Alton J. Smith Reserve

3533+Q7 Hanson, MA, USA

(781) 294-4119

Owned By: Town of Hanson

• Directions

A retired cranberry bog surrounded by walking trails and wetlands. Also known as Smitty’s Bog. Car-top boat access to Indian Head Pond. Contiguous with Camp Kiwanee in Hanson, as well as Maquan Pond/Cranberry Cove, the Sleeper Conservation Area, as well as the J. J. Shepherd Memorial Forest in Pembroke. Stroller-friendly.

Features

This retired cranberry bog sits between Maquan Pond and Indian Head Pond. Just up the road is Camp Kiwanee, a former scout camp now owned by the Town of Hanson. Right next door are the Sleeper Conservation Area (Hanson) and the J.J. Shepherd Memorial Forest (Pembroke).

Through its Wetlands Reserve Program, the Natural Resource Conservation Service provided funding for a 5-year restoration program on this property (which concluded in 2021). Various water control structures were removed to facilitate fish access and to allow the bogs to restore naturally to a forested wetland environment.

Prior to European contact, the Mattakeeset band of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe lived for thousands of years in the North River watershed. Their village included most of today’s Pembroke and Hanson. The word “Mattakeeset” means “place of many fish.”

To travel between the North River watershed and the Taunton River watershed, the Mattakeeset followed a trail that extended from today’s Indian Head Pond (adjacent to this property) to Crooker Place and today’s Indian Crossway Conservation Area, through the great Cedar Swamp (today’s Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area), through today’s Smith-Nawazelski Conservation Area (Elm Street, Hanson) to East Bridgewater and the Taunton River watershed.

Trail Description

A network of wide, flat dirt roads surrounds this former cranberry bog. Access from Indian Head Pond, at the Marcus L. Urann Fisherman’s Landing, off Route 58 (approx. 364 Indian Head Street).

For additional access, look for the stone gatehouse on Camp Kiwanee Road, which marks another trailhead. There are also some spur trails into the woods that connect to Camp Kiwanee and the J. J. Shepherd Town Forest/Pembroke Town Forest, as well as Hanson’s Sleeper Conservation Area. Some trails here are part of the larger Bay Circuit Trail, and are marked. The Bay Circuit Trail is 200 miles of linked green space from Plum Island in Newburyport to Bay Farm in Duxbury. This particular section is known as the Mattakeeseett Path.

Habitats and Wildlife

The headwaters of Indian Head Brook are located on this property. Indian Head Brook flows north from Indian Head Pond, through Wampatuck Pond and Little Cedar Swamp, into the Indian Head/Drinkwater River.

The Indian Head River forms the boundary between Hanover and Hanson, and merges with Pembroke’s Herring Brook, a short distance downstream of Ludden’s Ford Park, to form the North River at a spot called The Crotch. The North River flows 12 miles through Pembroke, Hanover, Norwell, Marshfield and Scituate, eventually making its way to Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

The woods surrounding the cranberry bog are primarily pine, with some birch and oak. Maple trees have begun to take over some of the bog areas. This is an excellent spot for birding. Watch for Great Blue Heron in the wetlands.