Best Time to Kayak Hoit Road Marsh is Now

Beautiful Reflections and lots of birds

We headed to Hoit Road Marsh in Concord last Sunday for some quiet and relaxing time on the water. Why do I say, "head here NOW" (as in the next seven to ten days)?  Because in just a few weeks time, the vegetation will choke out some of the open water and you won't be able to paddle very far. We first paddled Hoit Road Marsh in 2008, when we spent time watching a great blue heron. It's hard to believe that six years have elapsed since our last visit here -- this place is pretty awesome!

The 101-acre marsh is managed by NH Fish and Game, which has placed quite a few wood duck boxes in the water and along the shore. This seems to encourage a lively bird population. Each one of the boxes was occupied, though we're still trying to figure out the bird species. They were very small with a swallow-like body. The tops of their heads were a shiny green/blue. Could they be tree swallows? I'm not sure.

Doug took out his fishing rod and caught a 12-inch pickerel and we sat for a while and watched a graceful osprey soaring overhead. This is the type of place that invites you to just sit back and relax. It's shallow and marshy in a lot of places so you won't be doing too much strenuous paddling. But if you are content to meditate on all the shades of green and bright yellow water lilies...all while watching the birds...then this is your spot! 

Things to Know Before You Go: Hoit Road Marsh is easy to get to and offers an easy put-in. If you're traveling from the south, take I-93 North to exit 17 in Concord. Head east (left) off the exit onto Hoit Road. Travel about 2.5 miles to the marsh on your left. There are no facilities here, but there's a small parking lot across the street and what looks like some trails through the woods. We may be back to explore those another day. 

Paddling Turkey Ponds

(Click on photo to see more photos on smugmug.com.)
Well, we never quite get the early morning thing right when it comes to kayaking. We got up at 5 a.m. to head to Concord and two connected ponds: Great Turkey Pond and Little Turkey Pond. The trouble is we didn't actually get out on the water until 6:45 a.m. -- a little late to catch early morning wildlife activity. Wildlife or not, these two ponds are awesome!

Based on information in the Appalachian Mountain Club book, Quiet Water: New Hampshire and Vermont, we chose to take exit 2 off I-89, head south about one mile and just past a small bridge, take the dirt road on the right. Let me say that this road would be extremely difficult without 4-wheel drive and/or a truck. There are some good-sized rocks here. An alternative might be to park on the side of the road and carry your boat in (maybe 3/10 mile?)

Well after getting the pickup truck stuck on a rock and gunning it in 4-wheel drive, we were there! These ponds offer a good amount of water (about 339 acres) and many different areas to explore. We paddled up the western shore of Great Turkey Pond and passed underneath I-89 to continue paddling to Little Turkey Pond. Heading back, we paddled more to the center with occasional stops to investigate the eastern shore.

There is barely any development at all -- we saw two houses and what looked to be an unoccupied kids' camp -- and that was it. The only distraction you have to contend with is the road noise when you're near I-89, but before long, that fades into the distance.

The Turkey Ponds are really picturesque. There's open and wooded shoreline, tree-covered islands and some interesting granite boulders. We spotted a great blue heron (okay, that counts as wildlife!) and also enjoyed the many fragrant waterlilies. I could have spent hours getting lost in the pond's beautiful reflections and all the shades of green from the shoreline alone. Take my word for it...if you can manage the rocky put-in, the Turkey Ponds are definitely worth it.

Things to Know Before You Go: Motorboats are allowed, although we only encountered a few small fishing boats with trolling motors. We also saw some water skiing channels, but no sign of skiers this early in the day. The AMC book says there's a wonderful hiking and biking path that circles the ponds. Unfortunately,we didn't have time to explore those today.

Directions: Take I-89 to exit 2; head one mile south on Clinton Street (Route 13). Shortly after crossing a small bridge over Turee Pond, look for an unmarked dirt road to the right. The AMC book describes two other access points, one off exit 3 and Stickney Hill Road (has a steep carry-in) and the other is on the north end of the pond off Routes 9/202. Consult a NH atlas for more specifics.