Cooke’s Hollow

"Cooke's Hollow on Mystic Street in Arlington Massachusetts in a small section of Millbrook which flows between the reservoir in Arlington Heights and the Mystic Lakes. Cooke's Hollow is sandwiched between the Arlington Safety Building and an Eversource substation. The park consists of a short walking path along the brook, a few recently repaired benches and a overlook where the brook exits from an underground culvert. At the entrance to the park is a plaque which commemorates the park's dedication back in 1974. As noted, the park benches have been recently refurbished and groundskeeping had been completed as noted by a pile of tied-off trash bags stacked at the entrance to the park. The waterfall at the west end of the park creates a unique backdrop against the rest of the brook. Trees line the banks on both sides of the water. The bank on the south side is steep and is generally not suitable for walking on. At this time of the year Alewife are swimming upstream and can be seen underneath the water's surface. The park needs some additional work. Some of the granite slabs that act as a retaining wall have been pushed out of position. To be fair, they have been this way for years. In some portions of the brook, dirt and rocks from parts of the banks has gotten so high that water flows around, leaving sections of the brook dry. This is especially true at the east end near the park entrance. Some of the lights along the path are broken and need attention. Lastly, the Mystic Street Bridge needs repairs to the concrete. All in all Cooke's provides a diversion and a place to relax for a short respite."

"Calming retreat in the middle of everything...a very nice treat"

"Nice little pocket park. Very quiet and pleasant!"