Charlestown

This lesser-known riverfront trail follows the historic Crown Point Military Road from 1760, winding through hemlock woods along the Connecticut River's steep banks. The trail features two sections of stairs to navigate the precipitous drops and ends at a memorial bench with a granite DAR marker marking the original British river crossing. Northern flying squirrels have been spotted here, and the white-blazed trail offers intimate views of the wide Connecticut River below.

A "wonderful gem of a trail" that follows a babbling brook through old-growth forest with some huge trees and old foundation remnants. This foot-traffic-only trail is well-marked but lightly trafficked, passing through diverse habitats and featuring water features where locals bring kids to explore and even do creek walking with water shoes. The loop offers gentle terrain with no steep hills.

The town's oldest trail, first opened in 1969 and still used by the local school for nature education. This half-mile path starts north of the firehouse and traverses diverse habitats - from riparian buffer zones to hemlocks, hardwoods, and finishing in a pine stand. At Clay Brook, you can spot the remnants of an old grist-mill dam, a hidden piece of local industrial history.

Housed in a grand structure funded by Col. Ithiel Homer Silsby's legacy, this library anchors Charlestown's Main Street Historic District. The original building with its distinctive architecture and 1977 addition that respectfully echoes the original's rockfaced belt courses represents a beautiful example of how historic preservation can work. It's a cultural center that locals cherish, offering more than books with its unique collection of Charlestown and Upper Valley historical materials.