tagged: child friendly, hike, nature, stockbridge

A perfect Autumn walk

Posted by Barbara in Family, Outdoors

I figured we would wait to present our first guest blogger until the first of October! Barbara is a local mom (that happens to be my neighbor!) who enjoys nature walks with her son who will be 2 at the end of the month. It can often be intimidating taking your small children with you for nature walks because you can only HOPE it will be kid friendly. Barb is here to put your mind at ease and show you one of her favorite spots to take her son Evan!

Don’t forget if you are interested in being a guest blogger feel free to contact me using the contact form, email, or facebook! Enjoy!

Kaitlyn

A perfect Autumn walk

A bright red sign telling you attractions and trails in the area.

It was the day of the fall equinox, which to me means the beginning of Autumn. After a short but tiring shift at work I came home to catch a quick nap. Being awoken by the sweet smell of a caramel pecan candle and my son playing with his SpongeBob toys, I decided to enjoy the rest of the beautiful day outside in the spectacular nature surrounding us.

We packed up the car and took a scenic drive down route 102 into Stockbridge to go visit Ice Glen. We hit the middle of town and took a turn by the historic Red Lion Inn. The trail is just a hop and skip away from there on Park Street near the town’s skate park. My friend/co-worker was there a few days earlier and told me that the trail was great and kid friendly. I had to check it out first hand! Trails that are kid friendly are absolutely important because my little guy isn’t even two years old yet.

Upon arriving to our destination we were greeted by some friendly faces of other people enjoying the wonderful weather. There was a large red sign that explained the different trails around the area. The next thing you see is a stone archway leading to a suspension bridge that crosses over a river. I stood on the middle of the bridge and just absorbed all my surroundings for a few minutes.

We began to walk the easy trail that runs parallel to the train tracks and river. It was a flat wide trail which is also wheel chair accessible. It has plenty of benches to stop and rest at for those who are elderly or those who like to take their children on hikes. I just couldn’t believe how extraordinary the sights were.

The leaves starting to change to beautiful colors.

After walking for a while we came across a fork in the path. It doesn’t matter which way you go because it just loops around back to way it forked off. If you have a little one I would recommend holding their hand while walking around the loop. It starts to get a little narrow with a tiny drop off near the river. This is the only part of the trail where we had to help assist our son. The rest of the trail he walked all by himself without tripping on anything which is a concern when deciding a new trail to check out.

As we were headed back to the car we passed a few more people enjoying the day. Everyone greeted us with a friendly hello and a smile. A man was walking with his two dogs, so you can bring your pets to get sunshine and exercise as well. However, just make sure to clean up whatever mess they may leave behind. This trail was incredibly litter free and we should all do our best to keep it that way!

Evan resting on one of the many benches towards the end of our walk.

Overall we had a great experience! It was easy and a flat walk. It was nice to get out and get some fresh air. It was a great way for my son to burn off some of his extra energy! I recommend this trail for anyone who wants to get outside to take a nice stroll or for anyone who has small children like myself. My boyfriend said this was one of his new favorite spots to go to. We will definitely make returning visits!