Sunset Lake - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

Safford St, Braintree, MA 02184, USA

https://braintreema.myrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=7967

Owned By: Town of Braintree

A scenic park in South Braintree designed for fishing, paddling, and seasonal swimming. Facilities include a gazebo, picnic tables, a playground, a launch for non-motorized boats, and seasonal restrooms. There is an additional non-motorized boat launch at Braintree High School.

Features

According to the Braintree Trail Guide, Sunset Lake was known in earlier times as Little Pond (in contrast to Great Pond, the town reservoir). It has been served as a recreational area since the late 1800s.

This land is within the region of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe.

The playground features swings and a slide, as well as climbing and play structures, with wood chips as a surface. Swimming is only permitted when lifeguards are on duty. Please observe all posted park rules.

Trail Description

No trails, but the park offers ample space to walk around.

Habitats and Wildlife

The state stocks the 57-acre Sunset Lake with trout each spring. Other species observed here include eastern pond mussel, swans, ducks, Canada geese, and great blue herons. Do not feed the waterfowl. There are a few oaks, maples and pitch pines on the property, as well as several shaded areas.

Sunset Lake is part of the Monatiquot River watershed. A stream flows south from the southwestern corner of the lake into the Monatiquot.

The Monatiquot River rises in Braintree, at the confluence of the Farm and Cochato Rivers, within the Braintree Municipal Golf Course. It flows northeast for 4.9 miles before merging with Smelt Brook to form the Fore River. The Fore River serves as the boundary line between the towns of Weymouth and Braintree. It flows for about 3 miles, into Quincy, where it meets Town River, and then flows for another 2 miles into Hingham Bay. In its final few miles, the Fore River is nearly a mile wide in some places.