NATURE
by Kezia Bacon, Correspondent
Do you enjoy spending time in nature? Do you also use a wheelchair to get around? NSRWA would like to help you find great places to enjoy the outdoors. While more than 200 properties on the South Shore feature hiking trails, a large percentage of them would be challenging if not impossible to navigate with a wheelchair.
Fortunately, the South Shore is also home to quite a few wheelchair-friendly trails! You’ll find them listed in the Paved Trails section of our Get Outdoors database, along with parking details and other helpful information. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites. Note: all of these trails are also suitable for baby strollers.
If you enjoy the outdoors, be sure to check out “365 Nature Places to Know,” our Explore South Shore program for 2024. Every morning we highlight one of the region’s best nature places on Facebook and Instagram. Every Tuesday, we focus on spots with good accessibility – paved trails, sensory trails, places where you can just drive up and enjoy the view. Not on social media? We’ve listed all the locations on our website as well!
Osprey Overlook Park
Learn about — and perhaps see — some osprey at this scenic Weymouth property! It offers paved trails with stunning views of the Back River, plus interpretive signage. If you’re up for paved-but hilly terrain, you might extend your visit into Great Esker Park next door. Limited on-site parking on Wharf Street.
Bare Cove Park
Also on the banks of the Back River, this 484-acre Hingham park features several miles of paved trails through wetlands, woodlands, and open fields, with gorgeous views. Large parking lots at the end of Bare Cove Drive and at 226 Beal Street.
Hobart Pond
The centerpiece of this grassy park in Whitman is a 1/3-mile paved trail that extends between a small pond and the Shumatuscacant River, offering serene water views. Limited parking available outside the entrance gates on both ends of Colebrook Blvd.
Creedon Memorial Park
This small park in the Hingham Shipyard development offers interpretive signage and views of a historic section of the Back River. Extend your visit by exploring the Hewitts Landing Waterfront Walkway, which extends along the waterfront for a quarter mile. Limited on-site parking on HMS Halsted Drive.
Harbor Park and Harbor Walk
Both Harbor Park and the 1-mile Harbor Walk offer views of the Green Harbor River, the marshes surrounding it, and the busy working harbor at Marshfield Town Pier. Look for the small parking lot across the road on Joseph Driebeck Way (Town Pier Road).
King’s Cove Park
This grassy park in North Weymouth features a 0.25-mile paved trail with occasional benches, plus views of King’s Cove, the Fore River, and the Fore River Bridge. On-site parking at 82 Bridge Street.
Abigail Adams State Park & Kibby Property
Learn some history while exploring these linked properties on the Back River in Weymouth! Along the 1-mile paved trail, you’ll find quotations from Abigail Adams, who was the wife of US President John Adams, the mother of US President John Quincy Adams, and an early proponent of women’s rights. Large on-site parking area on Bridge Street.
Nantasket Beach Reservation
This long stretch of sandy shoreline in Hull offers a 1-mile paved trail with shade structures, restrooms, numerous benches and open ocean views. Large parking lots on Nantasket Ave. and Hull Shore Drive.
Wompatuck State Park
This 3,500+ acre forested park boasts 12 miles of paved trails. From the Main Entrance at 204 Union Street in Hingham, check out the 1-mile Healthy Heart Loop. From the Cohasset entrance at 152 Doane Street, follow the trail from R7 to NS1, and then continue past NS4 and NS5 to NS9 to see the intriguing Burbank Boulder, which balances itself at three points. On-site parking at both entrances.
Hanover Branch Rail Trail
Enjoy views of Cushing Brook and the Drinkwater River along this wide, paved, shady pathway that follows a former railroad bed for about a half mile. Continue your exploration on the Rockland Rail Trail, which extends for 3 additional miles. Parking lot at 1409 Hanover Street.
King Oak Hill Park
This 24-acre hilltop park in Weymouth features a 0.25-mile paved loop and a shade pavilion with views of the Boston Skyline. Located on Emery Lane, across the street from Legion Memorial Field. Ample on-site parking (55 cars).
Pilgrim Memorial State Park
This grassy state park with a half mile of paved paths and numerous shade trees offers views of the Plymouth Harbor, along with historic markers and the famed Plymouth Rock. Extend your visit by checking out the beautiful Brewster Gardens, across the street. On-site parking at 79 Water Street.
Pond Meadow Park
This 320-acre park on the Braintree/Weymouth line features 2 miles of paved trails through woodlands and open fields, plus pleasant pond views. On-site parking lots at 470 Liberty Street in Braintree and on Summer Street in Weymouth.
Kezia Bacon’s articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to protecting our waters. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. You will also find 27+ years of Kezia’s Nature columns there. For more information about the Explore South Shore 2024 Challenge, visit https://www.nsrwa.org/get-outdoors/2024-explore-south-shore/