This two‐mile network of trails winds through a mixed forest adjacent to Converse Meadow Pond and McGregor Pond. The trail traverses the property’s hemlock and hardwood groves and affords views of beautiful open wetlands. The trail is a relatively easy hike on an old, unmarked woods road. A spur trail with a footbridge at the northern end of the property leads to a tent site, passing idyllic views into the surrounding marsh.
The Town of Rindge donated the Converse Meadow conservation easement to the Monadnock Conservancy with the intention of keeping the land open to the public for hiking.
This property is host to a historic mill site that predates revolutionary times. This mill was the first grist mill in Rindge, and though the original build date is not known, early records date to 1762. The mill was sold in 1775, and it then became a sawmill. Over fifty years later, it burned, and was bought by the property’s namesake, Joshua Converse, in 1845. The mill produced boxes until it was next sold in 1923, at which point it produced lumber, shingles, and cordwood. The mill burned again in the 1930s and was not replaced.
Interpretive signs along the trail developed by Franklin Pierce University highlight natural and historical features.
Converse Meadow Pond is part of the headwaters of the Miller River, which flows into the Connecticut River.
Applications to camp are available at the Rindge Town Office. Permits from the Rindge Fire Department are required for all campfires.
The trails at Converse Meadow are maintained by the Town of Rindge Conservation Commission.
From Keene, take NH-12 south to Fitzwilliam, and take NH-119 to Rindge. Cross NH-202 and continue for roughly 3.3 miles. Turn left on Converseville Road (across from Wellington Rd.). Turn left at the stop sign and park on the right in front of the kiosk.
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