Come to Island Pond for Lively Birds, Turtles and Lush Green Hills

This was our second time kayaking Island Pond in Stoddard, out in the Monadnock Region and we were excited to see and hear our first loon of the season! Our first trip here (exactly one year ago) ended after about 20 minutes on the water because of stormy weather. This time around, we enjoyed a full two hours on the pond, reveling in the many beautiful shades of green and all the birds and turtles. If you haven't visited, you may want to add this place to your list.

What I loved best about Island Pond was the great variety of the waterscape and the wildlife. There were several islands, grassy marshes and small coves to explore, as well as some lush hills in the distance. First off, it's a very easy sandy put-in right off Route 123 north. That means you'll hear some road noise while you are out on the water, but it's really not a heavily travelled road and shouldn't impact your peaceful time on the water too much.

There's also more development on the pond than we usually like to see -- but again it wasn't anything that detracted from our enjoyment. In my view, there are more plusses than minuses here.

Some of the many shades of green on Island Pond.

Aside from being treated to the haunting call of the loons, we enjoyed many other smaller birds serenading us while we were on the water. Doug spotted a snapping turtle and we saw a few Eastern Painted turtles sunning themselves. At least, I think that was the species -- don't hold me to it!

Tall marshy areas with channels are fun to explore

Two small caveats: Island Pond is a rocky place, with some very shallow areas. So you need to be on the lookout when you are paddling here. Power boats are also allowed and there's a water-skiing channel. We were lucky that we only encountered one power boat that quickly cut it's engine. So that wasn't a factor, but it might be a different story on a busy summer weekend.

Overall, I loved our time here and think you will probably agree that Island Pond is a very serene spot to spend a few hours enjoying some of the best that southwest New Hampshire has to offer. Get out and enjoy and stop back in to let us know about your experience!

Directions: From Rte. 202 in Peterborough, take Rte. 123 North to Hancock. Look for the pond on your right shortly after the intersection of Rtes. 9 and 123. There's plenty of off-road parking and a porta-potty here.

First Time Kayaking Island Pond

There are some rolling hills in the distance.

Today was our first time kayaking Island Pond in Stoddard, but it probably won't be our last. This place was actually "Plan B" for today. We headed first to Nubanusit Lake in Hancock on the recommendation of a friend. But when we arrived at Nubanusit, the waters were too choppy for our comfort level and there were quite a few power boats --so off we went to explore Island Pond, not too far down the road.

Loved the easy put-in!

Island Pond has an easy sandy put-in and a parking area for about a dozen cars right off Route 123. You'll hear some road noise when you first start out, but before too long you'll leave the noise behind. The pond has over 200 acres of water and about 20 summer cottages dotting its shores; we saw two smaller power boats and a number of other kayakers on this holiday weekend. So it's not as secluded as some of our favorite spots, but there's still plenty of room to spread out here.

The pond has a number of small islands and small channels, all set against a backdrop of picturesque green hills in the distance. Unfortunately, shortly after we got out on the water, the wind started gusting pretty strongly so we headed to a small protected cove to wait it out. After a long winter indoors, it was great just to be back out on the water, even if the weather conditions weren't ideal. We sat and watched a pair of geese and five tiny goslings for a bit, before heading back out to open water.

We paddled for maybe another 20 minutes before the strong wind gusts started up again and then it started to rain lightly. With threatening skies, we decided to paddle back to shore -- fighting a head wind that was pretty challenging at times. So Mother Nature didn't exactly cooperate for our first time out this season, but Island Pond looked like a great spot to spend a couple of hours. We'll be back!  

Directions: From Rte. 202 in Peterborough, take Rte. 123 North to Hancock. Look for the pond on your right shortly after the intersection of Rte. 9 and Rte. 123. There is a porta-potty here.