the wind makes us reconsider, or at least move faster. These are
prime opportunities for short walks.
The South Shore is
home to a tremendous amount of open space and conservation land. Many of these
properties are quite large. But probably just as many, if not more, are on the
smaller side, and thus ideal when a short nature walk is what you have in mind.
I recently visited three such properties in Duxbury.
South River Bogs: This 100-acre property was once cranberry
bogs, but its agricultural days have passed. Dormant since the early 1900s, it
has slowly converted to forest and marsh. The South River runs through it, plus
several of the bog’s old irrigation channels are still in place. According to
the Duxbury Conservation map (a resource rich in historical data, available via
the town website, see links below) the parcel was once called Feinberg Bogs,
and in addition to cranberry farming, charcoal was made in the forested
uplands. The property includes a network of trails, blazed in red, blue and
green. Looking out over the river and its marshes, you may wonder what you’re seeing:
the not-so-distant traffic of Route 3 surprisingly close-by. Limited parking is
available on North Street. Look for a small wooden sign, up the road and diagonally
across from Hillside Lane. There is also walking access via various side
streets in the Laurel/Temple area.
The John Rubin Path at Camp Wing: The Camp Wing Conservation Area is a
450-acre property with access points on Temple Street, River Street and
Franklin Street. Way back in the 1600s, it was designated as “common land,”
open to the community for hunting, fishing and lumber. Because Phillips Brook
and the South River run through much of the parcel, the trails are concentrated
in the area near the Franklin Street entrance. However there is also a single
1-mile trail – the John Rubin Path -- in a non-contiguous section of the
property, off Temple Street. If you park near the old mill dam and ice house
(Simon’s Tomb), just downstream of the pond at the intersection of Keene,
Temple and River Streets, you’ll find the trailhead just across the road. It
will lead you through the woods and around a loop that offers views of the
South River and its surrounding wetlands. This particular section of Camp Wing is
just around the corner – and actually backs up to -- the South River Bogs
property, with Route 3 in the middle. Both offer rare upstream views of the
river.
Cow Tent Hill: Managed by the Wildlands Trust, this
32-acre property overlooks the Duck Hill River and Duxbury Marsh. A single loop
trail leads through a pine forest, downhill to an overlook, and then returns to
the parking area via similar terrain. In days past, the river supplied power
for a grist mill (circa 1640) and was known as Stoney Brook. During the War of
1812, it was known as Millbrook, and it powered a factory that produced
sailcloth. The property’s current name derives from its more recent history as
grazing land -- canvas was sometimes tented over portions of a pasture to
provide shade for livestock. Look for a small parking area on Tremont Street,
not far from the traffic lights.
Duxbury Conservation
Map (two files):
by Kezia Bacon
March 2017
Kezia Bacon's articles
appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local
non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance
and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For
membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at
(781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 20 years of nature columns,
visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
