Chinqua-Penn Walking Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Historical Significance · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

There is a pit toilet at the trailhead.

This wide gravel path trail begins on an open farm road between cow pastures. Make a left near the hay barn and continue between more pastures before finally entering the woods.

After some downhill you'll come around a bend and see a 30-foot tall stone dam with five grindstones embedded in the face of it. Wooden stairs lead down to a platform viewing area. Informational signs explain about the dam, the pond, and the pump house upstream. You can also cross the dam to the other side where original stone steps lead down to the face of the dam. Some stones have started to separate from the dam and others have fallen, so watch your footing.

On your left (back on the trail) are some stone steps leading to an original covered picnic area with five more grindstones used as tables. Two wooden-tooth gears and a driveshaft hold up the roof. From here the trail follows the edge of the pond on a wooden walkway to the old pump house. Just upstream from the pump house is a small waterfall known as "Little Niagara".

The trail continues along the stream to the bottom of another cow pasture. Another boardwalk leads you through some woods to another pasture. There's a pond on the left, then more pastures and woods.

On the right are the remains of the Penn's Stew Site, where they cooked Brunswick stew for up to 100 guests at a time. The site includes a spring house, storage shed, stone tables, a fallen chimney, and informational signs, including the stew recipe.

A little bit more open field and you're back to the car.

Local fauna includes Black Angus cows, toads, pond turtles, and dragonflies among others.