WWII Veteran's Memorial Trail (Bike Path) - Mansfield, MA

Today we returned to our community bike trail in Mansfield, MA, formally named the WWII Veteran's Memorial Trail and managed by the Natural Resources Trust of Mansfield.  This is a local favorite in our town and is more commonly known as just the Bike Path.  There is no cost to visit or park.

The path is paved, flat, and straight, and totals about two miles from Fruit Street at the southern point, to downtown Mansfield in the north.  There are mile markers painted onto the pavement every .25 miles.  The path is expected to be extended south by several miles into neighboring Norton, MA within the next few years.  Parking is available at both ends of the path, but we typically park in the small lot off Fruit Street - diagonally across the street from the Mansfield Municipal Airport.  The kiddos enjoy looking at the small airplanes.

The path itself is well maintained and generally clean, and it looked like work was being performed on the packed dirt/gravel area alongside the paved path.  When I'm running on the path, I prefer the gravel side for the softer footing than pavement.  The surroundings are scenic, as much of the path borders conservation land, with plentiful trees, and some streams and brooks.

We set off today with one of our daughters on two wheels for the first time, after having recently removed the training wheels on her bike.  Our other daughter used a scooter, and Scott and I were on foot (which we promptly regretted, as the girls were much faster than we anticipated - they usually use their bikes and scooters just in our driveway).  Our plan was to check out the Nature Trails, located about .75 miles from the Branch Street entrance, but we were derailed by a scooter wipeout and subsequent scraped knee before we got there.  We'll try again another time.

Overall, the bike path is a nice asset to our town, and was a draw to us when we were house hunting years ago.  We had a nice visit today, and we look forward to many more trips there in the future.



















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