Amid October's fall foliage, a Forgotten Place is Found

Today’s exploration has been rewritten several times and to this end, I’m including it as a scenic drive because it’s on Route 4 in Western New Hampshire near Enfield. You’ll find this between Grafton and Canaan New Hampshire and we are getting out of the car to explore the Northern Rail Trail. Cost is $0, ease of travel is flat and easy, and location in your New Hampshire Gazetteer is page/map 34. (Page/map 66 in the NH/VT Gazetteer) Look for Tewksbury Pond. (there is a google map below as well or click the Gazetteer (Amazon Affiliate) Link above.

Finding secret or forgotten places

First, secret places are not secrets (Not really) You know them, little out-of-the-way places, forgotten by almost everybody during their rush of daily activities. Now here is the secret of finding fall color… shhh… don’t tell anyone, ok? I asked the guy at the gas station… Yup! That’s it, just ask a local, and assuming they’re as nice as he is, you’ll probably get all the spots in a ten-mile radius.

Route 4 “Forgotten” Place

First off, it doesn’t have a name, like the “Quechee Gorge” (also on Route 4 but in Vermont). We found this “Forgotten” place by accident. You see we were driving along Route 4 in New Hampshire when I saw some small pools/ponds on one side of the road and there was a dirt parking area on the opposite side. So I pulled over and parked. I explored the reflections in these roadside pools and then Lisa pointed out the rail trail on the other side where we were parked.

What are Rail Trails?

Or better yet… What are these bars that are painted orange, yellow, and black? This was my first time noticing these bars so Lisa informed me what “Rail Trails were. We got out and went to explore this one… And so the story begins…

Rail Trails for the uninitiated, are old, no longer used railroad lines that have been dug up and allow passage by Wheelchairs, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, Snowmobiling, Walking, Cross Country Skiing, *some allow 4 wheelers*, bikes, and pedestrian pathways between points. The map below shows this rail trail and you will find some photos to give you an idea if it’s something you want to travel.

A forgotten place is anywhere (Jeff’s definition) that most people don’t remember that it’s even there. All that’s required is someone like you who has now found it. It doesn’t mean that it’s really “unknown” like lost Inca ruins but this spot is not a big attraction and I’m sure the majority of you may have driven by this spot on NH Route 4 without giving it a second thought.

Northern Rail Trail between Grafton & Canaan NH

I’m sure today’s forgotten place is known by several people, but for me, it was an unknown and it fills me with questions, like who built it and why? I’ve made guesses but I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. (not the rail trail but the secret gully...)

Today’s forgotten location is easy enough to find because it resides on or just off of a rail trail in New Hampshire, just north of Grafton on route 4. (East of Canaan)

Tewksbury Pond on an overcast autumn day, the pond is serene and still with few ripples — On an overcast autumn day in New Hampshire, Tewksbury Pond appears serene and moody,

We left our car in the parking lot and traveled past the gate at the Southwest side of the parking lot. After a short distance, we came to a pond that had pretty decent color (this was only 6 Oct), and on a good day probably around 11-14 October, the color could be spectacular with an incredible reflection.

(Jeff’s Photo Tip) My suggestion for photographing this pond is to visit it in the early morning, as the sun will be rising behind you and illuminating the far shore.

Lisa and I continued past the pond for a short distance when we came to a wooden bridge, no more than 10 or 15 feet long. As I stated above, I felt the need to explore so I looked over the side and…

My attention is drawn to the rock wall that this stream has cut through the centuries and something doesn’t look right. First, you have the rock wall then there is a second inner man-made rock wall with a space between the two walls. to walk down.

man made path down to dam — A rail trail leads to a small trestle that passes over a stream. I think the stream was dammed up in the past to be used as a refilling stop for water for the train boiler. A path winds its way down between the stone wall on the right and the man-made rock wall on the left. A lot of work went into this project.

Man made dam to create pool for the train passing over head — A mystery of a man made pool below the train tracks. following the northern rail trail sometimes leads to

I found a rough path forming a stone channel between the rock wall and a manmade wall. Curious, we followed these rough-hewn steps to the bottom, where we found a dam. What appeared, from above to be a dry leaf-covered bed was a slow-moving stream completely covered in autumn leaves.

We now tried to figure out why the dam was built and by whom. We guess that the narrow gauge train could stop above and it and could pump water from the dam, into its boiler. (I’d love to hear your guesses).

To me the, “why” it was here seems apparent but the “who” was more interesting. Was it the rail line? Was it locals? It’s fun to wonder about such things.

Most times when people go looking for fall foliage they want to find picture-perfect New England fall foliage scenes. They ask me, where to photograph the picturesque small town commons, with white churches and stone fences.

Lisa checking the moss depth on a boulder — Lisa found that this rock was not rolling and had gather a thick cushion of moss.

These are all great subjects for contrasting with fall foliage in New England but to me, this rail trail is what I try to tell people about all the time. Getting out of the car and finding forgotten places is what is important.

Somebody created this dam and cut steps into the stone years ago and today it’s still standing waiting to be rediscovered. Will you go look for it?

By getting out of the car and doing something as simple as exploring, we found something that can only be discovered by being on foot, as this is not on the maps.

Things are lost, only if they are forgotten. This story keeps this little manmade dam from being forgotten and we brought it back to life, if only for us.

So when you come to New England looking for your fall foliage experience, be prepared to explore the back roads and byways of New England because this is where the really interesting things are found.

Here is a link to my Scenic Drives… Don’t know what they are, check them out.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

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