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A northern water snake spotted among the roots of a tree on the shoreline of Converse Meadow Pond. -
Blueberries, not quite ripe, grow along the trail near the entrance. -
RIGHT: A view of Converse Meadow Pond from the trail entrance. -
A wooden walkway at the trailhead allows visitors to walk over spillways and get lovely views of the pond. -
A path on the Converse Meadow trail in Rindge. -
One of the tougher parts of the trail, through a wooded area, with occassional detours around puddles in the muddy seasons.
Converse Meadow in Rindge is one of the town’s conservation jewels, with lovely water views and well-maintained trails that are suitable for families. It’s one of my favorite hikes.
The trailhead is located off Converseville Road, with a small amount of parking available. The trail is just under two miles long, which makes for a nice, but not strenuous hike.
The property was once the site of a pre-Revolutionary mill, which was, in fact, the first grist mill in Rindge. It was built as far back as at least 1762, though the actual date is unknown. The mill became a sawmill in 1775, and burned in the first half of the 1800s. It was at this point that the property’s namesake, Joshua Converse, purchased the property, around 1845, and a mill producing boxes was on the property. In 1923, it was sold again, producing lumber and shingles. When the mill burned again in the 1930s, it wasn’t replaced.
Though the mills are gone, their legacy remains, in the form of the former paths used to access them, which now make for flat, wide, cleared paths on either side of the property, which are accessible for a stroller. The loop is connected on the far end by a much-more-rugged path, which, while still well-marked and with only slight inclines which aren’t difficult to traverse, aren’t as well-maintained as the start or the end of the trail. If you’re looking for a longer wooded hike, there is a trail that connects the two sides of the loop that cuts through the woods. While a bit of a tougher hike than the main loop, it is still an easy hike with a well-marked trail.
Right at the start of the trail, you can make a detour onto wooden walkways that overlook Converse Meadow Pond and small spillways that send water into the river that runs alongside the trailhead, which is always nice to listen to as you approach the trail.
In a collaboration with Franklin Pierce University, the Conservation Commission has put up signs detailing some of the things – mostly wildlife – you might spot along the trail.
While most of the plaques give information on some of the fish and mammals that have been spotted in the area, there is also a bit of local lore. Early on in the trail, you can visit the site of a the rough start of a log cabin – now long gone – which legend has it was once a hideout for an escaped convict. In fact, he may have built the cabin as he was hiding in Converse Meadow. The story goes that he was making trips to local stores, and that was how he was eventually discovered and caught.
Signs of wildlife aren’t hard to spot. A short side trip down to the water will lead to a beaver dam on two spots on the trail, one early in the hike on Converse Meadow Pond and one with an observation spot and bench at McGregor Pond, where a large beaver dam is front and center.
On my walk, there was also a spotting of a common garter snake off the side of the trail, though he was too quick to scarper and I wasn’t able to snap a picture. On the way back to the trail head, however, I was able to spot a northern water snake, which I got a pretty good view of from the wooden walkway along the pond. He was curled up tightly on the shoreline, probably a resting spot from catching some sun, though at that point the sun was low enough that his spot was shaded again.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.