A park with a big…read morerock Dighton Rock State Park is named for the famous 40 ton rock that is now located at the park. The huge glacial rock was originally found in the Tauton River but moved to a small museum in the park a while back. The rock has strange petroglyphs on it whose meaning and even origin is very controversial. The rock was known and discussed as far back as the early 17th century and most scholars now believe they were carved by Natives Americans for unknown and forgotten reasons. Of course various other theories like Phoenicians, Vikings, Chinese, Portuguese and the ubiquitous aliens also are tossed around. Like an intelligent species is going to travel bezillions of light years to write on a rock. Beside the famous and enigmatic rock the park has about 100 acres of roads, trails and a pleasant picnic area by the river. Not enough room for any serious hiking but a nice place for dog walking or a stroll through the woods. Unfortunately the museum is only open by appointment so the rock is usually hidden away. However the rest of the park is a nice place for a picnic or to relax. We will probably never know what the glyphs on the rock mean but even without the big and curious rock the park is a pleasant place to explore.

Well maintained river side park with picnic area, basic sanitary services and small free museum…read moreshow casing a boulder recovered from the nearby Taunton river with petroglyphs of possible various origins. The carvings are difficult to make out. Informational signs are provided to stimulate thought and help you to draw your own conclusion as to its origins and authenticity. The park is a short distance off exit 10 on busy Rte. 24. The caretaker is very friendly and obviously proud of the park. A few walking trails are available.

Nature lovers rejoice!! Your dream come true has arrived and it's in the middle of Attleboro, MA…read more This is an adorable little wildlife sanctuary - perfect for an afternoon hike. It covers about 1.5 miles of trail, so you won't necessarily get a workout in, but the views are really quite beautiful. I'd highly recommend taking the Talaquega Trail up to Woody's Way. It takes you around Lake Talaquega, which is absolutely breathtaking. The trail is well-organized with plenty of clear signage. We discovered halfway through the walk that blue dots represent going INTO the trail, while yellow dots show you OUT of the trail. Lastly, there's a parking lot, my friends, so getting there should be a breeze. Happy hiking! Quick tip: EIther go in the Winter (like we did) or bring some bug spray. I've heard that this can get pretty buggy in the warmer months.

Great for families! Well-maintained trails. a nature playground, and multiple places to contemplate…read moreexistence. Also: a very pleasant place to take a leisurely, low-impact hike.

Very walkable trails through peaceful woodlands along the Three Mile River. Good parking, picnic…read morearea with grills available, visitor center, and bathrooms at the park entrance. While a little busy at the parking/trailhead area itself, once you progress a bit through the woods, things quiet down considerably and you're able to find tranquility and splendid isolation to your heart's desire (yes, far from the madding crowd ... good old Hardy). The main trail culminates at a dam with fish ladders and it's impressive to see the torrent of water gushing over. Upstream from the dam, the river flows leisurely and on a beautiful end-of-summer day like this, the water is a pristine mirror. Many trails to choose from (though they tend to be unmarked - but it's hard to get lost as they all tend to loop back to the main): we walked a branch off the main path that ran right along the riverbank; and we found another trail that went by a "fragrance garden" and a little gnome village which added a touch of whimsy. Great for the kids and many dog walkers (and am happy to say, no doggy doo-doo's noted, so glad to see owners picking up after them!)

Really beautiful and peaceful place to talk a walk. The trail is only a mile long but it's peaceful…read moreand nice for a quick break from work. If you go straight all the way down, you will reach the fish dam. Scattered throughout the trails on either sides are little paths that go to a fragrance garden, gnome village, and pine tree trail. Parking is free.

Well done Plainville! I recently moved to Plainville from a town who seemed like it was actively…read moretrying to cut down all wooded areas to build more straight-faced colonials. More than any town needs. Plainville feels like "my people" since they voted to avoid this situation with this property and open a wooded area instead. I went to a quick walk to check out Hawkins Woods last Sunday. Keep in mind that this spot is a work in progress. There is a nice parking area and a sign at the trail head. Currently there is one trail that I think was 1.9 miles or less. There is a orange line on the map for the property marker. And there were 3 or more disc golf targets already set up. I only found 3. I went to the right first and followed the disc golf path. When I felt I lost the path, I went back to the yellow trail that goes straight ahead from the parking lot. They haven't had a chance to mark the trees so the arrows are on the ground. The path is mostly visible to the eye and will become more so with use. I may have gotten lost a bit but found my way back to the path. There was a lovely stone wall which may be the property border. These are very pretty woods. There were many birds as well. This will be a great place for winter walking or snowshoeing as long as the parking lot is cleared. If you need a longer walk, this is a very picturesque street to walk on as well. Thank you to the residents & town of Plainville for making this lovely spot!

Hawkins Woods is a great place to go for a walk. There are a few trails. The main trail is well…read moremarked with wooden arrow signs. If you like taking pictures of nature, this is a very good place. It is a peaceful part of Plainville. Sunset from the field through the woods is beautiful. We meet a lot of folks walking their dogs. Some areas are WET, I would recommend waterproof hikers or boots. There is a practice basket for the disc golf to the right of the main trail. There are 9 holes for the disc golf. You can walk the course as well. We enjoy going there numerous times a week.

