Great Woods Conservation Area (Blog Hike #761)

Trails: Scott/Goyea, Schoolmaster’s Bridle, Chase’s, and Codding Farm Trails

Hike Location: Great Woods Conservation Area

Geographic Location: south side of Mansfield, MA (41.98792, -71.23495)

Length: 2.1 miles

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: July 2019

Overview: A flat loop through old farm fields reverted to wet forest.

Area Information: https://nrtma.org/trails/great-woods/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=759394

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the south side of Boston, take I-495 to SR 140 (exit 12).  Exit and go north on SR 140.  Drive SR 140 north 1.3 miles to School Street and turn left on School St.  School St. becomes Elm Street after passing under I-495.  Drive a total of 2.7 miles from SR 140 to Oak Street and turn left on Oak St.  The signed parking lot for Great Woods Conservation Area is 0.3 miles ahead on the left.

The hike: When you look at the suburban area south of Boston on Google Maps, you see a patchwork of white developed areas and green park areas.  While some of the green areas are state parks, many of the green areas are properties owned by town-linked trusts such as the Natural Resources Trust of Mansfield.  The Natural Resources Trust of Mansfield was established in 1971 for the purposes of preserving open space and protecting land from development.  Today the Trust protects 7 tracts of land around the Town of Mansfield.

Consisting of 2300 acres straddling the Mansfield/Norton town line, Great Woods Conservation Area is the largest tract of land owned and managed by the Natural Resources Trust of Mansfield.  The Great Woods consists entirely of reverting farmland, some of which began to be farmed as early as 1723.  Seven trails go through the Great Woods, and the loop described here provides a good sample of the hiking this area has to offer.  Be warned that about one-third of the Great Woods is wet enough to be classified as swamp, and therefore bugs will be very bad here during the warmer months.

Start of Scott/Goyea Trail

From the parking area, start on the orange-blazed Scott/Goyea Trail, which heads through a grassy area on an eastward course.  The post that marks the start of the Scott/Goyea Trail was somewhat obscured by grass and bushes on my visit, but the route on the ground was clear.  As I mentioned in the introduction, Great Woods consists of reverting farmland, and this trail passes through farmland previously owned by families named Scott and Goyea, hence the trail’s name.

Hiking through dense pines

The trail traces around a sunny grassy area before curving left to enter the woods.  The wooded areas on this tract of land feature dense pine trees, and the trail goes back and forth between sunny meadows and dark, dense woods.  Some rows of rocks can be seen along this trail: they were used to mark boundaries between fields back in this land’s farming days.

At 0.5 miles, the Scott/Goyea Trail ends at an intersection with the Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail, which is marked in red and is the Great Woods’ main trail.  Turn right on the Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail to continue the loop.  The Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail gets its name from schoolmasters who used this route as a shortcut between Elm Street and South Main Street in the 1800’s.  None of the trails at Great Woods are open to horses, but hunters are allowed to use this land in season.  To avoid accidents, you should wear bright orange clothing when hiking here during hunting season.

Boardwalk near Blueberry Brook

The Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail heads east and soon crosses a wetland along Blueberry Brook via a wooden boardwalk.  At 0.85 miles, this loop turns left to leave the Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail and begin Chase’s Trail.  A white plastic diamond nailed to a tree marks the start of Chase’s Trail, but you need to be looking for the white plastic diamond in order to see it.  If you miss this turn, the Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail leads to the performing arts center across the Great Woods’ eastern boundary, and you will need to backtrack.

Start of Chase's Trail

Chase’s Trail is the least trafficked and least maintained trail in the Great Woods, but there are enough white plastic diamond markers to keep you on track.  Even though wooden bridges carry you over the wettest areas, many roots and wet areas will still need to be negotiated.  The forest in this area consists mostly of maple, beech, and pine trees, and it includes some large beech trees estimated to be nearly 150 years old.

            After passing under some power lines, Chase’s Trail ends at an intersection with the wider Codding Farm Trail, which goes left and right.  Turn left to continue our loop.  Marked with lime green paint blazes, the Codding Farm Trail soon reaches the signed Old Codding Farm site, which can be accessed by a narrow spur trail to the left.  Very little of the Codding Farm remains today, and many ferns grow in the understory here.

Old farm equipment

            Just past the Old Codding Farm site, the Codding Farm Trail ends at a junction with the Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail 1.8 miles into the hike.  Turn right on the Schoolmaster’s Bridle Trail to begin the final segment of our loop.  Some more wet areas will need to be negotiated, and an old rusty piece of farm equipment sitting beside the trail provides yet another reminder of this land’s agricultural past.  Traffic noise from Oak Street comes within earshot just before the trail comes out at Great Woods’ parking area, thus completing the hike.  While you are in the area, Great Woods’ has another trailhead on Judy’s Lane on the other side of I-495 with its own short trail system that waits your exploration.