33. Destruction Brook Woods Located upstream from Dartmouth's historic Russell Mills, this hike takes you on a tour of land preserved much as it was in the 1600s, when the area was first settled. Distance & configuration: 4.07 miles, 2 linked loops Difficulty: Easy Scenery: Millworks first built in 1690; holly woods and abandoned farm established in 1853, American beech and Atlantic white cedar Exposure: Mostly shade Traffic: Light-moderate Trail surface: Packed dirt Hiking time: 2.5-3 hours Driving distance from Boston Common: 63 miles Elevation: 92' at trailhead, no significant gain Season: Year-round Access: Sunrise-sunset; free Maps: Available at kiosk by the trailhead and online at tinyurl.com/destructionbrookwoodsmap Wheelchair access: The red and yellow trails both offer limited wheelchair access. Facilities: None Contact: Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, dnrt.org/destructionbrook, 508-991-2289 Location: Dartmouth, MA Comments: Destruction Brook Woods is one of 40 reservations managed by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, which has helped preserve more than 4,000 acres. Description Destruction Brook Woods trailhead access and parking is tucked just off the road. Once you're on the trail, head southwest, away from the road. You'll see it marked by the Dartmouth Natural Resource Trust (DNRT) sign. A hundred yards or so in from the road, the trail leads to a kiosk displaying a map of the reserve. Continue from here along the yellow trail to reach a three-way intersection. At this junction, turn left to hike east along the yellow trail. This trail runs roughly parallel to Fisher Road, which you can occasionally see through the loose forest of pine, oak, and maple. Ahead where the yellow trail meets the blue trail, bear left to hike southeast behind houses on Fisher Road. Then, turning away from backyards, follow blue trail markers to the uneven terrain of a weathered esker. At the next split, bear right, switching back to the yellow trail to retreat into the deeper woods. Becoming narrower as it runs under a canopy of trees, the trail dips and climbs then merges with another trail. Continue following the yellow trail markers. At a slightly confusing intersection, follow the path to make almost a hairpin turn and head north to stay on the yellow trail. Continue downhill off the ridge to reach another junction. Stay left and follow the wide yellow trail over level ground. The trail passes by a stream and scattered birch groves. Bear left again at the next fork to follow the yellow trail as it swings south. Snaking through the forest, the trail soon leads to a bench on a banking overlooking Destruction Brook and remnants of the millworks first established here around 1690. From this spot, descend the banking, and turn left onto the red trail, which traces the route of the brook. Shortly this route joins the yellow trail, and the two continue as one. Passing a gate to the left, the trail curves south and crosses a wide bridge. On the opposite bank, the trails separate. Stay with the red trail, and continue hiking south. The trail eases west to pass a white house sitting among pines on the left. Just beyond this, the trail reaches another intersection. The path to the left leads to an alternate parking spot for the reservation, and a path straight ahead leads to an open meadow. Steer away from these and stay with the red trail, bearing right. A moment later, a red arrow at knee level redirects the trail left, back on a westward course. Here knobby American holly trees ( Ilex opaca ) punctuate the woods otherwise dominated by red oak and white pine. Many of the unique tree species have small signs marking them and explaining their scientific name and classification. Keep hiking, and up ahead the land to the left dips to a valley, while on the right it remains even with the trail, which now eases north. At the next two forks, stay left on what remains of the red trail, which is scarcely marked through here. Dipping beside wetland on the left, the trail swings on several compass points but continues generally north. Holly trees grow more thickly along this avenue, mixing with maple, beech, and omnipresent oak and pine. At one point, the trail passes a magnificent beech tree growing flush to an equally magnificent oak. They make an interesting pair. Weaving through wetland, the red trail eventually heads northwest to intersect the green trail. This junction is marked both with the letter D on a stone and a sign that reads "start of green loop." Leave the pine-thick red trail here, and continue northwest down a slight grade on the green trail. Thick woods and a stone wall lie to the right. A few hundred yards ahead, where the trail forms a T, turn left and continue west toward a house neighboring private property. Where the trail forks a few feet farther on, bear right to hike north, tracking a stone wall built in the mid-1800s, when a farm was established on the 90 acres encircled by the green loop. Along this section of former cart road, boughs of giant hickory trees arch overhead. Though nearly retaken by nature, the place has not yet fully given up its former self. It has been years since this land was a working farm, but midway down the path on the right, there is still a foundation for what was once a great barn. A short distance farther, the path reaches a point where the DNRT reservation ends. The green trail continues ahead, emerging from the woods briefly as it passes privately owned land lying to the west. Watch to the east for a path leading into a thicket of pines to the Gidley Cemetery, where several who lived on this land are buried. Trust the trail as it forges north. The way is clear, though momentarily bereft of markers. Coming to the end of the avenue draped voluminously with vines, the trail arrives at a junction. no trespassing signs rule out the paths to the left and center, leaving two paths to the right. Of these, choose the soft right, and hike southeast down a pitch. A sandpit lies ahead on the left and, in it, the carcass of a sedan pinned between two pine saplings. The trail cuts sharply away from this wreck and runs into woods of cedar and holly. Looping around the eastern side of the wetland, the trail splits briefly upon reaching an esker. For the sake of the view, bear left to ascend the 30- to 50-foot skeletal mound of glacial debris. As the esker subsides, the land on the right falls away to a deep glade. Having the hushed feel of a room just made empty by a crowd, this natural basin held grazing cows. Scrappy trees have grown in over time, but none look as though they will ever achieve the height and girth of the tremendous oak that stands at the center. From this old meadow, the barely marked green trail continues southeast through swales and over bumps until, bending west, it returns to the start of the loop. To complete the hike, return to the junction where the green and red trails meet, and bear left onto the red trail, heading east. Running wide and flat through wetland thick with maples, this trail is easy to follow. Plentiful red markers guide the way to Ella's Bridge, which lies just ahead at Destruction Brook. Upon crossing to the opposite bank, quit the red trail, pick up the yellow trail once more, and continue straight ahead. Weaving through woods draped with curtains of bittersweet, the trail soon reaches a vibrant pine grove. Look for where the trail splits left to return to the start at Fisher Road. Nearby Attractions The Lloyd Center for the Environment (430 Potomska Road, Dartmouth; 508-990- 0505; lloydcenter.org) has five walking trails over 55 acres of oak/hickory forest, freshwater wetlands, estuary, and salt marsh. From Destruction Brook Woods, drive southeast on Fisher Road 4.3 miles. Turn right onto Russell Mills Road, then turn left onto Rock O' Dundee Road. Turn right onto Potomska Road, and continue 1.2 miles to the Lloyd Center. GPS Trailhead Coordinates N41° 34.800' W71° 00.950' Directions From Boston, take I-93 S 12 miles, then take Exit 4 on the left to merge onto MA 24 S toward Brockton. Drive 38.1 miles to Exit 4 to merge left onto I-195 east toward New Bedford. Continue 4.6 miles and take Exit 11 toward Dartmouth. Head south on Reed Road. After crossing US 6, turn left on Beeden Road. Turn right on Old Westport Road/Fisher Road, then left to stay on Fisher. Just before the fork with Woodcock Road, look for the DNRT sign for Destruction Brook Woods on the right. Park off Fisher Road near the sign; there is room for approximately six cars. Excerpted from Unknown MIR Title: All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
