The small but lovely pond at Attleboro Springs
The cooler weather is finally allowing me to venture out more easily, and I was grateful for walking buddies, Keith and Sue, who met me at the trailhead. Thousands pass quite near this lovely spot, especially near Christmas, but I suspect very few realize what a wonderful, accessible Easy Walk awaits just beyond the Christmas lights of LaSalette Shrine, 947 Park Street in Attleboro.
Touches of fall color out in the meadow
This will be only one of a number of trails we will include in the upcoming Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed trail guide, slated for publication next spring. But for now, there is a lot of field work that the Ten Mile River Watershed council and I still have to do. Keith is the former president of the Council and was an excellent guide to this outdoor spot.
Setting off from the trailhead, with Keith and Sue
Between the main parking lot and the overflow lot just off Rt. 118, there is a long driveway between the two lots. This is the access road to Attleboro Springs Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, 117 acres, with three miles of trails, that visit a meadow, an esker, a pond and wetland areas. A small parking area is at the end of this road, at the trailhead.
Along the universally accessible path that encircles the pond
An Easy Walk awaits that is universally accessible, with a smooth, hard-packed gravel trail that has roping to guide those with limited vision, complete with Braille signs. My long-time friend Sue, always curious, quickly began deciphering the Braille, and soon was figuring out the Braille alphabet. (Hey, you’ve got to close your eyes to do that!) Keith teased her.
Fall is coming
The small pond this trail encircles provided us with some nice water views.
In the meadow
The meadow nearby had paths mowed along the edge, reducing the risk of ticks. I found the Oak Forest loop to be pretty rooty, not such an easy walk,
The Piggery Path, with remnants of stone walls beside the trail
but the Esker loop and the Piggery Path, while having some roots and some rocks, offered enough flat walking between them that I felt pretty safe exploring all of these paths.
Along the universally accessible path, boardwalks make for easy walking through wet areas.
Find lots more information about this hidden gem here, including a downloadable trail map, which we used, and which I would encourage you to print out before you go.
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 