Dug Pond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dug Pond |
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Photo of Dug Pond, taken from Memorial Beach.
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 Dug Pond
Location in Massachusetts
Dug Pond
Location in the United States
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| Location | Natick, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°16′35″N 71°21′55″W / 42.27639°N 71.36528°W |
| Primary outflows | Streams to Charles River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 48 acres (19.42 ha) |
| Average depth | 15 ft (5 m) |
| Max. depth | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Surface elevation | 148 ft (45 m) |
| Islands | One |
Dug Pond is a cool small lake located in Natick, Massachusetts. It's famous for Memorial Beach, a popular swimming spot. The eastern side of the pond is also right next to Natick High School.
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What Can You Do at Dug Pond?
Dug Pond is a busy place with lots of fun activities. People visit for swimming, boating, and fishing. It's also a great spot for local teams to practice.
Swimming and Beach Fun
Memorial Beach is a favorite place to swim in the summer. You can get day or season passes to enjoy the water. The beach has a picnic area, a snack bar, and a small playground. There's also a floating dock and a platform with a diving board. A building nearby has showers, bathrooms, and changing rooms.
The beach is also where the swimming part of the Natick Mini Triathlon begins and ends. If you need more space to swim, other parts of the pond are also used. The town of Natick hires lifeguards, often college and high school students, to keep everyone safe.
Boating and Sailing
Dug Pond has a newly updated boat ramp on its south side. This ramp is perfect for canoes and small boats that can be carried on top of a car. It's mostly used by people with small fishing boats. The Natick High School Sailing Team also uses this ramp for their boats.
Fishing Adventures
Fishing is very popular at Dug Pond, even ice fishing in winter. Many people fish on the northern shore, where dirt paths lead to Pond Street. The southern shore near the boat ramp is another good spot.
You can catch many types of fish here. Some common ones include Rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout. You might also find largemouth bass, chain pickerels, and bluegills. Other fish include pumpkinseeds, brown bullheads, carp, eels, perch, and golden shiners. A tiny freshwater creature called Craspedacusta sowerbyi can also be found in the pond.
Police and Fire Training
The diving teams from the Natick Police and Fire Departments use Dug Pond for their training. They practice rescue drills in both summer and winter. These drills usually happen along the north shore of the pond.
Exploring Dug Pond's Geography
Dug Pond is a typical New England pond. It has one island and covers about 48 acres (19.42 ha) of space. The deepest part of the pond is 45 feet (14 m), and its average depth is 15 ft (5 m).
The water in the pond is quite clear. It doesn't have a lot of plants growing in it. There's a rocky sandbar near the middle that's only about 3 feet (1 m) deep. Most of the pond has steep dirt shores with trees growing close to the water. In winter, the pond usually freezes completely. It's often safe to walk on the ice for several months.
The Pond's Island
Dug Pond has one important island covered in trees. It rises about 21 feet above the water at its highest point. The island is about 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) in size. You can find it near the western shore of the pond.
You can reach the island by wading through waist-deep water. This channel is on the southwest side and can be reached from trails off Lakeview Ave. The island has slopes that go from the water up to the top. At the top, there's a dip in the ground with the remains of an old campfire.
There used to be a rope swing on the east side of the island, facing Memorial Beach. The tree it was on fell down because woodpeckers damaged it. Now there are two homemade swings near that fallen tree. Only one of these swings lands in the water. It's a good idea to wear shoes if you visit the island because there can be broken glass on the ground.
Wetlands and Water Flow
In the northeast corner of the pond, there's a small area of wetlands. This is where a stream flows into the pond. The same stream then leaves the pond near the boat ramp on the south side.
Pond Street, which runs along the northern shore, marks an important split in how water flows. All the rainwater that runs off the land north of Pond Street eventually goes into the Sudbury River. This river then flows into the Merrimack and finally reaches the Atlantic Ocean. However, all the water that runs off the land south of Pond Street, including the water leaving Dug Pond, drains into the Charles River. This river eventually flows into Boston Harbor.
Dug Pond's History and Culture
Dug Pond has some interesting stories and features.
The Legend of Dug Pond
According to an old story, Dug Pond wasn't always a pond. People say it was dug out of flat ground to be a pasture for animals. But then, it filled up with rainwater, which is how it got its name, "Dug Pond." The steep sides of the pond made townspeople think it was made by people.
The Wall
One unique feature is a flat concrete wall on the northwest shore. It's about five feet tall and twenty feet long. You can get to it by trails from above or by wading from the water below. This wall is actually the leftover foundation of an old icehouse.
Students from Natick High School call it "The Wall." You can see it clearly from many rooms at the high school. Because of this, it's a popular spot for constantly changing graffiti, especially by members of high school sports teams.
Running the Pond
The distance around Dug Pond by road is 1.86 miles, which is almost exactly 3 kilometers. Running this route, starting near the high school, is known as "running the pond." It's often part of tryouts for high school sports teams. Potential team members usually need to finish the run, but there isn't usually a time limit.
Dug Pond also gave its name to a fairly important road called Pond Street. This road runs next to Route 135, from downtown Natick all the way to Speen Street.
