Mother's Day Meander

On Mother's Day, Ben suggested we go for a hike.  Since the weather was nice but possible showers were on the way we went up to Mine Falls Park in Nashua, NH.  Mine Falls Park is a 325-acre park.  The trails wind through forest, wetlands, and open fields.  It is bordered on the north by the Nashua River and on the south by the Millpond and canal system.  


Pre-baby, we had hiked there many times with our dog.  We knew that the trails were mostly accessible with a stroller with hard packed paths.  It would be shady enough that we would be cool in the 80 degree weather.  We packed up the dog and Little Dude and found one of the trail heads.  


We parked at the Coliseum Drive entrance.  Ben had meant to park at the Whipple Street entrance but missed the exit off of Daniel Webster Highway.  It was probably for the best as Whipple Street was full of cars for soccer and baseball games.  


Little Dude had fallen asleep during the car ride, so we gently transferred his carrier onto the stroller.  Then we were off.  There were many families out on the trails. We saw a few bikers, some hard-core and some leisurely.  Mainly there were walkers and joggers. 

We followed the trails towards the falls.  Just before it we veered left and followed the shoreline of Mill Pond towards Nashua center.  We crossed under Daniel Webster Highway and decided to continue on along the bank of the canal.  We paused to take care of Little Dude at a large boulder that made a great place to sit and watch the Nashua River.  

After Little Dude was nursed and changed, we decided to head back home as clouds were building up.  If you look at the map, we essentially hiked the Green Trail and part of the Blue Trail.  The trails are marked with small wooden blazes.  We've never used them though.  With a good sense of direction, one can wander the paths and not get too turned around. 


Mine Falls Park is open from 6AM - 10PM.  The trails are well maintained.  It is not unusual to see fishing, cycling, running, or meandering taking place.  We hiked approximately 3.5 miles on Mother's Day.  There's tons of entrances and lots to explore.  Nashua has a website with more information about the park.