| NAHANT — An easy walk of just over a mile highlights the town’s natural and historic wonders and offers panoramic ocean views.
Owned by the town, Nahant Heritage Trail winds from Short Beach to Bailey’s Hill with history and other information about each stop along the trail detailed on the town website, thanks to the Open Space Committee. Parking for the trail is available off Ward Road at Short Beach and visitors should check for notifications concerning parking permit requirements. Starting at Little Nahant Playground, the trail follows the sidewalk past the Life Saving Station, built in 1898 and transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. The trail’s Short Beach section offers an example of a classic barrier beach with sand dunes sprouting wild flowers, including beach pea, sea rocket and wild radish. Butterflies and tree swallows flit over the sand with the population aloft increasing during warm weather months. In addition to the Life Saving Station, the beach offers additional history with its parking lot once the former site of the Nahant and Lynn Street Railway’s wooden trestle. The lot area during decades past hosted circuses, military exercises and sporting events, according to a town website. Trail markers at Flash Road Playground guide walkers through the lowlands where woods and wetland harbor a variety of birds ranging from grackles to goldfinches. This portion of the walk leads to Flash Road with the trail markers leading to the rear of the fire station and on past the rear of the Johnson School. The walk’s Fort Ruckman/Bailey’s Hill section offers some of the most concentrated historic sites. Activated during both world wars, the fort included a mess hall, infirmary and movie theater. The land these buildings were once located on are accessed along the trail by following the trail marker behind the school past the trees and through the birch woods. Wooden steps lead up a short slope to Goddard Drive to the former fort bunkers. At Gardner and Trimountain roads, the trail follows the road to the top of the fort with its spectacular sea views. The trek back into history continues with a steep descent down the trail to Bailey’s Hill Park where the switchback trail leads to the remains of Gun No. 2 and Battery Gardner. The wooded hillsides attract birds and butterflies in the summer and waterfowl in the winter. History and nature combine to make the short walk a rich town experience. |
