The hemlock-clad rock cliffs and sprawling views of Massachusetts’ Rocky Narrows are adjacent to the Medfield State Forest. But since the green spaces weren’t connected by trails, viewing the grandeur of both places during the same hike used to be impossible.
Times have changed, however. During National Trails Day on June 6, AMC volunteers celebrated the opening of the Charles River Link, a 16-mile path connecting 19 open spaces from Newton to Medfield, Mass. The Boston Chapter Trails Committee initiated six trail projects, and volunteers spent nearly 200 hours over four years developing parts of the path. The projects were completed last year.
“It was a real challenge,” says AMC member Denny Nackoney, the project’s principal designer. “But it was really interesting to see all of the diversity of land, open space, and scenic beauty that was right in my backyard.”
Spanning six towns, the Charles River Link is 68 percent off-road and provides access to the most scenic parts of the waterway. The Wellesley Trails Committee, a volunteer group responsible for developing, promoting, and maintaining that town’s trail network, proposed the idea for the path in 2002. The following year, members of AMC and the Bay Circuit Alliance, a coalition of organizations, towns, and individuals who support the state’s Bay Circuit Trail, assisted the committee in building 1.5 miles of new trail while repairing existing paths. Volunteers created a quarter-mile trail that permits river access at the Peters Reservation in Dover; built a path from the Medfield State Forest to Rocky Narrows in Dover; and improved and redirected trails at the Mumford Wildlife Forest in Natick.
During a 2004 work event at Mumford, diligent do-gooders weathered a storm related to Hurricane Ivan for the sake of the new route.
“When the tail end of the hurricane was forecasted for this project, it was questionable whether to proceed or cancel,” Nackoney says. “Seventeen enthusiastic members all said ‘Let’s do it!’ We got some rain but it didn’t stop us from completing the new trail.”
The Boston Trails Committee installed signs on the new paths this year, thanks to a $500 contribution from AMC’s Conservation Programs Committee. The trail connects to the Bay Circuit Trail, a proposed 200-mile corridor linking green spaces from Newburyport to Kingston, Mass., that is 85 percent complete, and the Charles River Reservation Trail in Newton. “The Charles River Link is a remarkable asset that should allow more people to get outdoors and explore the scenery, views, and quiet spaces this area offers,” says AMC Deputy Director of Conservation Heather Clish.
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