This area offers a combination of excellent birding and easy walking along an old rail bed. The trails are well maintained and usually dry. Depending on where you park (at the boat launch, Hinsdale High School, or the end of River Road), the walk to the dam can take up to 45 minutes at a leisurely pace. The birding is excellent along the way. From spring through summer, area specialties include Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, and Orchard Oriole. The last is most easily found in the trees around the bluffs overlooking Lake Wantasiquet (the name for the body of water above the dam).