Center Hill Preserve

 

Center Hill Preserve – Plymouth, MA

 

Exploring Plymouth

Sites such as Plymouth Rock and Plimoth Plantation are familiar to anyone, but mention the name Center Hill Preserve, even to locals, and expect inquisitive looks.

Plymouth, Massachusetts is synonymous with its historical sites and tourist attractions. Brewster Gardens and Pilgrim Memorial State Park are the most popular parks in town and with good reason. They are picturesque, combining history and natural beauty. Plymouth, given that it is the largest town (area wise) in the Commonwealth, has innumerable walking paths to explore. Given that Myles Standish State Forest, which is roughly the size of the city of Providence, is mostly within the town’s borders, there is an inexhaustible number of nature trails in this town. Plymouth boasts a crazy number of ponds too; 450 of them in all! That’s insane!

 

 

Plymouth’s and its parks and beaches

Plymouth has an expansive coastline, which includes the three-mile Long Beach. Long Beach is the town beach, basically a thin sand bar peninsula jutting out into the harbor. Along with that is Saquish, another peninsula jutting out from Duxbury. This is private though. Unlike many South Shore towns whose coastlines are rock strewn, many of Plymouth’s beaches are covered with beautiful, fine sand. The look of the sea and beachfront near the end of Long Beach is reminiscent of the Florida seashore. It feels a long way away from New England (unless you’re visiting in the winter months…brrr).  

Many of these beaches are accessible to the public including Long Beach (for a fee) and White Horse Beach (parking can be tough). Plymouth also has smaller beaches free for public use. Among these are Nelson Park, Stephen’s Field, and the public access across from Holmes Reservation. Two of my favorite beaches, not so much for a typical day at the beach, but for nature walks that lead to a serene beachside setting, are Ellisville Harbor State Park and Center Hill Preserve. These are both located in the southern section of Plymouth, in the village of Ellisville.

 

Center Hill Preserve- a perfect walk for the whole family

Located close to Ellisville Harbor on Center Hill Road, this walk is perfect for young children. There are two sections of this preserve, crossed by Center Hill Road. The western portion is a loop walk through the forest where the eastern section’s path travels through shady woodlands but soon exits onto a beach. The beachside walk is the best for children since it is very short. Young children will feel a sense of accomplishment in making the journey where older ones may want more of a challenge.

The path dips under a canopy of deciduous and coniferous trees and rises again to meet the rugged terrain of the beach. This rocky and sandy outcropping, similar to Ellisville, is serene and a lovely change from crowded, more popular beaches. Ellisville is the more well known of the two parks; typically Center Hill is sparsely populated, even in the height of summer. The swath of beach accessible from the preserve is expansive. Look for basking seals at Ellisville and Center Hill’s beaches in the summer. 

 

Seals!

Center Hill is a true hidden gem. Whereas Ellisville and many other of Plymouth’s seaside areas are familiar to many, Center Hill is not. Even when my son was only a year and a half, he could easily walk the length of the trail to the beach. If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon them during your trip, those harbor seas, sunning themselves and barking wildly, certainly add to the enjoyment. Center Hill Preserve is located on Center Hill Road in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

For more information about what Plymouth has to offer, visit the following websites: Explore Natural Plymouth and See Plymouth

For more eastern Massachusetts fun, check out these BYRT posts: Family friendly brewery road trip and Cape Cod Natural Seashore