Peaceful Destruction Brook Woods

Okay, I’ll be honest. The name piqued our curiosity. Destruction Brook? In Dartmouth? We knew we had to check it out.

What we found was a peaceful, 280-acre piece of land with trails that will lead you into a valley, near a vernal pool, by a not-so destructive brook, under tall, century-old cedar trees, and past an old farmhouse foundation. We even ran into some feisty wildlife, but more on that later!

Trail maps were available at the trail head on Woodcock Road. Usually, I don’t take a map. I know it’s not the wisest idea, but I usually let my “I know where I’m going” ego hide behind my “let’s save paper and the environment” excuse. Benny took a look at the large map display and noticed many different trail colors, and he was a bit leery when I trudged by without even a glance.

I turned around and noticed he wasn’t following me. Instead, he was staring intently at the map. “I’m trying to memorize it! It looks like the map for the T!” I turned around, sighed, and grabbed a paper map for the hike, just to make him happy and so that we could get on our way.

I’m glad I did. While Destruction Brook Woods is well-marked, the directionally challenged could get a bit disoriented without this helpful, color-coded map.

If you want print out your own map before going, or want to have it handy on your phone, you can find the Destruction Brook Woods map here. If you do print your own, I suggest you print it in color.

Happy Valley

Our first choice was to explore the blue line…I mean trail, that leads into Happy Valley. The trail goes up for a bit. Benny found a peace sign, which, of course, meant that it was time for a photo op.

After a slight incline, we saw a vernal pool. Vernal pools are small bodies of water that are only full for part of the year. Resting on a nearby bench, I decided to look straight up and saw this tree. I had to take a picture of it. Because of the angle, I’m counting it as my “artsy” photo for this post.

The trail then winds through New Hampshire-esque outcroppings and stone walls.

Angry, Angry Turkeys

Towards the end of the blue trail loop, near where the yellow trail intersects, we heard the familiar “gobble gobble” of turkeys. In the distance, we could see them! Benny was excited and wanted to go say hi. Before I could stop him, he jumped out of my backpack and started running down the path.

That did not make the turkeys happy. All together, in an organized flock of angered chaos, they charged. A terrified Benny turned around and started running towards me, screaming. I ran towards him, scooped him up, and ran the other way.

Benny learned a very valuable lesson: Respect wildlife from a distance. If you hike anywhere in the Northeast with young ones, make sure they don’t chase turkeys. (Or Canadian geese…)

Alice’s Spillway

We then slowly followed the yellow trail, letting our heart rates get back to normal. This portion of the yellow trail leads to Alice’s Spillway. What’s spilling away at Alice’s Spillway, you ask? Destruction Brook!

A long, long time ago, as in the 1700s, the spillway was used to store water for a mill downstream. It’s a peaceful place to stop and relax.

The Old Farmhouse Foundations

We went north on the yellow trail, headed west on the red trail for about a half mile or so, which connected us to the green trail. At this point, I realized that Benny was right: Direction-wise, this hike was like taking the T!

After trekking down the green path for about mile, we came across the remains of the Old Russell Homestead. I’ve always been fascinated with old New England ruins. I tried to imagine the area with the farmhouse still standing and the fields empty of trees and full of livestock or crops. Benny took advantage of my reverie to sit on the front steps of the old farmhouse and have a snack.

Not far from the farmhouse is the Gidley Cemetery. In true New England fashion, this small family cemetery is in the middle of woods. We only saw four headstones, but it’s possible there are more people buried here. Perhaps a local history buff can enlighten us and comment below?

Note: Part of the green trail goes through town property where hunting is allowed in season. It’s a good idea to wear bright orange clothing in this area.

Ella’s Bridge

We decided it was time to head back. At this point, we had hiked over 3.5 miles and the sun was starting to set. I know 3.5 miles may not sound like a long hike for some, but for a small bear who was kicked out of my backpack, it was an unimaginable length.

The red trail leads to Ella’s Bridge, which is a small bridge crossing Destruction Brook. Because there’s a small engraving of a dog, we assume the bridge is named after someone’s beloved pet. Of course, if I’m completely wrong on this and you know better, please comment below. And if I’m wrong, blame Benny. It was his idea.

Final thoughts on the hike

We enjoyed our hike through Destruction Brook Woods. When all was said and done, we had hiked over 4.5 miles. As I mentioned before, while the trails are well-marked, don’t be too proud to bring a map, whether it’s in paper or electronic form. It could be easy to get lost without one. (I prefer paper, in case I want to shut off my phone to really unplug.)

Our total time in the woods was over 3 hours. We took our time, so if you were to follow the same route we took, you may complete the hike in a shorter amount of time.

There are two parking lots available: one on Woodcock Road, where we began our hike, and another on Slades Corner Road.

For more info, check out the Dartmouth Natural Resource Trust’s site.

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If you like local hikes, you should check out these places:

• Ridge Hill Reserve, Dartmouth
• Hiking Simmons Pond in Little Compton
• New Bedford Harbor Walk
• Destruction Brook Woods, Dartmouth
• A Stroll at the Westport Town Farm
• Gooseberry Island in Westport
• Sandwich’s WWII Remains
• East Over Reservation, Rochester
• Natural Resources Trust of Easton
• Colt State Park, Bristol
• The Knob, Falmouth
• Blackstone Gorge, Blackstone
• Quequechan River Rail Trail, Fall River
• Lyman Reserve, Plymouth/Bourne/Wareham
• Lawrence Island, Bourne
• Meshanticut State Park, Cranston
• South Mount Sugarloaf, Deerfield
• Hiking up Mount Wachusett, Princeton, MA

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There are two parking lots: Enter either 170 Woodcock Road or 205 Slades Corner Road, Dartmouth, MA, into your GPS app.

Check out our map of places we’ve been in New England!