In September, a Natick Report writer went to see the new metal bridge across Pickerel Pond. Caution tape and plastic fencing still closed it off, so the walk turned around at the edge of the water. On the way out, another walker pointed up into a tree at a barred owl.
A month later the tape is gone. The Town of Natick posted on October 14, 2026 that the floating boardwalk at Pickerel Pond is "complete and open to the public," a bit later than planned because a handrail shipment arrived late. In its October coverage, Natick Report called it "the most exciting new minute-long thing you can do in Natick."
Crossing takes a minute. What the bridge changes takes longer to see. Pickerel Pond used to be two trail systems, one north of the water and one south, and the only way between them was a road walk. Now it's one walk. It opened late in the season with work still left on the south end, so walkers this fall and winter are on an unfinished version of the trail.
The mile of Oak Street it takes out
Before the boardwalk, walkers going from one trail system to the other had to leave the woods, walk about a mile on Oak Street, and go back in at the other end, according to Natick Report's July coverage of the project.
The bridge is 5 feet wide and 195 feet long. The town compares that to 13 cars parked end to end. It connects the north and south pond trails, and with them the Oakdale and Wethersfield neighborhoods on either side. For anyone living near either trail system, a short walk to the near shore can now continue around to the far one, with no road walk in between.
This connection was on the town's list for years. Natick Environmental Planner and Conservation Agent Claire Rundelli told Natick Report that the link between the north and south trail systems "was identified as a priority action in the 2020 Open Space and Recreation Plan Update," and that it also supports the open space and recreation goals of the town's 2030+ Master Plan. She described the Conservation Commission as balancing "their roles as environmental stewards and regulators and the deed holders of public recreation land," and said "there was a desire from the Natick community for this connection."
Getting to the water from Huron Drive
Plenty of longtime residents have never been here. After the opening, Natick Report noted comments online along the lines of "I've lived in Natick for X years, where the heck is Pickerel Pond?" The town's 2023 Pickerel Pond trail map is the best place to start. It labels Oak Street, Huron Dr, Harwood Rd and the Cochituate Aqueduct, plus three viewpoints: the North Overlook, the Island Overlook and the South Overlook. Its legend also marks parking and trailheads.
There are several ways to reach the bridge. Natick Report described one of them, starting at the driveway at 6 Huron Dr. off Oak Street, with parking on the side of the street:
- Walk in on the driveway and go past the metal gate.
- Turn left at the fenced Pine Oaks Well building.
- Follow the winding trail past a large cement base on your right.
- Climb the short, rooty uphill section just before the bridge starts.
Natick Report says the bridge is about 10 minutes in from the driveway, and the path was soggy the day they walked it. This time of year, plan for mud.
From the bridge you get a 360-degree view of the pond, its lily pads and the plants around it. The fall color was already showing during that October walk.
Why it floats
Natick had a cheaper option than a traditional raised boardwalk. The town chose floating panels anchored in the mud, aluminum safety handrails, and wooden stairs set into the hillside. According to the town, a traditional wooden boardwalk would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more, and upkeep on the floating version should be minimal.
The contract went to United Contracting for $279,000. The money came from a state Land and Water Conservation Fund grant plus mitigation funds from MathWorks for off-road connectivity. Natick Report called the bridge a smaller version of the half-mile floating boardwalk on Marlborough's Lake Williams trail. If you've walked that one, this will feel familiar at a fraction of the length.
The opening still ran late. The town expected construction to start in late August and hoped the bridge would be open by fall. The September visit found it still taped off, and the October 14 notice blamed the delay on the late handrail shipment.
What's open now and what waits for spring
The bridge is the only finished piece of the project. The town said soil around the site is still disturbed from construction, so it will be covered with a temporary seed mix. The planned wetland plantings have to wait because, in the town's words, "temperatures are too cold for us to complete the wetland restoration plantings with success."
| Piece of the project | Status per the town's October 14, 2026 notice |
|---|---|
| Floating boardwalk with handrails | Complete and open to the public |
| Exposed soil near the bridge | Temporary seed mix as cover |
| Box stairs at the south end | Scheduled for spring 2027 |
| Restoration plantings on both sides | Scheduled for spring 2027 |
So this season you'll see the bridge before the landscaping. The south-end stairs aren't built yet, and the shoreline on both sides is still settling after construction. Natick Report's July coverage described the second phase as stairs, vegetation management and restoration plantings, and the town's notice puts the stairs and plantings in spring 2027.
The cedar along the pond
The new bridge isn't the only reason to pay attention to this pond. Natick Report reports that the Nipmuc community harvests Atlantic White Cedar, including at Pickerel Pond, partly to build domed huts called wetus.
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council lists a $50,000 grant to Natick for an Atlantic White Cedar Study and Restoration Plan under fiscal year 2027, with No Loose Braids Inc. as the partner. Natick Report describes No Loose Braids as a Nipmuc-led organization that worked with the town on the application. Natick was one of eight grant recipients, and about 45 applicants requested a combined $2 million. MAPC Director of Environmental Planning Van Du told the outlet the Natick project is unique, calling it "a way of engaging a diverse community of voices in the climate conversation."
The study and the boardwalk are separate projects, but they cover the same water. The bridge gets more people out to Pickerel Pond, and the cedar study looks at what grows along its edges.
A pond project, a river project
Natick Report's July piece put the boardwalk next to a different project in South Natick. The town is taking out the spillway at the Charles River dam to restore the waterway, while at the same time adding a structure across Pickerel Pond. The outlet called the comparison "apples to oranges, or maybe beavers to voles." The Conservation Commission is behind both: restoring a river in one place and building a 195-foot connection in another because residents asked for it.
Watch for the ribbon cutting
The town's October 14 notice said the Conservation Commission hopes to hold a formal ribbon cutting and asked people to "keep your eye out for a notice about an opening event in the coming weeks." The date and details will come from the town, and the project page is the place to check for updates.
You don't need to wait for a ceremony to go. Park on Huron Drive, walk past the gate, turn left at the Pine Oaks Well building, and in about ten minutes you'll reach the floating bridge, with the North, Island and South Overlooks marked on the town map around the pond.
If you live near Oakdale or Wethersfield and want to know how a new trail connection fits into what your home is worth, Kristen Gets It Sold can walk you through it with a Natick-specific look at your street. Get your free home valuation and we'll start with the pond in your backyard.
