entering natick sign

entering natick sign

Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Eat
  • Summer Camp
  • Private Schools in Natick & beyond
  • Public schools, sponsored by Sexton
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters
  • Sports schedule & results
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Events
  • Kids
  • Business
  • Environment
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Beyond Natick
  • History
  • Government
  • Seniors
  • Natick Nest
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Natick snow plowing services
 
Needham Bank, Natick
 

Kayaking the Charles River into South Natick

November 21, 2020 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

November might not seem like the ideal time to kayak the Charles River: The foliage and flowers are pretty much gone, the air and water temperatures are cold, and there are fewer critters skittering within and around the river. But as one of the remaining outdoor refuges from crowds during the pandemic, the Charles called us to take one last 2020 trip, and we chose the six-plus mile route from Medfield to the South Natick Dam.

The excursion, aided by a mild current, took about 2.5 hours in all (yeah, I billed it to Deborah as maybe a 1.5 hour paddle…it had been a while since I’d made this passage). We stretched the adventure out a bit with several scavenging and photography stops along the way under a gray-to-light blue sky. We put our double kayak in just upriver of the Rte. 27 bridge in Medfield, easily accessed on Rte. 27 south from Natick (the parking pull-over is just past the bridge). It’s a short and slightly steep path to the water, but once you get to the bottom there’s a flat, sandy area for putting in.

charles river medfield

The action started early, as a big heron swooped past us before we even got paddling. During our trip, we didn’t see some of the usual river suspects such as turtles and fish. Even the muskrats kept themselves scarce, although we could see the doorways leading into their muddy burrows. Beavers had been busy based on their fresh tree gnawings but they, too, were laying low during our trip. We did, however, view mallard ducks, a swan, Canada geese, blue jays, cardinals, hawks and kestrels, as well as the highlight: a black mink loping along the river bank near Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary. You’ll just have to believe us on the mink: We weren’t quick enough to capture a photo of it. But its lope and body-type were unmistakably that of the fur-bearing carnivore. After passing under the Rte. 27 bridge, the next landmark was a railroad bridge that we imagine attracts river jumpers when the weather’s warm, assuming the water is deep enough. Steep walls of pines and other trees greeted us on the left, where Rocky Narrows Reservation stands, and marshier stands full of now cottony cattails waved to us from our right. Up a green hill we could see what we believe were Medfield State Hospital buildings. railroad bridge medfield

wasp nest in medfield on charles november

One curious marker on the south bank in Medfield lured us to disembark, as a large model airplane buzzed overhead at property operated by a model aircraft club. As it turns out, this was a heartbreaking monument to a man named Thomas Galloway, an Upton resident who was found dead at the age of 71 in the Charles River during the summer of 2011 after he went missing while searching for a model airplane. Thomas Galloway marker in Medfield on charles river

south natick mansion on charles river

The trip ends dramatically with a close-up view of a statue of the Virgin Mary, situated on the south river bank perched atop a rocky formation. A little further down we passed under a picturesque red wooden bridge, which is private property. Kayaking up to and under it is the best way to view it if you’re not privy to walking it. virgin mary statue south natick


Subscribe to our free Natick Report daily email

Filed Under: Outdoors

Comments

  1. Dennis McCormick says

    November 21, 2020 at 6:32 pm

    We have done part of that voyage, but never as far as you. Now we know about that wooden bridge and the statue. Thanks for taking us along.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Tip us off!

Please send news tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com

If you’d like to contribute $ to support our independent journalism venture, please do….

Advertisements

Categories

  • Animals
  • Art
  • Bacon Free Library
  • Beyond Natick
  • Books
  • Boston Marathon
  • Business
  • Camps
  • Charity/Fundraising
  • Community
  • Construction
  • COVID-19
  • Education
  • Election
  • Embracing diversity
  • Employment/careers
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Fashion
  • Fire
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Government
  • Health
  • History
  • Holidays
  • Housing
  • Kids
  • Letters to the editor
  • Media
  • Military
  • Morse Institute Library
  • Music
  • Natick Election 2022
  • Natick Historical Society
  • Natick History Museum
  • Natick Mall
  • Natick Nest
  • Natick track
  • Neighbors
  • Obituaries & remembrances
  • Opinion
  • Outdoors
  • Parents
  • Police & crime
  • Real estate
  • Recycling Center
  • Religion
  • Restaurants
  • Schools
  • Seniors
  • Shopping
  • South Natick Dam
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Theater
  • Town election 2021
  • Town Election 2023
  • Town Meeting
  • Transportation
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Vacation
  • Veterans
  • Volunteering
  • Voting
  • Weather
lion publishers
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Get our email newsletter

* indicates required
Our newsletter is free, though we gladly accept contributions to support our work.

Most Read Posts

  • Tree-mendous defense at Natick's saddest basketball court
  • Natick Center Historical Walking Tours coming up
  • Natick ready for Community Preservation Committee member applicants
  • Natick business buzz: Soap Dental opens wide; Anthology senior living hosts swanky grand opening
  • Walk this way for a cultural experience on the Cochituate Rail Trail

Click image to read The Swellesley Report

The Swellesley Report

Upcoming Events

Sep 27
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Sober in the Suburbs speaker event

Sep 28
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Speaker: Meteorologist Harvey Leonard on extreme weather

Oct 1
10:00 am - 11:15 am

Read to a dog at Bacon Free Library

Oct 1
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Opening celebration of Little Free Diverse Library of children’s books

Oct 13
8:30 am - 10:30 am

Dedham Country Day School Classroom Observation Day

View Calendar

Pages

  • Letters to the editor on Natick Report
  • Natick community gardens
  • South Natick Dam Park (Charles River waterfall/spillway)
  • Guidelines for Natick Report letters to the editor
  • Natick election 2023—guidelines for promoting candidates and ballot questions
  • Natick’s 2023 Boston Marathon charity runners
  • Natick, Massachusetts libraries
  • Comment Policy
  • Bacon Free Library in Natick, hours for winter 2023
  • Morse Institute Library in Natick—hours for winter 2023
  • Resources for seniors in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Report corrections policy
  • Scenic Roads in Natick
  • Where to stay in Natick, Mass. (hotels, inns)
  • Private Schools in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick Summer Camps (and beyond)
  • Where to eat in Natick, Mass: more that 70 dining options
  • Natick, Mass., history
  • Natick government
  • Natick No-Nos
  • Embracing diversity in Natick
  • Where to worship in Natick
  • Kid stuff (sports, clubs, activities in Natick, Mass.)
  • Contribute to Natick Report
  • Natick Little Free Libraries
  • Natick public schools
  • Natick obituaries, September 2023
  • Where to sled in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick COVID-19 & vaccine news
  • Natick’s zip code & post offices
  • Natick charitable and community action groups
  • Top 10 things to do in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Arts/Entertainment
  • About Natick Report
  • Advertise on Natick Report
  • Natick rules: Chickens yes, roosters no
  • Natick Election 2023, political candidates advertising
  • Natick election 2022—candidate interviews

© 2023 Natick Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login