Walking south along the rail bed from the parking area will bring you through mixed hardwood forest and past various wetlands straddling the rail bed, though some are difficult to view from the main trail itself. Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Vireo, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher are fairly numerous nesters here and can be expected on trips between May and September. The wetlands nearby hold nesting Wood Duck, Green Heron, Virginia Rail, and others. Migrant passerines can be an obvious presence in the spring and fall and Mitchell Pond frequently holds migrant waterfowl.

The former rail bed (now a paved, multi-use trail) to Mitchell Pond is an easy level hike of around three miles each way that provides some good woodland and wetland birding.

From I-93 exit 3, take a left (heading west) on route 111 for 1.5 miles. Take a right on Church Road and then quickly a right onto North Lowell Road. Follow this for 2.4 miles to the intersection with Depot Road. There is a country store at the corner. If you reach a gas station, you’ve gone a shade too far.

The old Boston and Maine rail bed can be accessed from near the intersection of Depot Road and North Lowell Road. First, the Taylor Farm just south of the intersection has nesting Bobolinks among others, and may be worth a quick stop. From there, go and park in the lot south of Depot Road a few hundred yards east of the intersection.

The TrailLink website has information on hikes on the Windham Rail Trail.