Parking
There is limited lot parking on both sides of Old Marlboro Rd near Williams Rd. It’s hard to believe this quiet wood and wetland was once a place to prepare for war.
Hike
We hiked the 2.5-mile level trail some roots and narrow path on sloping terrain that could be slippery when wet, straight to Kennedy’s Pond and back a 45-minute roundtrip.
The Old Rifle Range covering 111 acres was used to train World War I troops here in 1917 before they shipped out to fight in France and across Europe. We took the main yellow trail straight ahead. On the right, there were 4 cement walls with metal hardware, which apparently was spaced to provide targets at 200, 300, 600, and 1000 yards. How it worked was a person would stand behind the mound of dirt and a concrete wall. They would operate the large metal frame with gears on it to crank targets up and down targets. We met 1 lone trail runner during our walk.
Next time we’ll explore the wetland red trail on the opposite side through Ministerial Swamp
Here is a trail map.
Other Recommendations: Light, waterproof hiking boots.
