by Katie Salvatore
Hiking the Clark Pond Trail in New London, NH
The Clark Pond Trails form a 1.63 mile loop through the 91.4 acres of marsh and forest; there are more than 70 species of plants which have been labeled for easy identification in different areas and stages of growth. Halfway through, the trails intersect at Clark pond where there is a rest and picnic area. There is a small parking area for the trail on Bog Road.
There is an interpretive guide to the trail available online; to follow it, take the left fork at the beginning of the trail. This is the Dancy Trail, which leads to Clark Pond. In the winter, this half of the trail is used for snowshoeing. There are several benches places along both trails for hikers’ convenience.
When you reach the picnic area, take a break and enjoy the view; then take the other trail – the Norman Trail – to continue back to the parking area; along the way there’s an area of crooked trees, which were most likely blown over by a hurricane or tropical storm, and a rock wall used to enclose herds of sheep in the 1800’s.
Towards the entrance, the Allen Ski Loop buds off the Norman Trail, where there is cross-country skiing in the winter. This area was scrapped of topsoil and plant material and used in the construction of 1-89 in the 70s. All the plant life there now has developed in the short time since then.
Common plants along the trail are blueberries, cattails, and many, many wildflowers. Cattails, of course, enjoy the marshland, as do turtles, amphibians, and some types of birds.
Unfortunately, this area also has an excellent example of Beech Bark Scale Disease, which causes blisters on the trees and eventually kills them.
There’s also nonlethal Witches’ Broom, a fungus, near some blueberries (where it manifests in leafless twiggy growth) and on some balsam firs (where it damages their needles).
Before hitting the trails check out our page of hiking safety tips.