Trails & Kayak Waterways

Colette and Bicknell Brook Trails:

Location:Trailhead on Grafton Pond Road and Boys Camp Road.
Description: A gentle, easy trail that follows Bicknell Brook and ends at a point overlooking Crystal Lake.
Length: From the trailhead at Grafton Pond Road to Crystal Lake is about 3 miles.
Features: Waterfalls, marshes, beaver dams, Crystal Lake

Suky Marsh

Cole Pond

Location: Bog Road
Description: A moderate steep hike to a mountain pond.
Length: About 1 mile
Features: Excellent swimming.

Northern Rail Trail

Location: Trail goes through Enfield and can be accessed at Shaker Bridge Landing Park, and Main Street Public Parking Lot, downtown Enfield.
Description: Old railroad bed converted into a multiuse trail, with gentle grades and generously wide.
Length: About 3 miles through Enfield, but connects at west end to Lebanon and at the east end to Canaan and beyond.  
Features: All seasons trail with multiple uses, such as walking, biking, horseback riding, and snowmobiling. Trail hugs the eastern shore of Mascoma Lake giving beautiful views of the Shaker Mountain Range. Trail passes through a rock outcrop that was blasted by the railroad company. The eastern end of the trail passes along side of the Mascoma River, the Baltic Mill, and then onto some wetlands of the river.

Shaker Mountain Trails

Location: Route 4-A, just opposite from the Shaker Museum.
Description: Several miles of trails through the forest owned by NH State Fish & Game. Formal hiking trails with signage are still in process of being completed. Anticipated date of completion is summer, 2013.
Length: Many different options for length. The longest loop is about 4 miles. The trail system is still a work in progress.
Features: Scenic easterly views from top of hay fields. Trails are good for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Smith Pond

Location: Smith Pond Road off of Exit 15 of I-89, and at the trail parking area behind Lakeview Condominiums.
Description: Access via Lakeview offers the best scenery to the pond, but is more difficult and strenuous.
Length: Via Lakeview, the trail is about 2 miles with moderate elevation gain. Via Smith Pond Road the trail starts at a higher elevation and is a more gradual climb. Length is about one and a half miles.
Features: Via Lakeview, the trail follows a ridge, then contours along some of the steepest terrain in Enfield with slopes exceeding 65%. About 200 feet below this ridge is the “grand canyon of Enfield” that includes “Big Dog Falls” which is a waterfall of about 30 feet. The trail continues through magnificent old growth yellow birch trees. Just before the pond there is another waterfall and large wetland marsh. The pond itself is a like a mini Grafton Pond with several islands. Swimming is excellent.

Enfield Reservoir - Harris Brook Scenic Area

Location: The Harris Brook Scenic Area parking lot is 1 mile north of the Enfield Post Office on Maple Street.
Description: Small, scenic mountain pond with a well maintained dam.
Length: About 1 mile
Features: Scenic view, ideal for picnics.

Mud Pond Trail

Location: Lockehaven Road at Crystal Lake Dam
Description: An easy walk with a gentle grade. It is an old class VI road. Town property borders the trail for about a half mile on the northern end.
Length: About a mile and a half to the Canaan line.
Features: Trail follows scenic Crystal Lake Brook to the Mud Pond Wetlands.

Canoe and Kayak Waterways:

Mascoma River

Mud Pond

Location: Route 4 Canaan near the Wayside Chapel church across from Mascoma Valley Regional High School. Put in about 100 yards east on the rail trail. The beginning is the most difficult part, but very soon the stream becomes wider and wider until one is in a huge expanse of wetlands.
Description: Rigorous start but worth the effort. Paddling upstream on Crystal Lake Brook one encounters several beaver dams that must be portaged. On the return the dams can be paddled over. At the end of Mud Pond, it is possible to navigate another half mile or so through a maze of water channels. Best done in spring before May as the wetlands become weedy and channels less defined.
Length: Several miles, about a 2-3 hour round trip.
Features: Wetland wildlife, especially snapping turtles, geese, ducks, blue herons, and red wing black birds. Vast expanse of wetlands that is unexpected from such a small stream at the beginning.

George Pond

Location: Route 4-A and Bog Road.
Description: Pond kayaking, then a mile or more of navigating upstream on the serpentine Little Brook.
Length: About 2 miles or an hour one way until the culverts on Bog Road. One can portage this road and continue if desired.
Features: Beautiful views of the Shaker Mountain Range. It is especially scenic in the fall with the coloration of the swamp maples. Lots of wetland wildlife, including Blue Herons, Ducks, otters, beaver.  Wild cranberries are abundant.  

Crystal Lake

Location: Public Access is from Algonquin Road and the Colette Trail.
Description: Lake kayaking with access to island and Colette Trail.
Length: About 2 miles to the north end of the lake.
Features: Excellent swimming and snorkeling from island and sand bar.

Mascoma Lake

Location: Route 4-A next to the Shaker Bridge and Shaker Bridge Landing on the east side of the bridge.
Description: Lake kayaking, rowing
Length: Miles
Features: Paddling up the mouth of the Mascoma River.

Spectacle Pond

Location: Lockehaven Road, put in by the outlet bridge.
Description: Pond kayaking
Length: About 1 mile
Features: The west half of the pond is undeveloped.