"Floating boardwalk" over pond to connect walking trails in Natick, Massachusetts

Another Massachusetts town is getting a floating boardwalk. Natick says it is installing a "brand-new floating trail" across Pickerel Pond to connect two main hiking trails.

The floating bridge will be 195 feet long - a much shorter version of the popular 3,000-foot floating boardwalk in Marlboro that opened in 2024. But it will connect walking trails that are currently separated by the pond, and make the Oakdale and Wethersfield neighborhoods more accessible to each other.

"Without a connection in that location, trail users have to walk a mile and a half up Oak Street and into an industrial park to get between the two trail systems," Natick environmental planner Claire Rundelli told WBZ NewsRadio.

The walk between the two trails that currently takes about 20 minutes will only take five once it's done. Construction will get underway in August and the boardwalk could be done by the end of September if all goes according to plan. 

The town says the $352,000 boardwalk is being paid for with a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, and existing funds for off-road connectivity. Officials say it's $200,000 cheaper than what it would cost to build a traditional wooden bridge over the pond. "Pyramid anchors" weighing 200 pounds on the bottom of the pond will keep the boardwalk steady.

Marlboro paid for its $1.7 million floating boardwalk with federal pandemic stimulus money. It's become a tourist destination with walking groups driving in from around the region to check it out. 

Natick is located about 10 miles west of Boston.