Until a few years ago, the ponds of Delcarte Conservation area, just off Pleasant Street in Franklin, were private property, the trail around the ponds nonexistent. Ernie Delcarte left the property and ponds to the town of Franklin, and we are all richer for this gift. Take a simple walk around the ponds (plan for about an hour), bring the kids to the playground, fish off the dam (catch-and-release only!), or bring your canoe or kayak for a quiet paddle. You’ll find yourself returning to this gem of a spot, now protected for future generations, thanks to one man’s generosity.
From 495 take Rt. 140 south (exit 17) towards Franklin, past the Stop & Shop plaza, go through the light at Panther way, turn left at next light, Beaver Street. Go straight through the two lights at Franklin Center (St. Mary’s Church) the road becomes Pleasant Street, about 1 mile up on the right are two parking areas for Delcarte, second parking area is paved, with playground. Both parking areas provide easy access to the trail around the ponds.
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.
re is something so charming (to me) about being outdoors in cold weather, paying attention to how the outdoor world copes with harsh winter weather. In fact, so far this winter has been rather mild in New England. Ice is still trying to form on many ponds. The ground is just now beginning to harden–we feel the change as we stride along the trails.
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ou’ll see, winter is setting in here in New England, the leaves have fallen, and ponds are freezing over. Yet there is still a charming beauty in these hidden-away places.
complementary to my love of history. Yes, I love to walk along rushing streams, and deeply enjoy overlooks that provide grand views of the countryside. But I also travel back in time with each stone wall I see. Open farm fields and pastures where trees now stand tall fill my imagination. Stone foundations that appear “out of nowhere” were, in another time, the center of a family’s life. Mill dams and mill races beside streams were once essential sources of power for a community.
I love how the water sparkles in the sunshine–a perfect fall day for an Easy Walk in the Blackstone River Valley.
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Marjorie Turner Hollman 