Bradley Palmer State Park

August 11, 2019 Sunny

This park is located north of Boston near Topsfield. It’s named after a prominent local attorney who created the United Fruit Company, which later became Chiquita Brands. It consists mainly of forested land with trails, some open fields on hilltops, and a section along the Ipswich River. There is also his estate, which can be rented for special events.

Mr. Palmer enjoyed riding horses on the property and it was clear this is still a popular pastime (from the occasional horse manure along the trails). But there are also plenty of mountain bikers who zigzag the trails.

We started at the main parking lot near the park headquarters and took a loop trail that led over Blueberry Hill and Moon Hill as part of the Baystate Trail. One of the first sites was this lovely pond.

After meandering over rolling hills through forested and open areas along nondescript trails, we came to the top of Moon Hill, a large open field. Although there are no views of the surrounding areas, it was beautiful to break out of the forest into the bright sun of the open fields. It was very serene and quiet.

We then continued to the north side of the park, descending the slope toward the Ipswich River.

The trails here are fairly confusing and require close examination of the map and the (thankfully) numerous numbered signposts. Fortunately it would be hard to get really lost, and there were often mountain bikers coming along. The group above actually was stopping not to rest but to get their bearings (We heard them tell us they were momentarily lost as they zipped past us later).

In any case, the Ipswich River was busy with canoeists and paddleboarders who rented from the Foote Brothers company near the dam.

We continued along the river for some time under pine trees that covered a soft, rolling bank. Eventually we came to a footbridge that crosses the river and offers a great vantage point for watching the river traffic below.

Although you can follow across the bridge to Willowdale State Forest, we continued the loop back toward the headquarters.

Once back to our car, we also briefly checked out the wading pool and splash pad within the park. It looked really well kept, with interesting water features, plenty of surrounding grass to relax on, along with clean changing rooms and restrooms. It’s included with the day pass fee and well worth a stop if you have younger kids with you.

Pleasant but not scenic or distinctive. Probably better for trail runners and bikes. Be sure to head for the river or splash pad if you stop by.
Nothing special. It was a rich guy’s estate that he donated.
Your average walk through the woods, plus a river and an open hill. Nothing particularly special.
I liked the river and the trail was good.
I liked the nature center. It was cool. The wading pool looked cool. The walk through the woods was a little complicated.