Why to visit:
Nelson Memorial Forest is a bit of a hidden gem for visitors - in part because the actual signage for the Forest is not at the roadside. The true forest boundary is located about ten minutes of walking from the parking lot on Union Street in Marshfield. While I've been to this property a handful of times now, I know that I have barely scratched the surface. There is a very well established trail network. Each time I've visited I have taken the standard route of going directly to the North River.
The Nelson Memorial Forest is unique in that it is actually managed by the New England Forestry Foundation. At a super high level, their mission is to manage a healthy forest by responsibly tracking tree growth and species in the environment. There are only two properties in the NEFF system that have saltwater frontage - and this is one! Fun fact from the NEFF website? The smallest salamander species found in Massachusetts, the four-toed Salamander, is said to dwell in the marsh along Cove Creek. There is a well-established trail system on the property.
When you decide to visit the forest, you will park in a lot on Union Street in Marshfield. The main trails are well-worn and obvious but it never hurts to take a picture of the map in the parking lot. This is not the most stroller friendly trail despite a few boardwalks over streams. There are some uneven, narrow parts before getting to the main forest. It is do-able but you'll have to work a bit harder. It is probably about a 25 minute walk to the river from the parking lot.
A bit of history about the preserve? According to the NEFF website, The Nelson Memorial Forest was donated in 1958 by Miss Katharine Dorothea Nelson. Nineteen years later her heirs – Margaret H. Milholland, Anne Felton Spencer, Hugh Kingsbury Tyson, and Penelope L. Adams – donated an adjoining parcel. Sailing barges that carried apples and firewood to Boston once stopped at a stone dock, called Packet Landing, on the North River of the Nelson Memorial Forest.
Union St
Marshfield, MA
Parking Lot is just before Hunter Drive when driving toward the river
Stroller Rating: 1
