Trout Brook Nature Preserve

I saw an array of birds in this small, lovingly tended “pocket” park. A little stream runs through the park, which you can cross via a sturdy bridge. You wouldn’t know it today, but this spot was once a gravel pit with a history of pollution. The best place to park is off of Providence Avenue, as there’s a biggish area to leave a car where you won’t bother neighbors, but you can also park at the corner of Parrott Street. The trail starting at the Parrott Street trailhead is very steep and can be slippery in icy conditions.

Directions: There are four access points (that I could see) to this preserve, from Parrott Street, Providence Avenue, Sawyer Street, and Boothby Avenue, all of them well signed. The easiest place to park and enter the preserve is from Providence Avenue.