Magnolia Swamp Board Walk Photo from Bill O’Connor

Hey Joe,

Here’s a picture of the Magnolia Swamp Boardwalk in Ravenswood Park that was mentioned on your 2^nd podcast this week.  This property is now owned and maintained by the Trustees of Reservations.  I took this picture last year on April 7^th , 2010.  I remember it was a really warm day for the season (a record at 88°F). 

This board walk is pretty sturdy (the boards are roughly 3” thick), sits about 8” above the surface of the swamp, and gives a great vantage point for spotting frogs eggs and watching swamp critters.  It runs somewhere between 500 to 600 feet across the swamp.  You have to cross another board walk further up the trail to get back across the swamp. 

This is a great walk through the woods any time of the year, but in the early Spring there are no bugs yet, and you have a better chance of seeing other animals through the woods due to the lack of foliage. The trail that leads to the boardwalk is a fun little adventure, with one or two neat surprises on the way.  At least it was for my two year old son, who was with me that day. The trail on the other side is pretty cool, too, with a lot of interesting things to see. In some spots the path narrows and  winds along the edge of the swamp. It kind of feels like you’re walking in a scene from the Lord of the Rings, and you’re half expecting to see a Hobbit poking along the trail ahead of you.

It’s definitely worth a visit when the weather breaks.

Enjoy,
~Bill O’Connor
North Shore Kid