The Blue Heron Trail to Powells Island at
Cutler Park Reservation in Dedham, Massachusetts is an easy 6.7-mile out-and-back hike that leads to Powells Island and features views of the Charles River.
Hiking the Blue Heron Trail
This hike begins along Vine Rock Street, despite where the closest public parking lot is located on Needham Street. Alternatively, you can skip a portion of this route and start at the parking lot along Needham Street instead. If starting on Vine Rock Street, you'll find there's no parking along the road. For locals, this trailhead is heavily used and easy to walk to
The Heron Trail starts by heading downhill through an open forest where fresh water marsh views with tall grasses like cattail grow. Here, you'll find some nice views of the open marshlands. Shortly after, the route leads out to a small section of land called "Candy Mountain" where you'll follow the trail in a loop before returning to the main Heron Trail path.
Needham Street Crossing - Mile 1.7
At mile 1.7, the trail leads to the always-busy Needham Street where you'll have to carefully cross the road to reach a sidewalk on the south side. Just up the road, at the public parking lot, is where you'll cross Needham Street once again to follow the Heron Trail. Watch for oncoming traffic and hike at your own risk. Note that you can start here if you wish to park and hit the trail without heading to the trailhead on Vine Rock Street.
Needham Street to Marshland Boardwalks - Mile 1.7 to 2.4
From Needham Street, the Heron Trail passes through the woods before leading out along a boardwalk that crosses the open marshlands. Despite the traffic noise from I-95, the boardwalk is surprisingly peaceful with beautiful open views from just above the tall grasses.
Hiking to Powells Island - Mile 2.4 to 4
After passing the boardwalk, this route leads through the forest once again as it heads toward Powells Island. First, you'll pass through another section of forest before the trail reaches a raised train track bed where you'll hike east along that for a short distance. Be on the lookout for a graffiti tunnel that passes under the train tracks. The tunnel is filled with interesting graffiti and often changes from time to time. One of the highlights of the hike. Pass through the tunnel and hike through the forest to reach Powells Island. The trails on Powells Island are easy to follow as they lead out toward a view of the Charles River on the far side. We ended up hiking a figure-eight loop here before we started the hike back.
Hiking Back - Mile 4 to 6.7
After exploring Powells Island, the route leads hikers back to the main trailhead as an out-and-back hike. Not much to note here, except for the road crossing. Eventually, you'll reach the trailhead along Vine Rock Street to complete the hike for 6.7-miles.
Parking
As stated earlier, the parking coordinates for this hike will lead you to the official parking lot for Cutler Park Reservation along Needham Street. The lot is large enough to fit a handful of cars as of February 2025. There's an additional lot located to the west if this lot is full. The parking lot is located down the road from the trailhead and requires additional walking to reach. You can skip the first section of the hike if you wish to reduce road crossings or additional out-and-back walking.
Pets
Dogs are allowed if leashed and must be cleaned up after.
Warning
Poison ivy: This trail is littered with poison ivy during warm months, which grows on the side of the trail and in the overgrowth off-trail. It's best to keep on-trail to avoid brushing your clothes or footwear on it.
