Sunrise at Spofford Lake, Chesterfield, NH

Spofford Lake is just 3 miles away from our Romantic New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast and this favorite among New Hampshire lakes holds a special place in the hearts of many people who have whiled away long lazy summer days at Ware’s Grove Beach. Spofford is not the biggest lake in New Hampshire, but it is one of the prettiest, and it is situated just off of Route 9 in the village of Spofford. The lake has a circumference of about 6 miles and covers 1.1 square miles. Ware’s Grove is a sandy beach on the south side of the lake and is open to the public for swimming, with a life guard on duty from Memorial Day until Labor Day. There are picnic tables, grills, and bathrooms for the public.

Spofford Lake also has a boat ramp for people who want to go boating in motor boats. The boat ramp is on the south side of the lake. Come early, the parking is very limited! Or, bring your kayak or canoe and explore the lake with paddle power. One of our favorite things to do when our kids were little was to canoe over to Pierce’s Island, in the middle of the lake but still a very short paddle. The kids would run around the paths on the island and we would enjoy a picnic lunch on the rocks on the shoreline.

Spofford Lake is a beautiful place to enjoy the fall foliage, with the beautiful colors of the leaves on the tree-lined hills surrounding the lake reflected in the water. Put it on your list for this year’s foliage trip!

Yesterday, I escaped for a quick foliage getaway between breakfast and lunch. It was sunny and crisp, with morning fog from the river burning off quickly. My friends picked me up, with dogs in tow, for a hike up Putney Mountain. We drove up Route 5, enjoying the beautiful colors of the leaves along the roadside, into the village of Putney, and then out to the Putney School and to the Putney Mountain Trail Head.

There was just one car in the parking lot, a great sign for a quiet walk in the woods. We hiked up the well-marked trail, about a mile, to the lookout area at the top of the Mountain. There were 2 women sitting in chairs, using binoculars to look for birds. They were up there for the day, basking in the sunshine, counting birds for the Putney Mountain bird count. We spent a few minutes at the top, figuring out which mountains were which to the East and West. We could see Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, and in Vermont we had a clear view of Mount Snow, Haystack, Stratton, and Bromley. The hills were gorgeous shades of red, yellow and orange mixed with the dark green of the evergreens.

After the quick downhill hike, we retired to Green Mountain Orchard just past the Putney School, for homemade cinnamon and sugar donuts and apple cider. If we had wanted to, we could have walked into the orchard and picked several varieties of apples to take home. It was tempting, especially when I saw the 6 apple pies that they had just taken out of the oven! I love making apple pies in October! It was just great to be out in the fresh air on a beautiful warm autumn day, enjoying the scenery with friends before heading back to Chesterfield Inn.