Pawtuckaway State Park Hike and Swim

Ten of us first met beneath the powerlines beneath Reservation Road outside Pawtuckaway State Park to carpool which turned out to be a good idea since the dirt road was too rough and best travelled using an SUV or truck. As we drove in, we met Gregg on his mountain bike who came in from the northern entrance. Temperature was around seventy degrees with partly cloudy skies...a near perfect day for this sort of adventure. 

Our hike along the Boulder Loop Trail set our attitudes and spirits for the entire day. With the marsh and 70-foot granite outcropping with technical climbers at the start, we took our time confronting this amusing choice of views: humans dangling from ropes on one side or lilypads on the other. The slight scramble on this narrowly channeled trail gave us a bit of adventure. 

More adventure came when we reached the Boulder Field...an assortment of massive glacial erratics scattered about the woodlands by the giant sheet of ice that carried them here. It gave us a chance to wander off the trail, generally snooping around and about these barn-sized chunks of granite. The trail led us near the edge of another marsh. This section of the Park made us think that we were in the White Mountain National Forest with an immense 150-foot core of granite boulders around us. After a short scramble we found ourselves at the intriguing Devil's Den, with two small caves at the base of the soaring tower of granite boulders. The bottom cave had this bio-luminescent moss that we call, the Devil's Sperm. 

We returned the way we came and then headed toward our favorite swimming hole on Round Pond. We jumped in for a swim and hung out on the smooth rocky slab to take in the scenic view, have a couple beers, and partake in friendly banter/conversation. 

Overall, this was a perfect adventure for a lazy afternoon to poke around outside but avoid strenuous exertion. The weather and good company made this an adventurelicious day. Thanks everyone for joining us! 
~ Mike and Jon

Spend an enjoyable day in an interesting place rather than driving several hours to do a hike!

Our adventure will be to take a 2.2 mile roundtrip hike from our vehicles to explore the Boulder Field and Devil's Den caves. [We recommend wearing swim trunks for this hike.] There is not a 'lunch stop' on the hike so either eat before you leave home or wait until we reach Round Pond.

Once we return from the hike, we'll grab from our vehicles sandals [not flip flops], beach chairs [it's rocky so laying on a towel would not be comfortable], sunscreen, small cooler and carry in your daypack anything else you would typically bring to the beach. It's a short walk to the rock ledges of nearby Round Pond where we will enjoy the rest of the afternoon sunbathing and swimming. This is our favorite 'secret' swimming hole for a hot summer day with no crowds, parking issues, gift shops, noisy arcades, screaming kids,..OK...you get the idea. Round Pond is a small, clean, beautiful, pristine, and quiet mountain pond. The only people we usually see are fishermen or rock climbers...we have seen people swimming off the rock ledges [rare] so hopefully we'll get there first!

The Park is in Southern NH, so it is an easy drive for most Masschusetts residents as well as those of us who live in New Hampshire. Pets are not allowed in the Park, so this is not a dog-friendly hike.

The total elevation gain of the hike is only 400 feet and the only steep section, minor at that, is climbing up to Devil's Den caves. On the hike over, we can view a marsh, see if there are any rock climbers that frequent a 70-foot vertical ledge, and explore the large boulders or glacial erratics. Some are safe to climb without needing any sort of protection!