Camp Nekon

Kingston, MA 02364, USA

781-585-0533

swoodworth@kingstonmass.org

https://sites.google.com/view/kingstonconservation/camp-nekon

Owned By: Town of Kingston

• Directions
• Trail Map

This 193-acre forested parcel used to be a Girl Scout camp. Now it is owned by the Town of Kingston. The property contains several trails and unpaved roadways, a DCR fire tower, and a small beach on Smelt Pond. There are quite a few small ponds located within, including Rocky Pond, Turtle Hole, Wolf Pond, Mink Hole, Great Mink Hole, Pratts Pond, Little Pratts Pond, Smelt Pond, and Little Smelt Pond. Direct access to the Kingston State Forest.

Features

The Patuxet, members of the Wampanoag tribe, made their home in the area now known as Duxbury, Kingston and Plymouth. Numerous artifacts have been found throughout the region surrounding the Jones River.

Local scout troops may rent the camping area at Camp Nekon for no fee. Please make arrangements through the Kingston Recreation Department for a permit and a key.

According to The Old Coast Road from Boston to Plymouth by Agnes Edwards, Monk’s Hill, where Camp Nekon is located, was known in earlier times as Mont’s Hill Chase, referring to a hunt in England. Because it is the highest elevation in Kingston, a beacon was placed here during the American Revolution. Lighting the beacon signified an invasion.

Trail Description

The trails here are mostly dirt roads through a hilly pine forest. There are at least 2 miles of trails.

Habitats and Wildlife

The forest here is predominantly pine, oak, and maple, along with some pitch pine. The 44-acre Smelt Pond is located here, as well as a number of smaller ponds. Listen for wood frogs and spring peepers in the springtime. Some of the fish commonly found in Smelt Pond include America eel, chain pickerel, catfish, and largemouth bass. The streams, ponds and swamps on this property flow to Smelt Brook, a tributary to the Jones River.

The Jones River finds its source at Silver Lake and other brooks and springs in Pembroke, Halifax and Kingston. It flows for 7.5 miles through Kingston, and drains into the Atlantic Ocean at Kingston Bay.