Pittsburg is not only the largest town in NH, it is also the largest township in the lower 48. I don’t usually get into much history about the places I visit, but I found Pittsburg to be quite unique. Instead of being granted by the King, it was purchased from an Abenaki chief. Both the US and Canada claimed control of the territory and both countries taxed its residents. In 1832, tired of taxation from both sides, the territory declared themselves the sovereign nation of Indian Stream Republic, with their own constitution and government. After four years, Canada gave up its claim and the residents accepted NH’s authority. It wasn’t incorporated until 1840, but the boundary continued to be argued until 1848.
So, onto my tour of Pittsburg…
It took me several days to cover as much of Pittsburg’s 291 square miles as I could. I drove, hiked, climbed and occasionally sat quietly. I drove roads with cool names, such as Moose Alley, Moose Pond Rd, Indian Stream Road and Magalloway Road to name a few. Almost all of the roads were old logging roads and snowmobile trails that allow summer use by vehicles. At first, I was unsure about which roads I was legally able to travel. I met a great Forest Ranger who told me that any gated, gravel road, with gate open is ok to drive on. This made me feel much better about heading out into the wilderness. There were several days when I never saw another person. Some of the logging roads are still in use…
And sometimes, you come to the end of the drivable road…
There are 3 covered bridges in Pittsburg…
The Pittsburg-Clarksville Bridge
Crossing the Connecticut River
Happy Corner Bridge crossing Perry Stream
River Road Bridge also crossing Perry Stream
There are a larger number of beautiful old barns and farms in the southern part of Pittsburg…
On the drive along Rt.3, after you pass the town center, you come to the north shore of Lake Francis…
Then, you come to First Connecticut Lake…
Great place for fly fishing
One of several loons I saw
Then you come to Second Connecticut Lake…
And Third Connecticut Lake…
And finally, if you are up to it, you can park at the US Customs Station and hike to Forth Connecticut Lake…
The hike is .7 miles roundtrip or 1.2 miles if you add the hike around the lake (which I highly recommend). When I first started out on the trail, I thought , “This isn’t too bad.” Then I came to this part of the trail and thought, “Hmmm, maybe not”, but it wasn’t too bad, a little slippery because of all of the recent rain.
When I got to the top of this, I turned to find the first of many awesome views…
The trail isn’t exactly marked, but it was very easy to follow…
There were a few “bumps in the road”…
But every view was worth it…
And there was never any doubt where you were…
Along the trail, I found a wonderful variety of plants and flowers…
Busy pollinating the blueberries
Rosy twisted stalk – fairly rare
Blue bead lily – once the flower is gone, an electric blue berry will take its place
White trillium
Hobble Bush
Thanks again to New Hampshire Garden Solutions for the flower identities!
Then you come to Forth Connecticut Lake…
The trail that circles the lake is filled with interesting sights…
I came across many large deposits of quartz
It was so utterly peaceful here
Then you come to the beginning of it all. Here I literally stepped across the Connecticut River.
Another day, I drove along Indian Stream Road. It is about 19 miles long, with many roads and trails branching off. I wasn’t quite quick enough to get a picture of the mother bear and her cub, but I was thrilled to see them. I think early evening is the best time to drive this road. The setting sun put on quite a display for me on my way back to Rt. 3…
Near the end of Indian Stream Road, I came to Indian Stream Canyon…
There are a myriad of hiking trails from here. I followed one until I came to this…
As I headed back towards Rt. 3, the sun was starting to set and the view was dramatically different…
The last big adventure I had in Pittsburg, was my drive/hike out to Garfield Falls. As I drove down Magalloway Road, I was able to see the First Connecticut Lake from a different perspective…
And the scenery was gorgeous…
Near the center of the picture, you can almost make out the fire tower on Mt. Magalloway
I came across an area that had been cut some time prior and saw several deer grazing on the new growth…
His antlers are just beginning to grow
Then I came to the trailhead for Garfield Falls. It is a fairly easy walk down to the falls, but as you know, if you walk down, you have to hike back up…
There are actually two sets of falls, an upper and a lower…
Lower Falls as seen from the trail
What I climbed to get to the Upper Falls
The Upper Falls
And there is beauty all around the falls…
I could spend a month in Pittsburg and never see or photograph all there is to see. It is a beautiful, peaceful part of NH that I hope you’ll visit in the winter for snowmobiling and in the other seasons for hiking, fishing, boating and just enjoying!
Please feel free to share this post and as always, your comments are greatly appreciated!
To learn more about Pittsburg, visit the state’s website or the town’s website
Touring NH 
All the way through your post I was thinking that I was surprised you didn’t see any bears, and then you did, which doesn’t surprise me. That’s a beautiful area, but it must be an awful long drive from here. If I had a free week and more time I’d love to spend it up there.Everything about it-even the rocks-seems so different, and I’m sure that there must be orchids everywhere in the undisturbed wilderness.
Pittsburg is gorgeous with so much undeveloped land. It’s about 4 1/2 hours from my house, but only 1/2 hour from my motorhome . Even if you could get up there for the weekend, you’d love it!
I LOVE Pittsburg. I have been making the 3 1/2 hour drive several times every year for that last 36 years. We have visited most of the sights. Thank you for sharing so many of the things that I have grown to love and shared with friends over the years! It is the perfect place to relax, fish, hike, kayak, boat, read and simply enjoy all of nature’s beauty!
I have an easy time believing that you have been visiting for 36 years! I can’t wait to go back, I SO enjoyed Pittsburg. Perhaps we’ll meet up there someday!
As always, Laura, wonderful photos and a great view of Pittsburg. I have visited over the years but not seen as much as you covered. Thanks for the “tour”!
Thanks Martha. Pittsburg was great. I hope to get back up there this fall!
Laura, I love the story of the Little Stream Republic. When I hear these types of tales, I wonder how different the US would be if some of these temporary states still survived. For instance, what if Spain still owned Florida, what if Texas was a country, and what if the west coast was still Alta California. Pretty interesting stuff. BTW, I love the photo of the loon. ~James
Thanks James. That is an interesting thought. It certainly would make for a very different USA! The loon certainly did startle me when it surfaced so close. ~Laura
Thanks for the very comprehensive tour! I’ll be revisiting your blog soon. Regards from Thom at the immortal jukebox (plugged in now).
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Thank you for coming by Thom! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Laura,
We just love this post and wanted to let you know that we featured a link to it today as part of our “Slice of Americana Series” that we’re running this July. You can check it out at the link below. Thanks for your beautiful writing and photos!
All the best, Terri & James
http://gallivance.net/2014/07/26/into-the-east-10-links-youll-love/
Thank you so much for the link! I just finished reading all of the links in your post – wonderful choices!
You’re welcome. We want everyone to see your gorgeous photos. 🙂 ~Terri
Love your photos — great pics of streams, waterfowl, etc. So glad Gallivance included your blog in their Americana series — fun to get to know this town and you better! (Love those moose-named streets, too!) http://ohtheplaceswesee.com
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Thank you. I was honored when they asked me. Pittsburg certainly is beautiful and h as so much to offer!
I really enjoyed this article on Pittsburg, NH