Elm Bank Reservation

June 8, 2019 Sunny

We visited Elm Bank in Wellesley on sunny June day and parked near the soccer fields to start a 3 mile loop trail. However, it’s probably better to continue on the loop road and park nearer the main garden entrance. In any case, we found a helpful trail guide, although it’s not directly at the start of the trails.

From the parking near the gate to the gardens, we soon came upon a wide path called the “Meander” and headed into a forest toward the Charles River.

The trail quickly comes to the river, which you follow for much of the walk on a wide, shady path. The kids stopped to skip some stones.

Later we came to an opening with a lovely bench and some interesting, twisted wood near the bank. There are other wide trails along the way that lead to the “Swamp” but we decided to stick along the river.

At several points we passed fire hydrants (in the woods!) And a curious metal pump or container. It was a strange site for sure.

I found that it’s really peaceful and quiet in the woods, and there are not many walkers. However, many of them do have dogs (off the leash, which is not really allowed). But they were well behaved and every person (and dog) seemed very tranquil.

In any case, when you come to the main gate with the house and gardens, it’s worthwhile to pay the nominal fee to check it out. Inside you’ll find all sorts of gardens (flowers, vegetables, herbs, etc.) and even a formal garden with fountains and statues. A really special and whimsical garden is just for kids and has giant sized furniture like below.

Ryan and Miles explore this giant branch

From the gardens it’s a short walk back to your car, or hang out in the shade and just enjoy a good book.

If you’re in the area, the combination of the peaceful river loop and gardens are hard to beat for an afternoon stroll. It’s a local gem in my view.
The trail itself was wide and flat and quiet, but accessing the trail involved walking on busy roads.
Not bad, definitely. There are more scenic walks, but it was still very tranquil.
It was good but not very natural. There was nobody else there.
Pretty good. I like the river. There are some bugs. There’s not that much stuff to do but walk.