Bristol Blake State Reservation

September 15, 2019 Sunny

This park covers 140 acres and consists of ponds and marshes that are accessed via a boardwalk and paths. It was the site of a former sawmill complex over one hundred years ago.

You can visit the Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary visitor center if you check the hours before coming by.

The first part of the loop trail is shaded by various trees and plants on the side, many of which are nicely labeled. We got a kick out of the numerous signs pointing out poison ivy using the old saying “leaves of three…let it be”.

Once you reach the marshy area you enter the boardwalk.

We came on a bright day in September, although you could see some tinges of orange here and there.

Stopping on the platform we saw many smaller turtles and a very large snapping turtle as well. He/she was covered in moss and maybe 1 1/2 feet long although the picture doesn’t show this well. We learned from some other visitors that this turtle may have feasted on some baby swans in the spring.

The boardwalk eventually leads to a small, rounded island that you can explore a bit. We found a large boulder with a lean-to on the side and the kids played here for a while, exploring the principle of “levers”.

From here, the boardwalk continues past a pond.

Near the end of the loop you reach the site of the 1800’s era sawmill, with a dam at the edge of the pond.

We spotted a few more large turtles in the water just below and then reached the picnic area near the visitor center, near which was a small butterfly garden.

Although the whole trail is less than a mile, the walk has a lot of variety packed into it. The visitor center and garden round out the experience.

Great little park with amenities and beautiful, changing scenery.
Small but so much to see. Lots of turtles and wildlife. Very beautiful.
Great park, with turtles, swans, etc. Not much bugs and great visitor center, plus “butterfly” garden. Thank you, Bristol Blake, very cool!
Many turtles and wildlife. Very nice.
I liked the boardwalks. Lots of turtles!