The Edna Martin Wildlife Refuge is 35 acres with approximately 0.6 miles of looping paths that…read moreallow for a brief walk in the woods and some respite with a view of Burrs Pond. The land, donated by Edna Martin (an artist and Seekonk's longest living resident at the time of her passing), consists of one major hiking loop with a connector path. The path is well-maintained and mostly flat. There are a couple benches available near to Burrs Pond if you are so inclined. As lovely as the surrounding nature is, I will say it's difficult to be totally immersed in this land as there is a lot of road noise and always some sort of civilization viewable through the trees... a house, the nearby American Legion, road traffic, etc. The parking lot pull off is nestled discreetly, across the road from the Grist Mill, directly adjacent to the American Legion. Room for a handful of cars with a brief informational posting and trail map at the trailhead. There's an additional parking area at the south end of Burrs Pond where you can view the dam and watch the water continue on down the Runnins River. A couple of nice flowers and some bird sightings this early Spring. I believe fishing is allowed in the pond. Managed by the Seekonk Land Conservation Trust, this is a nice, simple spot to get some steps in and relax with a water view.

The Franklin Town Forest (not to be confused with the Franklin State Forest on the other side of…read moretown) is a 180+ acre preserve [1] that, just like its cross-town counterpart, is an excellent area for hiking and biking. The town forest in particular seems to be unknown to the residents, despite the charm and beauty of the forest. I don't see any mention of it on the town website, but a parking area was recently developed across from 403 Summer St. [2]. There are no shortage of trails to explore and the unknown nature and relatively difficult of the trails means you won't find dirt bikes back here very often. I don't know whether or not hunting is permitted in the town forest. The trails are an easy walk with no steep grades or rocky trails -- the only obstacles are trails that have begun to overgrow with time. If you explore enough you will eventually find an incredible granite wall about 40 feet high [3]. That same link also has a very thorough description of the nature that can be found in the forest (see page 6). [1] town forest info: http://www.02038.com/2008/12/town-forest-franklin-ma/ [2] parking area: http://goo.gl/maps/tAeWy [3] Franklin Outdoors: http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Recreation/OUTDOORS%20IN%20FRANKLIN.pdf

I hope someday that CT will get enough money to be able to upgrade some of its parks…read more We came here as part of their Sky's the Limit Challenge, and it was a really interesting experience. On paper, this trail goes 5.8 miles from Moosup to the RI border, where it joins the RI Trestle Trail. It starts out at a nice, beautifully framed railroad bridge in Moosup, and then heads off, as a nicely paved path. Then, at Barber Hill Road, about 3/4 of a mile in, the paved part stops. It gets kind of fire road like for a while, and, well, it gets GNARLY. We were there in winter, and there was a lot of frozen and semi frozen water on the path. I am guessing it might stay that way year round (wet at least) because there are plenty of desire trails along the sides at times, allowing you to bypass the wettest parts. Eventually, it starts undulating, and this is because a lot of dirt bikers seem to like to use this trail, in opposition to what the regulations say the trail is meant to be used for. One dirt biker politely made his way past us, so they at least have some etiquette, even though they're doing some erosion damage to the trail. We didn't hike the full path, and I'm really glad we didn't try to take our bikes on this, as it would have been impossible. Like I said, maybe someday there will be money to turn this into a real rail trail all the way east. Until then, make sure you wear good hiking boots!

This trail runs along side moosup river. There are a couple waterfalls that can be viewed. Sections…read moreof trail are paved this is a small section behind Rogers Corp. On River Rd. Trail runs into Rhode island.

WATCH YOUR SURROUNDINGS HERE!…read more I used to come here a lot a few years back and absolutely loved walking here. However today, I cannot say the same. The weirdest thing happened to me this morning on my walk. I was walking here with my dog and as soon as we got out of the car and only a few steps in, this women came out of no where and asked if she could walk with us. I will say, she did open with "I know this is a really weird thing to ask." In my head, I was like yeah it is, but what's the harm, we're in a nice area. I made sure to keep my distance, as I was still nervous/creeped out by the situation. The conversation started out fine, "oh your dogs cute, what's her name, what breed is she." However as we walked a little further, she started asking more personal questions, "where are you from, how old are you, etc" This is when I knew, something was just off. So when my dog stopped and she kept walking a little further, I turned around and ran to my car. The vibes were just not right and in my gut I knew there was something off about the whole situation. I could be completely wrong and maybe she was just looking for a friendly walk with someone. However, the personal questions or saying "I don't know this area very well can you show me the path to walk." That line alone was very off putting because there is a clear open path to follow here. I even told her this but she continued to walk with us even when I knew she could tell I was feeling uncomfortable. So PLEASE be aware of your surroundings and make sure you are safe. It's a nice area, however you just never know. She was probably in her early thirties, tall, African American - I don't recall her name. You just never know what could happen, things might seem perfectly fine, but always have your guard up like I did! Sorry for the long message, but I just want to make people aware of what happened so it doesn't happen to you!!

I hiked this for the first time this year and found trail markings missing and ended up on a road…read moretaking me far away from the trail. BE VERY COGNAZANT OF THE TRAIL I found myself on another trail with excellent marking, but leading me further away. The trailhead at Birchwald refers to only 2 markings - red and green. Within a mile those are gone.