February 6, 2016

Ashley Reservoir (Holyoke, MA)

By New England Nomad

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Date Visited: February 6, 2016

Cost: Free

Parking is limited.  There are about a 10-20 parking spaces but many people park sideways rather than horizontally since there are not clearly defined spaces in the lot.  So, sometimes only a dozen or so cars can fit in the lot.  It’s best to get there early in the day.

Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

No dogs or fishing are allowed since it is a reservoir.

Ashley Reservoir is a photographer’s dream destination.  You don’t have to try hard to find pretty places to shoot.  One of the things that stood out from my shoot was just how much the weather changed in the hour and a half that we spend there.

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Ashley Reservoir is a 4 mile loop (there is a shortcut you can take that is about 1.5 or 2 miles).  The trails are well defined and, when there isn’t snow and ice on the ground, would be easy to navigate.

 

One of the many interesting parts to the trail are the paths that seem to cut across the reservoir and connect back to the trails.

The photo below was not doctored.  It is the particles in the snow as the sun melted the snow.  But, I thought it looked pretty cool.  The last video posted below shows these sparkles.

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Since it is a popular destination for runners, walkers and nature lovers, the geese, ducks and other birds are not as skittish as they are in other parks and reservoirs.  It was luncj time for the geese.  The last video at the end of the post shows the sparkling snow.

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Now, this is what I call a cluster duck.

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Despite the cold temperature and the icy trails there were several runners out at Ashley reservoir.

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The trees and plant life were grand even during the winter when some of them were bare.

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Check out the videos below for more fun from Ashley Reservoir

 

 

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New England Nomad

 

 

 

 

About New England Nomad

Hi I'm Wayne. Welcome to my blog. I am a true New Englander through and through. I love everything about New England. I especially love discovering new places in New England and sharing my experiences with everyone. I tend to focus on the more unique and lesser known places and things in New England on my blog. Oh yeah, and I love dogs. I always try to include at least one dog in each of my blog posts. I discovered my love of photography a couple of years ago. I know, I got a late start. Now, I photograph anything that seems out of the ordinary, interesting, beautiful and/or unique. And I have noticed how every person, place or thing I photograph has a story behind it or him or her. I don't just photograph things or people or animals. I try to get their background, history or as much information as possible to give the subject more context and meaning. It's interesting how one simple photograph can evoke so much. I am currently using a Nikon D3200 "beginner's camera." Even though there are better cameras on the market, and I will upgrade some time, I love how it functions (usually) and it has served me well. The great thing about my blog is you don't have to be from New England, or even like New England to like my blog (although I've never met anyone who doesn't). All you have to like is to see and read about new or interesting places and things. Hopefully, you'll join me on my many adventures in New England! View all posts by New England Nomad
This entry was posted on Saturday, February 6th, 2016 at 9:17 pm and tagged with , , , , , , , , and posted in ducks, massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, reservoir, snow, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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