The Town Brook Trail walking path extends for 1.5 miles from Billington Street to the Plymouth waterfront. Alternately pavement, gravel, and dirt, there are several bridges and numerous spots to enjoy the view. Along the way, the trail connects with the Town Brook Patuxet Preserve, Billington Street Park, Holmes Park, Town Brook Park, the Plimoth Grist Mill, Brewster Gardens, and Pilgrim Memorial State Park. Plus, the Billington Street trailhead is a short walk from Morton Park.

Stop by Town Brook in the spring to see herring swimming upstream to their spawning grounds. Informational kiosks along the trail provide a detailed history. Stroller-friendly from Newfield Street to Water Street.

Town Brook finds its source in the 269-acre freshwater pond known as the Billington Sea and flows for 1.5 miles before emptying into Plymouth Harbor. Town Brook is home to a herring run on the rebound! Every spring, thousands of herring swim upstream, en route to their spawning grounds in the Billington Sea. In 2003, about 7,000 herring were counted here. In 2016, there were nearly 200,000! This is thanks largely to the removal of five local dams that impeded fish passage.

Although there are noteworthy sites upstream at Morton Park and Town Brook Patuxet Preserve, the 1.5-mile Town Brook Trail “officially” begins at Billington Street, at the site of the Second Water Privilege. The upstream section is not paved at this time. The trail extends through the woods along the edge of Town Brook past numerous historic markers. A red wooden covered bridge provides passage across the brook to Billington Street Park.

The trail continues along the edge of the brook, and eventually turns to gravel, extending over a ridge with some captivating views of the water and homes below, as well as Holmes Park, also known as the Plymouth Skate Park. At the edge of the trail, across the brook from Holmes Park, there is a parking area for 8 cars.

Cross Newfield Street to follow the remainder of the trail, the rest of which is paved. It zigzags down a small hill, crosses Willard Place, and enters Town Brook Park via an arched wooden bridge. On the other side of the park, it continues behind the Plimoth Grist Mill, and along the edge of the brook as it flows out to sea, bypassing the busy roads nearby. At its terminus in Plymouth Harbor, the trail connects directly with Brewster Gardens and Pilgrim Memorial State Park.

This trail was originally part of the Native American pathway known as the Namassakeeset Trail.