ON MY MIND
Heaven underfoot The Mattapoisett Rail Trail, an ongoing work-in-progress, gets more spectacular with every new piece.
by Paul Kandarian
Heaven’s not what awaits us when we close our eyes for the last time. Heaven just may be what’s right there in front of us when we open them every day. 22
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hat’s overstatement perhaps, but here’s the thing: if you wake up, 1) that’s a win right there and 2) it gives you a chance to drink in the new day, be it good, bad or ugly. Why? See number 1. Where I’m going with this is simple: I love to walk in the great outdoors, and that doesn’t mean hiking up and down kneestraining mountains up north. I love hikes flat and lovely, and no better area for my money (read: free) exists than right here in the South Coast.
November 2023 | The South Coast Insider
One glorious walk I just found came courtesy of my lady, who loves walking herself and who introduced me to the newest portion of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail, an ongoing work-in-progress that gets more spectacular with every new piece. The most recently opened part runs about two miles over a paved path and expansive boardwalk, from Depot Street off Route 6 in Mattapoisett to the Fairhaven line. Simply put, it is just stunning, and the best way
to see that is of course to walk it, but I encourage you to find aerial footage online to fully appreciate the sprawling beauty this new walk encompasses. The west end of the trail, from Mattapoisett Neck Road to Reservation Road, opened in July 2022. The chunk between Reservation Road and the end of Goodspeed Island road opened this past spring, a gorgeous span that crosses the Mattapoisett River estuary, salt marshes and Reservation Beach at