Date visited: 4/7/2023

This is pretty "meh" as far as rail trails go. This one runs along side the Black River. We came up here because it was the closet location that had sun in the forecast. The sun did come out, but the trail was probably not worth the hour and forty-five minute drive. We started at the small parking lot on US-5, just off I-91 and headed west back under the Interstate along side the river. The middle section of the trail is actually on Paddock Road, and not a separate trail. Fortunately, the road is not that busy. I think only three cars passed by our whole trip in both directions. At the end of the road section is the entrance to a state park and Goulds Mill Bridge. Once you cross the bridge, the actual trail starts back up running between Route 11 and the river. This is the nicest section of trail with great views of the river and the small fast rushing waterfall. We walked a bit past the waterfall to a picnic area where we took a break before turning around and heading back.

Date visited: 10/4/2026

We stopped in Springfield to walk around the downtown area and see what the town had to offer. Springfield has a fairly typical small Vermont downtown, with a mix of older buildings, local shops, restaurants, and some interesting architecture. Some of the old mill buildings along the river are looking pretty run down, which gives parts of the town a somewhat worn appearance. Despite that, the downtown itself is pretty nice, with some well-maintained buildings and enough to keep us interested as we walked around with Mandy and Lexi. We also found a few good spots for photos along the way. One of the highlights was Comtu Cascade Park, and I made a separate entry for those photos. Overall, Springfield was a nice enough town to explore and made for a worthwhile stop while we were in the area.

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Date visited: 10/4/2026

We also visited Comtu Cascade Park, which sits along the Black River in downtown Springfield. The park provides some good views of the waterfalls and dams along the river, with several different spots to photograph the water and the old industrial structures. One of the more unusual things here is the giant clothespin, which makes for a fun photo opportunity with the dogs. We walked around the park and took photos of the waterfalls, dams, and clothespin before continuing our exploration of Springfield. It was a small but interesting park and probably the most scenic part of our visit to town.

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