Scituate Town Forest - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

789 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy, Scituate, MA 02066, USA

Owned By: Town of Scituate

Directions

The Scituate Town Forest is an 18-acre pine forest on Route 3A in North Scituate. It offers 1.5 miles of trails.

Features

This land is within the region of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe. The town of Scituate takes its name from Satuit, the term the Native American inhabitants of the area used for “cold brook,” describing the stream that flows into the harbor. To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett, and the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag, both share information on their websites.

Trail Description

Look for the large property sign across the street from Scituate’s Police headquarters. There are two metal gates marking the trailheads for a loop that extends for about 0.6 miles. Off this loop trail are several out-and-back spur trails. One leads to another trailhead on Route 3A, farther north. Another leads farther into the northern section of the property. A third extends past the Alexander Place neighborhood, toward Clapp Road. While signs indicate that this third trail leads all the way to Clapp Road, fallen trees and obscured pathways make it difficult to follow after 0.25 miles. Altogether, there is more than a mile of trails to explore here. The trails are generally wide and flat, and they pass through several old stone walls.

Habitats and Wildlife

The forest here is primarily white pine, with some beech and oak, and a fair amount of holly. It is dotted with some glacial erratic boulders. There are also numerous stone walls, in varying condition. The streams and wetlands on this property flow to Bound Brook, which is part of the Gulf River watershed. The Gulf River flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Cohasset Harbor.