Dighton Rock State Park

Went here looking for a new place to ride my bike as I’ve recently moved to an area with increased traffic and hill infested roads. The website states the park is 85 acres so I was hoping for a decent amount of riding terrain but unfortunately there was not.
The entrance is off a side street in Berkeley and is a mile or so long until you reach the small parking lot next to the water. There’s several picnic tables and grills as well as the Dighton Rock Museum which juts out into the water. There isn’t a trail map and there aren’t many trails. The ones there aren’t really marked and you end up stumbling upon them. They’re very rooty and not very easy to pass on a bike but it makes it challenging. One path ended up disappearing in the woods and I eventually heard dogs barking very nearby so I’ll be staying away from that one.
Overall, not bad; not what I had it mind though. Wish there were more trails but the view from the water front is nice and would probably make a nice spot for an afternoon picnic with kids. Also while I was loading up my bike to leave a state police officer drove through which is good knowing that this place is attended to by law officers.

A park
with a
big
rock
Dighton Rock State Park is named for the famous 40 ton rock that is now located at the park. The huge glacial rock was originally found in the Tauton River but moved to a small museum in the park a while back.
The rock has strange petroglyphs on it whose meaning and even origin is very controversial. The rock was known and discussed as far back as the early 17^th century and most scholars now believe they were carved by Natives Americans for unknown and forgotten reasons.
Of course various other theories like Phoenicians, Vikings, Chinese, Portuguese and the ubiquitous aliens also are tossed around. Like an intelligent species is going to travel bezillions of light years to write on a rock.
Beside the famous and enigmatic rock the park has about 100 acres of roads, trails and a pleasant picnic area by the river. Not enough room for any serious hiking but a nice place for dog walking or a stroll through the woods.
Unfortunately the museum is only open by appointment so the rock is usually hidden away. However the rest of the park is a nice place for a picnic or to relax. We will probably never know what the glyphs on the rock mean but even without the big and curious rock the park is a pleasant place to explore.