Today Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to the Hemlock Gorge Reservation in Newton, and Needham, Massachusetts. Hemlock Gorge Reservation is an urban state park that is approximately 16 acres in size. It is on the Charles River and is especially known for the Echo Bridge, and a waterfall.
We had a unique Adventure to the Hemlock Gorge Reservation on this dark and chilly February day. I found this Reservation when planning a visit to the Echo Bridge, soon finding that the Bridge was located in the Hemlock Gorge Reservation. We began our journey following a very simple, snow covered trail. The trail was in close range to the Charles River, located to our right. The trail weaved up and around, soon leading us to a lovely waterfall. The waterfall sang a beautiful song, and was framed by frozen ice, and snow covered icicles, quite the picturesque scene. We enjoyed the sound of the falls, and the winter scene before turning to our left where we saw the Echo Bridge. The Bridge was grand in size, with arches below. We walked to the water’s edge to get a better view as Shadow and Wilma enjoyed the ice and some sips from the River.
We then headed to the top of the Bridge and noticed we could walk across the top, displaying a lovely view from above. We met a nice young lady, with a sweet little dog named Charlie. The dogs said hello and she filled us in on the area, which was great as there really was little detailed information available. We then continued over the Echo Bridge, down the stairs, and across the street to the well known platform said to have a special “Echo”. I was completely awed at the grand echo from my voice, and quite humored by the dogs’ reaction looking around as they heard their names. I attempted a video below, but the echo is very faint in the video. It was quite the fun moment, definitely meeting all my expectations from my readings.
After enjoying the echo for a bit we headed back to a trail over to the “Island”. We took a wrong turn before finding the trail leading to the “Island”. There was a simple, but beautiful snow-covered bridge crossing over to this location. We walked around a bit checking out the view of the River and the Echo Bridge from afar. The busy roads were not far, reminding us that we were in an urban park, however there were very little visitors making it quiet in its own special way.
Although the Hemlock Gorge Reservation was a very simple urban park, it really did exceed my expectations. I still am awed by the echo, loved the walk high atop the bridge, and enjoyed the picturesque winter waterfall. If you are in the area definitely a fun little place to check-out (Rating: 3).
The Adventures of Shadow and Wilma 