Walking along the Saugus River on the Nature Trail

There is a very short nature trail at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site that begins by the blacksmith shop at the far end of the park—a five-minute walk from the Visitor Center—and runs along the Saugus River for .2 mile, one way. Follow the paved path from the blacksmith shop and it eventually ends at the start of the earthen Nature Trail. The trail is flat and easy, but you must walk down a fairly steep hill from the Visitor Center to reach the Iron Works Industrial Site to begin with.

Geese walk along the paved path from the blacksmith shop

Start of the Nature Trail

At this point the Saugus River is influenced by the tides, so at low tide most of the water drains away and leaves the muddy bottom in view. However, this is the best time to see birds, for they like to peck around in the mud looking for things to eat.

Low tide on the Saugus River

You can’t see much of the river on the actual trail due to vegetation, though there are a few gaps in the brush. The best views are on the way to the blacksmith shop.

Typical terrain of the Nature Trail

View of the Blast Furnace from the Nature Trail

I got the impression that the Nature Trail officially ended at a log bench a tenth of a mile from the start. Up until this point the trail is wide and appears to have been purposely created by the National Park Service. However, it does continue for another tenth of a mile, but it narrows considerably, leading me to believe that this was blazed by visitors who just wanted to keep walking along the river as far as they could go. If you continue, you’ll eventually come to a bend in the river near a pipeline and can’t go any farther.

End of the wide portion of the Nature Trail

Very end of the trail

I don’t see much harm in walking the Nature Trail since it is so short, but it certainly isn’t a must-do. If you have a gap between the Ranger-guided Industrial Site Tour and the Iron Works House Tour, this is certainly a pleasant way to kill some time.

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