Hike your troubles away

By Paul Kandarian

It’s important to maintain social distancing, but that’s easiest to do while out on the trails. Places like the Lloyd Center (pictured) provide perfect venues to safely enjoying the great outdoors.

COVID-19 has forced us inside, but truth be told, there’s a lot to be said for going outside–and not just to go shopping.

ur area is crazy rich with great places to walk, including con servation areas, land trusts in virtually every community, statewide, local and nation al parks and preserves, and hiking trails over hill, over dale, and around and over swamps, providing all manner of opportunities to get out, get moving, and get sane.

One of many regional crown jew els include the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth, a nonprofit with headquarters and nature preserve overlooking the scenic Slocum River estuary. It has a great reputation for envi ronmental research and education, with a myriad of programs offered this spring and summer for all ages.

“We are planning our Young Naturalist Summer Programs for children ages 5-7, our Coastal Studies for students enter ing grades 3-8, and our outreach programs for the general public,” said Rachel Stronach, executive director. “We hope to be able to provide these programs over the summer, based on guidance from state and local officials. Our staff has been working diligently to structure our programs to proceed safely. Registration is currently open and of course, we will provide full refunds if the programs can not proceed due to health concerns.”

The center’s 82-acre property of fers over five miles of walking trails, the “Bridge to Discovery” dock on the Slocum River, vernal pools, oak-hickory forest, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh, estuary views, and is home to an injured screech owl.

“Over the past couple of months we have seen an increase of hikers on our trails which is wonderful. It is our hope that people are realizing their need to have a connection to nature,” Stronach said.

In Marion, there’s the popular Hale Brook and Sippican River holding of the statewide Trustees of Reservation on

County Road, comprising a few miles of forest trails cutting over pine and oak uplands and wetland habitats, which in cludes a series of well-placed boardwalks to keep you above the water that collects on trails after rains. It’s a beautiful walk and an easement on one part takes hik ers past sprawling active cranberry bogs, a great place to take a break, sit in the sun, and relax.

Speaking of boardwalks, Osprey Marsh on Point Road in Marion, a holding of the Sippican Lands Trust, has a new and truly spectacular 1,800-foot-long boardwalk connecting the parking area to Planting Island Cove, a long and winding walkway with bump-out benches with plenty of space for strollers and wheelchairs to pass. You can walk from the trail end to the water as well, where the views are even better.

In nearby Mattapoisett is a sprawling Buzzards Bay Coalition holding aptly called The Bogs, a network of 212 acres of conserved land in the Mattapoisett River valley that includes 50 acres of cranberry bogs no longer in use and overgrown in a spectacular fashion only Mother Nature can provide when she reclaims land. That includes a large fresh water shrub swamp on the back edge of the sunbaked and windswept wide-open spaces, a rare habitat for the area. There are several connected trails in nearby woods, all of which can easily keep you walking for hours.

Shaw Farm Trail in Fairhaven is a beau ty, located on the popular Phoenix Bike Trail/Mattapoisett Rail Trail just east of Shaw Road, with a bike rack at the trail head. The trail connects the bike path to the Nasketucket Bay State Reservation in Mattapoisett, itself a state park with many miles of trails through woods, meadows and salt marshes with spectac ular views of Nasketucket Bay.

Hikers and history buffs love Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, with a high-rising grassy park that’s great for walking and picnicking in good weather. Also here is historic Fort Phoenix, the site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War, with all manner of antique cannons and other ancient artifacts dotting the windswept knoll.

And though it’s not in the woods, one very easy and popular walk is the hurri cane barrier nearby that stretches across New Bedford Harbor, an Army Corps of Engineers structure that is topped by a half-mile paved walkway with truly stun ning views of the city’s legendary waters and waterfront.

Over in Fall River is the gigantic Copicut Woods with its 516 acres that serve as the gateway to the 13,600- acre Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve, with upland forests, wetlands and waterways, and an array of flora and fauna, from deer to coyote to hawks, owls, and salamanders. For an urban walk thick with history in Fall River, check out Heritage State Park, a history-themed recreation area on the Taunton River, 14 acres next to the majestic Braga Bridge on Battleship Cove.

Not far away in adjacent Rhode Island islands is the challenging Fort Barton and Fort Barton Woods in Tiverton, where a steep initial walk from the parking area lands you in the Revolutionary War for tifications, and an observation tower offering a panoramic view of Narragansett Bay. From there, hit the trails sprawling over 83 acres, with 3.5 miles of trails that take you alongside the fire-and-brim stone sounding Sin and Flesh Brook. Fort Barton is a harder than average hike, so be prepared for hilly terrain and many roots and rocks that can trip you up.

Newport’s Cliff Walk is legendary and can be crowded, so you may want to hit Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown, a 242-acre preserve with such strategic importance it had been home to a variety of military installations. Now there is a beautifully renovated vis itor center and nearly three miles of nature trails with viewing platforms and any number of spots to stop and take in some of the best ocean views in Rhode Island. It’s not just over 65,000 annual human visitors who love Sachuest; in winter, it hosts the largest winter population of harlequin ducks on the East Coast.

One good thing about hiking in areas with not a lot of people: it’s easy to main tain social distancing, but bring your mask just in case, not to mention water and bug spray.

Stay safe, people. And to stay sane, take a hike.

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