Bradley Palmer State Park

So we decided to go to the wading pool at Bradley Palmer State Park for the first time this year… The first thing we noticed on arriving at the pool is that the parking is no longer next to the pool. You have to hike ¼ mile down a road which is shared with traffic coming in and out in order to get back to the pool which you just drove past on the way in… Why not at least provide a paved trail next to the road so young kids are away from the rod ?
Our family has always liked this wading pool because it was large and thus never got overcrowded — on finally arriving at the pool, to my horror I discovered that it had been «modernized»… gone was the enormous wading pool — replaced by a «splash park» and a pool which was about the third of the size of the original wading pool. Not only that, but the original pool was nice because one part was pretty deep — nice for the adults to hang out in and get fully submerged over your shoulders to keep cool whilst the kids played in the shallower part. The ‘new’ pool is barely 12″ in the deepest part. Of course it’s much more overcrowded now because there is less pool to play in so everyone is packed together. My kids couldn’t care less about the «splash park» — these things seem to be popping up all over the place at the moment and whilst this concept could be exciting, the water pressure is feeble enough that most of the fountains just «dribble» half the time. Waste of space…
One good thing is that now you don’t have to go through a gate from the pool to the restrooms — and they added outdoor changing rooms — although I guess they ran out of money because none of the changing rooms feature a bench — so you just get to change on a concrete floor inside a vinyl fenced enclosure. Although there are outdoor showers, it would have been nice to provide hot showers inside the restrooms so that you could take a proper wash with soap to get all the chlorine off. As it is, the restrooms are just as grim as before — but with a new coat of paint.
What really gets to me is the «carry-​in-​carry-​out» concept. This is a facility where many people bring toddlers to … Not a trash can in sight — do I really want to carry my son’s poopy diaper home with me in a hot car? Surely my tax dollars provide enough money to pay the life-​guards to empty a trash can several times a day? Maybe I should just drop my trash by the gate on the way out to prove a point ?
Also the lifeguards are bossy and rude. When the pool was closed for 15 minutes for a «safety check», the errant kids who couldn’t wait were on the receiving end of a strict tirade from the guard — regardless of age. You try keeping a 2 year old out of the water on a 90 degree day !! Try to be more understanding !!
Sorry MA DCR, but you dropped the ball on this one. Your press release describes a «fresh new look» to replace an «outdated wading pool» — well your «outdated wading pool» was one of my kids favorite places to go — and you’ve ruined it !! Thanks for nothing.

+: clean, new children’s water park is amazing with two life guards, $ 5/​car entry fee… if entering at 4:30 or after this fee is waved… def worth it if u have a toddler or even younger, they have areas to sit/​set up around the water area and they even built a playscape, bathrooms, showers and changing rooms…
-: no garbage cans! so bring ur own trash bag!, location is far

Paved trail for walking with kids. Great leaf cover to keep cool in the summer.
There is an amazing wading pool with lifeguards for children. Park free at the main entrance and enjoy a 1 mile walk or it’s $ 2 for the afternoon (or I think $ 5 for the day). Deepest part is about 2 feet and tons of cool things to keep the kids occupied. Even if your child gets upset, nobody is going to look at you in disgust because everyone there has kids with them.
There are picnic tables to eat at and outdoor grills for use!

I’m sorry Unilocal.There are times while using an automobile that I make use of the GPS to find nearby activities instead of my trusty smart phone app.
One such time was in the fall of 2012 when visiting Salem, Mass. We wanted to find a spot for fall foliage and leaf peeping. A state park sounded like an obvious candidate so lead on female computer voice!
Pulling into the parking lot at around 5pm, there were a few cars of fellow visitors but otherwise the area was quiet. I suspect during earlier hours and the warmer months this park will have more people present.
Reading through the Department of Conservation and Recreation page for this park makes me realize just how unaccustomed I am to the great outdoors and rank as a relative newbie.
So one could hunt, canoe, fish, ride a horse, mountain bike and ski. I chose not to do any of that and simply hiked. Well, to be honest, it was more like walk for 30 minutes, realize the sun is setting and turn back along a well marked trail that was so simple even a baby could walk it. (And a baby was doing just that!)
By no means did I see or experience all that the park has to offer. For the hour visit, however, it was pleasant enough and I would return if I lived in the Commonwealth instead of the Empire.

About 45 mins from Boston, this place is awesome for kids under 6. Very clean and just nice people. It’s a wading pool in the middle of the woods, you can cook on your small grill, grab a picnic table and enjoy the area. It costs $ 5 to park and you should get there before 11am before it fills up (gates open at 10am)

Really nice large open area where you can do anything from walking along the river, riding your bike, rollerblading, walk your dog, etc. I used to camp here all the time when I was younger, and it was pretty fun. Just a really good place to get in touch with nature, if that’s your sort of thing.

Fantastic place to take the fam for a picnic or just a little walk in the woods. The Ipswich river runs next to the park and there are numerous benches, perfect for a little canoodling with your sweetie or just relaxing. There are some really nice meadows too if you want a little sun and some peace and quiet. There’s also a wading pool with a park for the kids and grills if you decide you want to cook up some burgers or dogs. If you’ve got one, there are also trails for horseback riding. Or you could rent a canoe from the Foote brothers and tour the river. Fun for everyone!

I live on the North Shore, and I’ve only been here once. Yes, there probably is something wrong with me; It just hasn’t been in my list of usual places to go for hikes and such. I went there today though, and had a beautiful walk in the woods and spent some time on Blueberry Hill at sunset in the meadow– it was spectacular.
So — perhaps I’ll now come here more often for trail runs and hikes and update this review with more useful info.
FOr what it’s worth today — it’s got two main entrances — the Asbury street one has ample parking and the visitor center. There are a mix of single track trails, double trails, and unpaved roads — many of which are heavily used by the local equestrian set. It was dusk by the time I left, but the park was definitely being used — people walking their dogs, jogging, etc — though a good part of the time I had that very nice alone-​in-​the-​woods feeling I was looking for.
So far so good, I’ll be back.

This was a weekend to get outside, and after biking the South Shore on Sunday, we decided to head North on Monday. Being that we have a parking pass for the Mass state parks, we used the list of parks to help us choose a location.
We packed a lunch, the bikes and a kite and hit the road. The drive was pretty quick, and the directions on the site got us there with no problems. As you enter the grounds there’s free parking, but with a decent walk to main area. Otherwise, the parking up in the main grounds is $ 5.
The main area has a wading pool for the kids, bathrooms (and they were clean!), picnic tables and I believe a few grills. While the place was busy, it didn’t feel that way at all.
We started out by hopping on the bikes for a ride. The trails were really nice, and again, even thought there were people there, you barely saw them. The difficulty level was better than the Fells as I wasn’t battling a ton of tree roots (my bike and I are becoming better friends). There were some hills, but I only really struggled with one. And by struggled I mean I got off my bike and walked up it.
After the ride was lunch, and we had no problem grabbing a picnic table in the shade. It’s just such a relaxing atmosphere there, and people really seem to do their part to clean up after themselves.
There’s an open field that’s great for flying kites. Although we did have the win for it, ours just didn’t want to cooperate and kept nosediving!
Overall, this is the type of park i would frequent often if I lived closer. Even with the distance, I can see myself coming here again before the season ends. If you’re looking for a relaxing day outside with the family, I highly recommend packing a picnic lunch and heading here.