Set in the heart of the protected Assawompset Pond Complex in Lakeville, Betty’s Neck offers miles of secluded trails and expansive freshwater views. Known as a prime place to see bald eagles, this town-owned property is a beautiful spot for walking, fishing, geocaching, and wildlife watching any time of year

Located in the middle of thousands of acres of protected land, Betty’s Neck is one of the few public places where you can access Assawompset Pond: the largest natural body of fresh water in Massachusetts. The ponds in this complex supply public drinking water for nearly a quarter-million people in southeastern Massachusetts, including New Bedford and Acushnet. (Because this land protects clean drinking water, there is no swimming, wading, or paddling allowed at Betty’s Neck.)

Once a core area of the Wampanoag region, today Betty’s Neck is a destination for locals to explore the outdoors. Take a lovely meadow walk in springtime, stopping for lunch at the picnic tables by the field’s edge. Or hike through the hilly forest to the pond’s quiet shoreline, where you can search the skies for bald eagles.

Betty’s Neck is one of the few public places where you can access Assawompset Pond.

The Assawompset Ponds Complex on the Plymouth-Bristol County line comprises Assawompset, Pocksha, Great Quittacas, Little Quittacas, and Long Ponds. Long Pond is heavily developed and the only one in the complex open to public recreation, and therefore is not included within the site boundary. Assawompset and Long Ponds are Massachusetts's two largest natural water bodies, and the complex is a significant archeological site.

The Assawompset Pond Complex is considered an “Important Bird Area” by the Mass Audubon Society. This conservation land contains about 10,000 acres of oak-conifer transitional forests, lakes, ponds, and wooded swamps. There are also a variety of spots for anglers to fish. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to spot the nesting bald eagles.

Parts of the complex are open to hunting and fishing with public access via Long Pond.

How to explore the Assawompset Pond Complex by the Buzzards Bay Coalition has tips on birding this Important Bird Area.

Betty’s Neck is home to roughly 3 miles of trails that snake through forests, past fields, and along the pond shoreline. To reach the parking area, follow the private cranberry bog access road from Long Point Road past Island Terrace until you see a marked rock welcoming you to Betty’s Neck.

Starting at the parking area, walk down the path that leads along the edge of the field to the information kiosk next to the Peach Barn. From here, you can explore the Field Trail, a 1.5-mile loop around the perimeter of two fields. This is a relatively flat, easy trail that everyone can enjoy.

From the Field Trail, veer onto the White Blaze Trail or the Blue Blaze Trail to discover wooded paths that will take you toward the water. The White Blaze Trail is a .75-mile loop eastward to “The Narrows,” which connects Assawompset Pond with smaller Pocksha Pond. The out-and-back Blue Blaze Trail connects with the White Blaze Trail and leads a half-mile north to a spectacular pond view at Jeremy’s Point. These trails can be steep in places, so make sure you’re prepared before you begin your walk.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike at Betty's Neck.