Lee Public Trails

Lee Town Forest

This 70 acre site features several vernal pools, small black spruce bogs, frontage on Wheelwright Pond, and easy trails. It is not in the Lamprey River watershed, but in the Oyster River watershed. Park at the Lee Public Library on Mast Road. The trail is to the right behind the library. To view the management plan including maps, please click here.

Little River Park

This former sand pit has quickly become a recreational hub in Lee. Kids can enjoy the baseball field and playground. A nature trail to the Little River offers visitors the opportunity to see several differnt types of sub-habitats in an easy quarter-mile hike. The Lee Conservation Commission leads frequent walks to help visitors appreciate how nature changes over time. Check for scheduled walks in the weekly Lee Crier. Click to view the Little River kiosk panel.

Wadleigh Falls

Although this site has no formal trails or public parking, Wadleigh Falls is a neat place to visit. Also known as Wadley Falls, it is one of the oldest sites in New Hampshire to be inhabited by humans. Native peoples began using the site for hunting, fishing, and agriculture 8000 years ago and continued to be a strong presence into the Colonial Era. English settlers began using the site in 1657 and the first mill was completed in 1665. Mills here processed timber, grain, leather, wooden buckets, and herbal medicines. Mill life defined the area until 1921 when the last mill burned.

The dam at Wadleigh Falls (where Route 152 crosses the Lamprey) was partially breached many years ago, but the remaining section of dam and the natural falls still present a significant obstacle to fish passage. The building in the far right corner in the historic picture below is currently under renovation. Just upstream of the bridge, a new canoe access was installed in 2011.

To view a thorough history of the Wadley Falls Village, please click here for a copy produced by the Lee Heritage Commission.

For information about the Wadley Falls Bridge, please click here.  

To view historic photos of Wadley Falls Village, please click here.