A Trip to the Codman Estate
Penzi enjoying the Hemlock grove at the Codman Estate, Lincoln, MA
Many things in our lives have changed in recent months and how we walk our dogs is included. Some parks are closed, and some have new restrictions, while other spots have become crowded making safe social distancing a challenge.
We have decided to go with the flow and make the most of this time exploring some smaller or lesser known spots in the area. This week we headed to Lincoln to the Codman Estate with our boarding guest Penny. Penny's mom had a baby so Penny needed care for a few days and we were more than happy to have one of our dogs over again!
We followed the recommendations on the town's conservation website and parked at the far end of the commuter rail parking lot. Big bonus here is that you can take the commuter rail from North Station if you don't have a car. Well behaved dogs are allowed on the commuter rail during off peak hours!
Penny posing for a dog-on-a-log pic
It was a short pleasant walk to the estate down a wide shaded path following along the railroad tracks. After the field you enter the woods which has a small trail network to explore. My 15 year old pup Penzi needs shorter hikes these days so we opted to skip those trails and took the left over the railroad bridge instead to check out the estate.
Crossing the bridge, we followed the path to the right along through a beautiful sun-dappled hemlock grove. It was a weekday and we had the trail to ourselves which made for a really peaceful walk. Penny the Viszla let her hunting instincts take over and pointed at all the critters she spotted!
After the forest the path leads to the sidewalk and around a private residence before you dip back to the left onto the Codman Estate property. If you want to extend your walk here, you can continue down the sidewalk and across Codman Rd to walk the fields across the road before looping back to the estate.
The fields we crossed through included a free-range chicken farm which really piqued the dog's interest, and a family of alpaca's providing local knitting yarn, before leading us to the back of the main estate. There were more guests exploring around the estate building so we continued on back over the bridge to head home.
We did a tick check at the end and found a few of the little buggers so be sure to check yourself and use repellants. And these days ticks are pretty unavoidable so that's not a deal breaker.
All in all, this was a great afternoon walk with a variety of sights, smells and experiences which Penny and Penzi enjoyed to the fullest. Post walk, we made a quick stop at the Codman Farm around the corner to visit the most adorable pigs and check out their small selection of farm fresh foods!
