Cherry Pond Trail This is an easy, beginner-level trail comprising 5.1 miles out-and-back with a small loop, featuringthe Pondicherry Rail Trail—a multi-use trail built on a former railroad grade that is very straight and flat, with a 1.4-mile walk to the pond. The approximately 8-foot-wide, gravel-surfaced trail has very smooth footing with minimal grades (typically 2%) and is suitable for a wide range of users including wheelchair users. The trail showcases spectacular scenery within Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge, a huge preserve across a wild plateau crisscrossed by railroad and spotted with wetlands. From the viewing platform, there is a magnificent view of Cherry Pond, the Northern Presidentials, and the Pliny Range. Natural features along the trail include lowland spruce-fir forest, open wetland corridors, and transitional zones that support a range of wildlife. A notable feature isthe observation deck, reached via a 90-foot long, 3.5-foot-wide boardwalk to an approximately 12-by-12-foot platform that honors Tudor Richards, a longtime member and leader of NH Audubon who was instrumental in the acquisition of the land that created Pondicherry in 1963. Waumbek Junction, where the Boston & Maine Railroad met the Maine Central Railroad, was the site of a passenger station, freight house, station agent’s house, and ball signal. Over 234 different bird species have been documented