Rhododendron State Park, Botanical garden and National Natural Landmark in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, US.
Rhododendron State Park is a botanical garden and National Natural Landmark in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. It contains a 16-acre stand of Rhododendron Maximum plants accessible via a 0.6-mile loop trail, surrounded by more than 1,100 acres of forest.
The park began in 1901 when Mary Lee Ware donated the land to the Appalachian Mountain Club to protect it from logging. The site received its designation as a National Natural Landmark in 1982.
The Old Patch Place cottage at the park entrance displays local building styles from earlier times and appears on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. This structure connects visitors to how people lived and built in this region during past generations.
The park is open year-round, with the best time to visit in mid-July when flowers are in full bloom. Accessible trails are available, and the location connects to the wider Metacomet-Monadnock hiking network for extended outings.
This protected area holds the largest of nineteen stands of Rhododendron Maximum in central and northern New England, marking their northernmost natural habitat range. This rare northern population makes the park a valuable location for studying how plants adapt to different climates.
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