Saugus, Massachusetts
Rumney Marsh Reservation
Photo: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A 600-acre tidal salt marsh in the Saugus and Pines River inlet, flat and open for bird watching, and a state Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
Written for ages 4–12.
Researched from this park's own sources. Nobody's walked it yet.
Read this bit out
A salt marsh does not look like much. It is flat and it is muddy and twice a day the sea comes up through it and goes back out again. But it is one of the busiest places anything lives — the mud is full of things, and the things in the mud are why the birds are here, and the birds are why you are looking at it. Somebody decided this particular marsh mattered enough to give it a special name and protect it. Stand still for two minutes and you will see why.
One of your three free places, or the Explorer Pass. What that costs
Before you go
- Time there
- Plan on about an hour and a half at the park.
- Parking
- Reservation parking lots at 111 Ballard Street and 114 Bristow Street, both in Saugus. Open dawn to dusk.
- Underfoot
- Flat and open salt marsh along the river inlet, good for bird watching, fishing and boating. DCR asks everyone to stay on the trails.
- Food
- Picnicking is allowed; please use the trash barrels.
22 challenges written for this place
A game deals seven to fifteen of them, so no two visits are alike.
4 things to spot, 3 photographs to take and 3 things to work out.
Every game includes this one
Out Over The Marsh
Find the spot where the most marsh you can see opens up in front of you.
A few of the others
Find The River
A river runs through this marsh out to the sea. From the trail, find the moving water.
All That Flat
One photo of everybody with the whole marsh spread out behind.
Mostly Sky
A marsh is flat, so there is a lot of sky. Take one photo that is more sky than ground.
Their Turn
Hand the phone to the youngest. They take one picture of whatever they want.
Six Hundred Acres
This marsh is six hundred acres. Guess how far the far side is, then work out whether you were close.
Why This One Matters
Somebody decided this marsh needed protecting more than most. Look at it and work out what is worth protecting.
The rest are a surprise — that's the whole point.
Also around Saugus
Breakheart Reservation
Saugus
Two lakes in a big forest, supervised summer swimming at Pearce Lake, and rocky hilltops to climb for views of Boston and New Hampshire.
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
Saugus
A 17th-century ironworks rebuilt on the Saugus River, with working waterwheels, a blast furnace, a forge, a half-mile nature trail and a picnic area.
Play this at Rumney Marsh Reservation
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.