Paradise Point Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, located on the north shore of Newfound Lake, includes 43 acres with 3,500 feet of rocky, unspoiled lakeshore.

In the early 1960s, Colonel and Mrs. Alcott Elwell gave this property to the New Hampshire Charitable Fund, which donated it to the Audubon Society of New Hampshire in 1966. Through a challenge grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Fund, contributors, and volunteers, Paradise Point Nature Center was constructed in 1969 to offer environmental education services to people of all ages.

Newfound Lake is a glacial lake that is noted for its depth, clarity, and purity. A deep river valley before the glaciers, the ice sheet scoured it deeper and then filled the valley with glacial debris. The debris dammed that water to form a very deep lake – even deeper than it is now – and presently it reaches a depth of 180 feet. Evidence of the glaciers can be seen throughout the Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary’s varied habitats entice many neo-tropical bird migrants each spring and summer. Many Warblers, Thrushes, Vireos, and Scarlet Tanagers have been found here.

The marked trails at the Sanctuary are open year-round from dawn to dusk.

In 1860, the Hebron Marsh was farmland and pasture. The Ash Cottage was part of a large farm tract owned by the Crosby family. In 1935, this property was purchased by the Norton family. In 1979, Hope Norton Iaccaci donated the property in memory of her husband, Paul Thayer Iaccaci.

The Sanctuary includes 34 acres on both sides of North Shore Road and contains the only marsh on Newfound Lake. This wetland area was formed at the mouth of the Cockermouth River when the lake was dammed.