Seasonal Ratings: Spring***
Summer**** Fall**** Winter***
Enders State Forest Park was established in 1970 when the
family of John Ostrom Enders and Harriet Whitmore Enders donated the land to
the state. With additional land donated by the family in 1981, and another
purchase by the state in 2002, it now encompasses 2098 acres of rich forest,
with a river flowing through the rocky terrain. On one side of Route 219, you
will find a small parking lot with a pair of trails leading to a series of
waterfalls, which cascade over several rocky drops. Driving just a little
further along Route 219, turn right onto an old gravel road that runs through the
state forest, and leads to a marshy bed, just loaded with wildflowers that
bloom throughout the season.
What to Photograph
Anyone who wants to practice their skills on photographing
waterfalls will be in glory at this location. There are six waterfalls within a
quarter mile stretch of the river, and all are just a short walk along the
trail from the parking lot. Some say that this is the best collection of falls
in the state. Most of the cascades have a good drop over a rocky ledge,
creating a pool of water below. Most of these gorges are good for swimming, so
if you go in the middle of a hot summer day, expect to find some locals cooling
off in the pool below the falls.
If you are looking for wildflowers growing in a natural
habitat, this is a great place. There are wildflowers that bloom from spring
through fall along the marsh found inside the forest on the north side of Route
219. In the spring there are trilliums, jack-in-the pulpit, forget-me-not and
skunk cabbage. If you're lucky and are there at bloom time, you'll find the
native ladies slipper orchids tucked away in the forest. Later in the summer,
the edges of the marsh fill up with water loving plants like the brilliant red
cardinal flower, turtlehead, wood aster and arrowhead.
When to go
 |
| Textural reeds at the marsh |
To photograph the wildflowers in the marsh, try going in
spring to catch the early blooms. It's great to go later in the summer season
when the marsh is dryer and it's easier to walk around and get up close. You'll
find a surprising amount of color with the brilliant red cardinal flowers,
turtlehead and other native flowers at their peak.
Tips and Techniques
A polarizer filter and neutral density filter are must-haves
when photographing waterfalls. To get the soft water effect, a slow shutter
speed is necessary, and these filters help reduce the light to get that cotton
candy effect. Use a tripod, and try taking multiple shots at shutter speeds
that are 1 stop apart, to use for HDR later. Combining shots into an HDR
program creates an extra softening effect on the moving water.
Directions
From the intersection of Route 10 and Route 20 in Granby,
head west on Route 20 for 3.8 miles to Route 219. Take Route 219 west for 1.4
miles to parking area on left with sign 'Enders State Forest'.
GPS coordinates: Latitude: 41.95417, Longitude: -72.87778
 |
| Wildflowers abound in the state forest like these flowers of the arrowhead plant |
 |
| Late summer cardinal flower glows beside the marsh |
Parking is available in the lot on Route 219, marked with
the sign 'Enders State Forest'. Head downhill along one of the trails leading
from the parking lot towards the river, where it meets an old road that runs
parallel to the water. The trail on the right end of the parking lot will take
you to the top waterfall. Follow the path downstream to the left to get to the other
five waterfalls in the series. Across the road, and a little further down,
there is a rough road leading to the wildflower marsh in the state forest. Park
along the road to access the marsh.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset.
No comments:
Post a Comment