Massasoit State Park is a public recreation area located on the southeast side of the city of
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, with some parklands spilling into the adjacent
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Lakeville. The
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
encompasses more than 1200 heavily wooded acres that include six lakes and ponds (
Lake Rico, Furnace Pond, King's Pond, Middle Pond, Little Bearhole Pond, and Big Bearhole Pond) and numerous
cranberry bogs.
[
]
Features
The park has an extensive trail system for walking, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and equestrian use. A launch for non-motorized boats is located at the north end of Lake Rico. A fisherman's landing is found on Big Bearhole Pond. Hunting is available on a restricted basis.[
]
2008 lightning strike
A lightning strike in 2008 disabled the park's underground electric system, resulting in the closure of much of the park.[ Interior sections were reopened to vehicular traffic in 2015, with the reopening of the park's 126-site campground in remaining as a long-term goal, according to officials.][
The park later reopened completely in 2018.]
References
External links
Massasoit State Park
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Massasoit State Park Trail Map
Department of Conservation and Recreation
{{authority control
State parks of Massachusetts
Taunton, Massachusetts
Massachusetts natural resources
Parks in Bristol County, Massachusetts