Poquonnock River Boardwalk

If you are traveling to Groton, Connecticut, this summer, there is a boardwalk hidden between Poquonnock Bridge Firehouse and Bluff Point State Park. Walkers, joggers and bicyclists all enjoy the serenity and peace of the boardwalk. Bird watchers bring your cameras!

The Poquonnock River Boardwalk neighbors the infamous Connecticut coastal reserve, Bluff Point State Park.

The boardwalk is hidden next to the entrance of Bluff Point State Park behind a playground for children and park-like open space furnished with benches.

If passing by the Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department on Route 1, traveling toward Bluff Point State Park, there is another entrance here.

We will start our scenic tour by the Fire Department and end at the entrance to Bluff Point.

At the front entrance by the Fire Department there is a gazebo where you can rest before or after your stroll. At the time of my stroll, the gazebo was occupied so I wasn't able to photograph it for this article.

Moving along the boardwalk, you'll find a variety of flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, and birds.

It was fun trying to keep up with the fluttering butterflies as they danced their way from flower to flower.

Our first greeting was a dragonfly fluttering from a large cement retaining wall bordering the backside of a commercial building near the Fire Department and over to some wild Queen Anne's Lace flowers.

Queen Anne's Lace stood tall and proud trying to reach the tops of the water reeds as the sun shone brightly upon them. The dragonflies and butterflies danced between them.

The boardwalk winds around. It took about 20 minutes to walk the whole length and back again. There are a few bench seats built-in to the winding boardwalk for resting and viewing the waterfowl!

It was so serene on this hot day to view the beautiful nature and birds that call this place home.

We watched a butterfly play around the boardwalk and weave through tall grasses as we tried to photograph her in flight.

Our journey finally brought us to an old tree with a massive trunk, uprooted out of the ground. Perhaps caused by one of Connecticut's remembered hurricanes such as the hurricane of 1938 which left this area devastated for miles along the coastal shores.

We eventually caught up to a heron flying in to catch her evening meal. She found a large worm along the river bank and held it still in her beak while we photographed her through the wild grape vines.

The boardwalk is bordered by the Groton-New London Airport and train tracks.

As we approached the heron with caution, we heard the sound of Amtrak coming around the bend. A plane roared in the distance. Seagulls lifted their large wings and flew off in the distance.

The smell of the air was that of salty mussels, clams and oysters. The bottom of the water was mud, although it was settled so broken seashells shone through in the sunlit afternoon.

Along the river bank, there were low-lying trees hovering over the water where flocks of birds rested their wings in the heat of the summer air. They flew off before I could capture them in flight. Curious as to the visitors that invaded their peace and serenity, they watched me from a distance in the branches of an old oak tree. With the sun shining brightly through the broad green leaves, I walked along the boardwalk happily, waiting for the next breeze of fresh sea air to drift past my hair moistened by the humidity of the 90-degree day.

The boardwalk is home to many species of plants and wildlife.

In the spring, it is common to catch a swan tending to her young as she floats past the train bridge into the open sound.

There was a flock of geese across Route 1, basking their wet feathers in the sun after a cool dip.

Bicyclists sped past a few times.

It's hard to not stop and be mesmerized by the surprises that await you in the open inlet.

This is a wonderful place to walk with a baby stroller and teach your children about coastal nature.

Being so close to everything, but yet hidden in secret waiting patiently for the next traveler to walk along the wooden boardwalk.