Rocky Woods
Encyclopedia
Rocky Woods is a 491 acres (198.7 ha) open space preserve located in Medfield, Massachusetts
. The preserve, managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations
, is notable for its rugged terrain. Rocky Woods offers 6.5 miles (10.5 km) of trails and former woods roads available for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, catch and release fishing, and cross country skiing. Rocky Woods is a spur link in the 200 miles (321.9 km) Bay Circuit Trail
system. The preserve is part of a larger area of protected open space including the abutting Fork Factory Brook
preserve, also managed by The Trustees of Reservations.
hills and knolls with occasional scenic vistas, boulder caves, rock formations, narrow ravines and defiles, glacial erratic
s, and local boulders. Six pondlets (originally constructed as fire suppression pump ponds) are located on the property: Chickering Pond, Echo Pond, Notch Pond, June Pond, Little Chickering Pond, and part of an unnamed sixth pond. The rugged, rocky terrain of Rocky Woods was formed via glacial action
during the last ice age
through glacial plucking and scouring.
During the colonial 18th century, Rocky Woods had been divided into common land
woodlots. A network of logging roads, paved with asphalt shingle
scraps, were cut through the property in the 19th century and used to transport granite quarried on site.
The property was originally preserved by Dr. Joel Goldthwait in the 1920s, who donated the original parcels to The Trustees of the Reservations in 1942. Additional land acquired by other donors from 1946 through 1983 through more than ten gifts.
Rocky Woods shares a trailhead with Fork Factory Brook, located on Hartford Road in Medfield.
Medfield, Massachusetts
Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,024 according to the 2010 Census. Medfield is an affluent community about 17 miles southwest of Boston....
. The preserve, managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest regional land trust in the world and has 100,000 dues-paying members...
, is notable for its rugged terrain. Rocky Woods offers 6.5 miles (10.5 km) of trails and former woods roads available for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, catch and release fishing, and cross country skiing. Rocky Woods is a spur link in the 200 miles (321.9 km) Bay Circuit Trail
Bay Circuit Trail
The Bay Circuit Trail or Bay Circuit is a Massachusetts recreational trail which, when complete, will form an arc through the outlying suburbs of Boston from Plum Island in Newburyport to Kingston Bay in Duxbury, a distance of . of the trail were complete as of 2007...
system. The preserve is part of a larger area of protected open space including the abutting Fork Factory Brook
Fork Factory Brook
Fork Factory Brook is a 135 acre historic site, open space reserve, and agricultural reserve located in Medfield, Massachusetts. The reserve, managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations, is notable for its wetlands, ledges, 300 year old hayfields, and...
preserve, also managed by The Trustees of Reservations.
Terrain and History
Rocky Woods contains rugged, graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
hills and knolls with occasional scenic vistas, boulder caves, rock formations, narrow ravines and defiles, glacial erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
s, and local boulders. Six pondlets (originally constructed as fire suppression pump ponds) are located on the property: Chickering Pond, Echo Pond, Notch Pond, June Pond, Little Chickering Pond, and part of an unnamed sixth pond. The rugged, rocky terrain of Rocky Woods was formed via glacial action
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
during the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
through glacial plucking and scouring.
During the colonial 18th century, Rocky Woods had been divided into common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
woodlots. A network of logging roads, paved with asphalt shingle
Asphalt shingle
An asphalt shingle is a type of roof shingle. They are one of the most widely used roofing covers because they are relatively inexpensive and fairly simple to install.-Types:...
scraps, were cut through the property in the 19th century and used to transport granite quarried on site.
The property was originally preserved by Dr. Joel Goldthwait in the 1920s, who donated the original parcels to The Trustees of the Reservations in 1942. Additional land acquired by other donors from 1946 through 1983 through more than ten gifts.
Recreation
A network of trails span the property and connect with the abutting Fork Factory Brook reservation. The property contains a number of scenic vistas; most prominent is Cedar Hill, 435 feet (132.6 m), which offers views to the east from eastern red cedar clad ledges. Dog walking is permitted on selected trails under The Trustees of Reservations "Green Dog" program. Swimming is prohibited. Preserve amenities include picnic tables and pavilion, playground, off street parking lots, and restrooms.Rocky Woods shares a trailhead with Fork Factory Brook, located on Hartford Road in Medfield.