Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary (Attleboro, MA)

Dates Of Visits: May 20 & June 19, 2017

Location: Park St, Attleboro, MA (behind the La Salette Shrine at 947 Park St) (45 minutes southwest of Boston, MA, and 15 minutes northeast of Providence, RI)

Hours: Open daily sunrise to sunset

Cost: Free but donations are appreciated

Parking: There is room for about 10 cars in the lot next to the trail.  You may also be able to park at the Lasallette Shrine in front of the trail.

Trail Size/Difficulty: 3 miles total (.5 handicapped accessible), easy with a few gentle inclines

Handicapped Accessible: Yes, .5 miles of the trail are handicapped accessible with boardwalks, along the pond and vernal pool.  The rest of the trails are dirt, narrow and rocky and not handicapped accessible.

Dog Friendly: Dogs are not usually allowed on the Audubon trail but they are allowed in certain sections of the trail at Attleboro Springs (on the reflection trail I believe)

Website: Attleboro Springs

Trail Map: Attleboro Springs Trail Map

Highlights: wildlife, vernal pool,

Fitbit Stats: 2,712 steps, 242 calories, 1.19 miles

Often overshadowed by the more well known cities and towns  south of Boston, Attleboro, MA, is one of the more underrated sections of Massachusetts.  It is also the site of two beautiful Audubon sanctuaries (Attleboro Springs and Oak Knoll) .  I decided to visit Attleboro Springs first.

Attleboro Springs is a little hard to find.  Basically, look for the La Salette Shrine on Park St.  The path to the trail is the very next turn after the shrine.

From the entrance to the park, one word comes to mind – charming.  A pavilion and map of the trail are located on the trail at the entrance.

The main trail at Attleboro Springs is the Reflection Trail.  The Reflection Trail encircles a pond.  A vernal pool with a vernal pool are also on the trail.  It is the easiest trail to take, although there are additional side trails.

Birds, frogs, tadpoles and other kinds of wildlife are abundant along the trail, particularly at the pond and vernal pool.

I love side trails and going off the beaten path.  So, of course I tried them.  There wasn’t much to see except a brook and a cool bridge on the side trail.

The Reflection Trail is very easy with few inclines or rocky terrain which makes it ideal for jogging on or taking walks on, particularly since it is a short trail (about 3/4 of a mile).

I know I write this often.  But, what the heck.  I could spend all day here.  The trails are easy.  The pond is a popular spot for birds and aquatic life (naturally).  And there are seats to watch all the life around you.  As an added bonus, it’s free to visit.  It’s usually the smaller, charming places that stick with me.  In fact, I liked it so much I visited it twice.

The Nomad’s link of the day is a blog post by WordPress blogger and fellow New Englander  Kristen.  Kristen’s blogs are peppered with book reviews, pretty photos and interesting observations.  Kristen posted about  place that is very close to this trail and is one of the more popular places in Attleboro,    La Salette is a popular place to visit year round.  But, it is especially busy during the winter each year when they host a holiday light display.  You can find Kristen’s wonderful blog post here.