A short stop at Winant Park, Concord NH

I love discoveries that leave me wondering how did I not find this place sooner: this week, it was Winant Park in Concord, near St. Paul’s School. I’d seen it listed on the city’s map of area trails, but had never managed to find time for a visit until recently.

Piles of snow edged the parking lot and some stretches of trail on a late February day, but a warm week had melted a great deal of snow and left the trails muddy. There were a few other cars in the trailhead parking lot, which is easy to find on Fisk Road just off Pleasant Street.

The park is wooded, with a pair of vistas I enjoyed: a view featuring the State House dome (a view obviously preserved with diligent tree-trimming) and a view of the hills and low mountains to the south and southwest. A kiosk at the trailhead and informational signs along the trails offer information about the park’s history. The trail network is simple and well-marked.

Winant Park SSW overlook
View from a hill in Winant Park (l-r): the Lyndeborough hills, Crotched Mountain, and Monadnock peeking out from behind Crotched’s ski area.

This is an urban park, with “urban” being relative; we’re talking Concord here, not Boston. It’s not a destination park like Monadnock or Pawtuckaway. It’s an easy stop for anyone in or near Concord, though, and it’s a fine place for a quiet walk in the woods. Make a point of finding that southwestern vista, which might not be so visible once the trees leaf out.

In kindness to the trails and their maintainers, I’ll wait until mud season is over before I pay another visit here. But I will be back.

Mine Falls Park gallery

As the Granite State Walker blog turns 10 this month, I’m looking back at some of my favorite southern New Hampshire destinations. Today’s gallery:  Mine Falls Park in Nashua. This urban park is accessible from the Everett Turnpike (exit 5W, or 5E to Simon Street), Stellos Stadium, Lincoln Park, the Millyard downtown, or 7th Street off Ledge Street. If you live near Nashua and you haven’t explored this park yet, do yourself a favor and get out there!

 

boat launch on pond
Two boat launches serve the park, including this one outside Conway Arena. All photos by Ellen Kolb.
river flowing over a low dam, late afternoon
The dam at Mine Falls.
autumn foliage along an unpaved path
This path edges the millpond, home to heron and beaver.
A short history of the park.
muskrat swimming in a canal
Muskrats love the Mine Falls canal. The  canal, nearby Nashua River, and millyard cove are great areas for observing birds and wildlife.
snow-covered trail leading to a bridge over a canal
In the winter, I bring my snowshoes.
American flag on a tall flagpole with a memorial stone at base
A memorial to a fallen Nashua-area Marine SSGT Allen Soifert graces the walkway leading to the Mine Falls playing fields.