By Dan Brosgol
Remember the rogue bog bridge built in 2012 in the Wilderness Park Conservation Area?
Well, I had forgotten about it.
But in my never-ending quest to find new places to run in Bedford, coupled with a cool and breezy fall morning and a short window in which to go out and run, I remembered BridgeGate and did some digging on the town website to find out how to access the trail network.
So there I was on Saturday, running down Lantern Lane wondering if I’d find the trailhead that was indicated on map. Lo and behold, it was right where it was supposed to be, and I spent about 15 minutes running and exploring the Wilderness Park trails, which are tucked into the land roughly bracketed by Lantern Lane, Oak Ridge Lane, Gould Road, the VA, and Springs Road.
I ran across Springs Brook (the actual Springs Brook—thought that was neat), crossed a beautiful (legal?) bridge, observed many interesting rock walls, sampled both the yellow- and blue-blazed trails, and came across two large and angry dogs, who luckily were behind a fence. When the trail dropped me off on Springs Road across from the Middlesex parking lots just north of the VA, I looked at the trail signage and realized that I’d run past this particular trail for the better part of my 8+ years in Bedford and never realized where it led. How about that!
With a wry smile I turned left and padded home, with a quick ramble past the new construction at the VA and a glance at the hardy golfers still out at Patriot in the brisk fall wind. All in all, it was a lovely way to spend 45 minutes.
The verdict: I’ll definitely be back, and hopefully before winter.
Next up on my Bedford trails bucket list? The Old Reservoir/Valente Land trails. I’ve never run in there, but it looks like fun.
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