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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Kayaking Streeter Pond in Franconia

We spent last weekend in Sugar Hill, NH for the lupine festival -- it was very low-key but fun! I've decided to post three short write-ups, starting with this one about Streeter Pond. Can you say "beautiful reflections?" That's my lasting impression of this small pond.

Not sure if Streeter Pond is in Franconia or Sugar Hill, but it was only about four miles from where we stayed at Sunset Hill in Sugar Hill, just off Route 116. One source says the pond is about 65 acres.


We arrived mid-morning and spent a little over an hour paddling around. So it's not the type of place that will occupy your day, but in my view, it's well worth it if you're in the area. And there are lots of reasons to visit Franconia Notch -- more on that in a later post.

While there's only one house on the pond, you can hear some road noise from nearby route 116. But for me, the mountain views and reflections cancel out the road noise. I don't think my photos do it justice.

We saw lots of birds, including red-winged blackbirds, orioles, and gold finches. And while Streeter is small, it still invites exploration. There are little islands and bends to explore. I'm working on a short slideshow of the natural beauty we found near Franconia, but I'm techno-challenged. For now, I say load your canoe or kayak on to your vehicle, and head to Sugar Hill!

Directions (from http://www.franconianotch.org/): It's easy to find once you're in the area. Take a left off route 116, heading north on Streeter Pond Road. Boat launch is a left after you pass the pond. The put-in is not as gradual as many we've been to, but it's do-able.

3 comments:

The Former PK said...

Sounds gorgeous! We'll check it out sometime.

Thanks for directing me to the Merrimack Watershed Association ... they were extremely helpful and they have all sorts of cool trips planned. Unfortunately, our plan to tackle part of the Merrimack Sunday was "washed out" by all the rain. We plan to try again tomorrow, but I don't know if this rain will ever let up!

Happy kayaking!

Lucie said...

Hi PK,
Hope your plans work out for kayaking the Merrimack River. Please write back and let us know how it went. If you want to do a guest write-up for the blog, that would be cool, too.

Thanks for writing!

Anonymous said...

If you could hear the sounds from Route 116, then you were on Coffin Pond, not Streeter Pond. Streeter pond is about three miles away from Route 116 and has about 20 houses on it. There are also no islands in Streeter Pond. The picture you include is of Coffin Pond. I know; I own a house right on Streeter Pond.