Access: Look for the entrance sign and park along Old Forge Road between Farnum Pike (Route 104) and Log Road just north of Stump Pond.

• Google Map - Mowry Conservation Area

Features: A lovely, lively trout stream, towering hemlocks and pines, a scenic footbridge, picnic tables, a walking trail and the remains of an earthen stone dam.

An increasingly popular spot, this shady 44 acre retreat given to the town by S. Burton and Mary Mowry (the Mowry family owned it since 1845) offers something for just about everybody: a stocked trout stream, a picturesque place for picnics, stone walls, marked walking trails that begin just beyond an arching footbridge, and, for the history buffs, much stonework that remains from the 18th century forge, for which Forge Road was named, and a sawmill. In spring and summer, water still tumbles through the old dam creating a miniature but thoroughly delightful waterfall. Squirrels, chipmunks and birds abound in the picnic and stream area, signs of deer and other wildlife can be found farther from the road, and muskrats and an occasional otter frequent the tiny pond just above the old dam. Hemlocks and pines, many of them very old and tall, dominate the lower area where an orange-blazed trail makes a short loop. A longer yellow-blazed path, accessible from the orange loop, runs up a steep ridge and back through hardwoods of several varieties and mountain laurel... It returns through pines and ends near an old dam. Together, the trails make a walk of about one mile.

Dedicated in 1979, this is a bustling place in spring, when anglers seek the trout and wildflowers bloom; a cool, beckoning oasis in summer; a soothing place in autumn when ferns beneath the pines add a golden glow, and an incredibly beautiful place in winter when the stream is fringed in ice and the hemlocks are draped in snow. There are no “off” seasons at Mowry.

Photos taken by Rich Mello on October 13, 2019