Great Esker Park is located in
Weymouth, Massachusetts ("To Work Is to Conquer")
, image_map = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Weymouth highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250px
, map_caption = Location in Norfolk County in Massa ...
. The park mostly consists of a
geological formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
known as an
esker
An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Ame ...
(a winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel) formed by a
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
12,000 years ago. It is located along the
Weymouth Back River, across from
Bare Cove Park in
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...
.
The park features the highest esker in
North America (90 ft), reversing falls,
salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
es, six miles (10 km) of trails, a playground and picnic area. Bird watching is a popular activity as osprey, great blue heron, red-tailed hawks, owls, and other species of birds are abundant seasonally. There are man-made shelters on the river where
Osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
nest in the spring and summer months.
In the summer months the park is used by Wey-Rec for children's programs.
Image gallery
File:Great Esker Park P1110617.jpg, Fishing in Back River
File:Great Esker Park P1110619.jpg, Trail climbs the esker
File:Great Esker Park P1110623.jpg, Egret
File:Great Esker Park P1110634.jpg, Back River
See also
*
Weymouth Back River
References
External links
Weymouth Back River Reservation map Weymouth's Great Esker park, an interesting geological formation along the Back River Back River Bob-Obituary
{{MassachusettsTrails
Hiking trails in Massachusetts
Parks in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Weymouth, Massachusetts