Historic lodge grounds lead to pristine mountain waters
By William Hill
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of “low peak” hiking opportunities in Franklin County. For a medium-level hiking trail, check out Azure Mountain or Bald Mountain. Up for a challenge? Consider Ampersand Mountain.
Location: Duane
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Mileage: 2 miles round trip
Coordinates: 44.641913, -74.203115
Hiking level: Easy
Description: This trail is suitable for hikers of all ages and year-round use. It is a nice walk along a dirt road to the pond with mountain views. You will often find paddlers on the pond.
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Overview: The trail leads through the grounds of the historic Debar Pond Lodge. The pond sits between Debar Mountain to the west and Baldface Mountain to the east. The Loon Lake Mountain range is south of the pond. There is a wonderful open space along the shoreline that is perfect for a picnic. The lodge and accompanying outbuildings are fun to explore from the outside- there is no indoor access allowed. An ample shoreline is suitable for fishing. It is an easy portage for canoes/kayaks to explore the pond.
Getting there: From state Route 30 in Duane, turn east onto county Route 26. (Port Kent-Hopkinton Turnpike). Continue for 4 miles and turn right (south) onto Franklin Co Rt 27. Continue for 250 yards. The access road to Debar Pond will be on your right.
Note: You can drive further down this unimproved/seasonal road during dry seasons with high-clearance vehicles. There is a parking area on the left (east)side of the road near the gate.
There is much, much more. There are trails on each side of the pond. The trail on the west side is easily navigable well beyond the pond, the trail on the east is less easy to follow and probably requires some pathfinding and navigation skills allowing for a walk around the entire pond. They each follow old railroad beds. There is a route all the way to the old Elk Meadows, Skiff Pond and on to Meacham Lake. There is a Cedar wetland with remnants of an old boardwalk and plenty of pitcher plants and birds. And the Baldface Mountain hike mentioned in a different article is a five minute drive past the Debar Pond access road. In short, there are many other things to explore beyond old buildings. I would also argue that the most interesting old building, far older than anything associated with the lodge, is the old blacksmith/farrier foundation.
Debar Pond is certainly a gem. My hope is that the unimproved/seasonal road will be improved and the pond will become easily accessible for launching canoes and kayaks.