Bear’s Den is a small Trustees of Reservations property in New Salem, where the Middle Branch of the Swift River drops about 12 feet into a clear pool at the bottom of a narrow rock gorge whose hemlock-shaded walls rise roughly 70 feet above the water. The reservation is six acres; the falls are the obvious draw.
The trail
A short, roughly quarter-mile path drops from the roadside parking on Neilson Road down to the lip of the gorge, then continues a few yards along the bank to a flat ledge above the pool. The route is easy underfoot but the last stretch is steep and rooty; sturdy shoes help, especially when the rocks are wet.
A stone foundation from a colonial-era mill is still visible just downstream of the falls, a reminder that small drops on small rivers were heavily worked through the 18th and 19th centuries.
Local legend
By tradition, Metacomet (sachem of the Wampanoag, called “King Philip” by the English) is said to have met with allied sachems at this site during King Philip’s War in 1675. The story is widely repeated locally and on the Trustees’ own signage, but it is not historically established and should be treated as legend rather than documented fact.
What to know
- No fee, no gate: open sunrise to sunset.
- Leashed dogs welcome.
- Swimming: the pool is shallow and the rocks are slick; it’s better as a place to wade or sit than to swim.
- Seasonal: Neilson Road is unplowed in winter and the approach can be icy; spring through fall are the easy seasons.
- Tread lightly: the property is small and the streamside vegetation is sensitive; stay on the worn path and off the mossy rim.
- Hunting: permitted in season under state and town laws, but not on Sundays; wear blaze orange in hunting season.