Walking the Nature Trail at Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA

Some people end up walking the Nature Trail at Patriots Place, Foxboro, MA for the first time because they happen to have some time to kill before or after a Patriots' football game or because they want some fresh air after time spent indoors at the many shops, dining venues or movie theaters at Patriot Place. No matter what brings walkers to the Nature at Patriot Place for the first time, what brings them back will be the memory of a convenient, enjoyable and healthy outdoor hike..

The hiking area at Patriot Place known as the Nature Trail is located behind the Bass Pro Shops found at the south entrance of Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA off Rte 1. There are plenty of access signs. You will have to follow a short unpaved road off the regular surfaced parking lot that will take you quickly to a smaller parking area meant specifically for those who plan to walk the Nature Trail. The fact that you can access this lovely, quiet, natural setting literally seconds off often busy Route 1 in Foxboro, MA is a minor miracle to begin with.

After leaving your car in the special Nature Walk lot you can proceed to an open space directly behind Bass Pro Shops that has been landscaped to perfection. A multi-tiered pool marks the area just above the entrance to the Nature Trail and you are likely to find folks sitting enjoying the view in a well appointed patio area. We also noted that just behind the beginning of the trail there is an outdoor cafe attached to Bass where folks can enjoy the view and something to eat or drink. For anyone in your group who chooses to only "look" at the trail , either of these patio type locations can provide an excellent waiting spot while the rest of the group makes the half mile circular walk.

The Nature Walk at Patriot Place is really meant for almost anyone except the very young, those who are in strollers or those with walking limitations. For the most part the grade is quite gentle especially on the front end of the walk. Once you proceed into the woods though you will encounter a series of hills that kids will like but older folks might find a bit less enjoyable. We took our time and had no problems.

For a half mile walk the Nature Trial really presents quite a variety of vistas and environments. A good chunk of the walk passes you by a working cranberry bog operated by Ocean Spray. The company has done a great educational job setting up lots of informational signs and giving easy to understand explanations of how cranberries are grown and how the bog functions. Cranberries of course are only grown in a few states in the U. S. and are a native American berry so having the bogs right there to view adds somethng unique to the first part of the walk.

On the opposite side of the walkway you have the vista of marshlands with a mixture of land and water plants and some interesting inhabitants to watch for. During our visit we were pleased to spot a great blue heron, Canada geese, some frogs and turtles in the marsh area. Crossing a very pretty little bridge takes you into the wooded area. This stretch takes you around the back side of the wetlands. You can still see the marshy area and we re-spotted the heron, but it also allows you to feel like you are quite in the woods. The forest floor is covered with needles which makes approaching footsteps sound soft. There are several excellent spots that provide an overlook of the marsh area and places for kids to do a little exploring. We mentally marked them as places to return to - with a lunch or a snack during mid-week when you can have the place more to yourself than on weekends.

Bulletin boards explain that you may see deer, foxes, raccoons, mallards and swans here with some regularity. We did spot a woodpecker but the rest of the Nature Trail residents kept their distance.

The Nature Trail at Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA is not a National Park, a state park or an Audubon refuge. It is a small half mile trail that offers a convenient and pleasant venue for a refreshing and peaceful walk in the middle of an area better know for noise and excitement. Best of all we discovered as we walked the Nature Trail at Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA that the trail had been designated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as one of its newly established "Healthy Heart Trails". It was nice to know we were making ourselves just a little bit more healthy while enjoying our walk along the Nature Trail at Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA.
The trail is open from dawn to dusk daily and is free. Hats off to Bob Kraft.

Sources: www.patriot-place.com
www.visitingnewengland.com