Pickering Ponds Trail, Rochester, New Hampshire Pickering Ponds offers 2+ miles of easy to moderate trails looping along the Cocheco River with birds and wildflowers. This is a loop trail that is ideal for all skill levels, featuring a clear, flat, and wide path with benches along the way. The area is one of the top 10 birding spots in New Hampshire, with trails traversing Rochester city park along the Cocheco River and around former wastewater treatment settling ponds, making it an excellent destination for bird watching and wildlife viewing. Waterfowl are numerous and include teal, pintail, shoveler, wigeon, and scaup, while bald eagles are frequently seen overhead. Walking/hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and leashed dogs are allowed, and the site is free and open to the public.