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Saturday, June 20, 2009

There are Bears in Those Hills!


Paddling Echo Lake
So here's the final installment in our three-part series on Franconia Notch. I want to share our experience paddling Echo Lake, not to be confused with the lake of the same name in North Conway. Echo Lake in Franconia sits right off Route 93, at the base of Cannon Mountain, so you can expect quite a bit of road noise.

With Cannon Mountain's ski trails and aerial tramway nearby and a small beach at one end, this isn't a secluded paddle. There were also a few people out in small fishing boats the day we were there.

The lake is only about 28 acres, according to the NH Fish and Game. The plusses are some great views of Mount Lafayette, and of course, Cannon Mountain. The main attraction the day we were there was a black bear roaming around near the top of the ski slope. We could watch from the lake with our binoculars, so that was cool! One of the fishermen from the area told us it was common to find a bear rummaging around the back of his pickup truck. Apparently bear sightings are common any time of day.

With Echo Lake being so small, we only paddled for about an hour; In fact, a good portion of the time we weren't paddling at all, we were sitting and watching the bear.

I wouldn't consider Echo Lake a destination by itself, but rather an appetizer on the smorgasbord that is Franconia Notch State Park. There's lots to do here, including hiking, biking, camping, and swimming. Visit Franconia Notch State Park for more details.

2 comments:

The Former PK said...

Hey Lucie ... Thanks for sharing about your kayak trip again. I'm a faithful reader!

Anyways, we decided against the Merrimack this weekend. But we will tackle it someday soon and I will let you know about it!!! We just did a short paddle around Hopkinton Lake, based on the suggestions in Quiet Water. It was nice to get out there!

Anyways, looking forward to your next post. I know you bike too ... do you know anyone selling a road bike?

Feel free to email me too: patricejustin@comcast.net

Lucie said...

Hi Patrice,
Hopkinton Lake is on my list of places to try this year. What did you think of it?

Sorry, I don't know anyone selling a road bike. I wonder if Goodale's Bike Shop in Nashua sells any used bikes?

I hope to post more soon. That's if the weather holds out and we can get out on the water.

We just signed up today for a guided paddle on Great Bay in July -- it will be our first tidal marsh. Stay tuned and thanks for writing and reading!