Donald Whelden Preserve

I had an appointment to get my haircut on Thursday, so I had to postpone my weekly Falmouth conservation area walk until Friday.

This week I chose the Donald Whelden Preserve. I was here from 12:15 - 12:45. Weather was mostly clear, breezy and temps about 39°F. This is a quick walk, but provides wonderful views of Green Pond. The small parking area is off of Davisville Road in the 100 block. There is a Falmouth Conservation sign just prior to the parking area.

Sign visible as you approach the parking area on Davisville Road.

Room for two or three cars here. The small parking area is easily missed as it is stuffed between a really long drive way and a large house.

As found in the description at the link provided, the preserve is a small 11 acre property. In 1989 the preserve was a bit more than 7 acres, but 4 more were added 10 years later. Whelden was a Falmouth resident who was struck by lightning and killed in his home in 1985.

The tight path from the parking area is flanked by a long driveway on the right and a large home on the left. Care should be taken to respect the privacy of these residents while walking here, especially the large home as there is a pool in the back yard.

 Path heading towards Green Pond.

Bench and memorial overlooking Green Pond

 Green Pond.

 View of the property from Green Pond

 Mussels at the edge of Green Pond.

 Wintergreen along the trail.

Old farm relic in the woods.

Donald Whelden Preserve is an enjoyable, albeit quick walk. There is a loop trail and also a trail through the center of the preserve intersecting the loop at both ends. It is a mostly oak woodland to the shore of Green Pond, which is a salt water pond.

The woods were fairly quiet but I managed about a dozen species including some ducks on Green Pond. I was pleasantly surprised at how free of trash the parking area and trails were.

Whelden is definitely worth a look especially if you're pressed for time but want to get out in the woods. The sounds of the road quickly disappear as you get deeper in towards the water.

Still working out what property to check out this week.