Jobs Pond - My Favorite NEK Foliage Location

[edmcguirk]

Jobs Pond is my favorite foliage location in the Northeast Kingdom. It is technically in the town of Westmore, but is located closer to Newark. You can reach it from either Rt. 114 and turning south onto Newark Road, or by heading north on Abbott Hill Road from W. Burke / Newark. The best access to Jobs Pond is from the public boat launch area at the south end of the pond. I first learned about Jobs Pond from reading Andy and Abby/Carols e-book "Photographing Vermont's Fall Foliage". This book, by the way, is an excellent resource, whether you are a leaf peeper or a photographer, it describes a lot of wonderful places and drives in great detail.

What I love most about Jobs Pond is the dramatic view of the towering cliffs of Jobs Mountain that come right up to the western edge of the pond. And if you are lucky enough to be there for peak foliage, there are many brilliant red maple trees lining the western shore of the pond beneath the cliffs. Some of the most intense red colors that I have seen in Vermont can be found at Jobs Pond. I was very fortunate to be photographing at Jobs Pond on the morning of 10/06/18 when a cold front passing through created some dramatic light and clouds. While the attached pictures below can give you a sense of what Jobs Pond was like on that morning, they do not fully do justice to the experience. This is because while this dramatic light show was happening, I was also enjoying hearing the haunting call of a loon across the pond. This morning was a special moment in nature in the Northeast Kingdom, and one that I'll not soon forget.

Be sure to click on the picture thumbnails below to see a larger version of the image.

[ctyanky]

Simply outstanding Ed! I was there last year as well, we were awestruct! It just got better and better with every angle! Jobs Pond is probably one of the best, if not THE best, places to catch the most memorable Vermont foliasm you could ever ask for!

By the way, these shots look excellent when you click on them for a larger size! CT

[ctyanky]

PS, I loved your visual and auditory capture of the scene as well. It created quite a "picture" indeed, especially with the call of the loon. That must have been quite the scene! A treat for the senses and a bonus to be surrounded by such an exquisite natural environment!

[Britchess]

Thanks for this! I'm heading up the second week of October and still making a list of places to check out/photograph.

[From_the_NEK]

Jobs is a GREAT location. Met CT and Carol there in 2016. That was a pretty good year)

Jobs cliff-0070 by Tim_NEK, on Flickr

Jobs cliff-0072 by Tim_NEK, on Flickr

And if you have a Kayak, it is a very nice place to paddle around:
Jobs Kayak-6963 by Tim_NEK, on Flickr

[ctyanky]

Tim: amazing shots! It was nice to see you there. I still have your magazine with your other winning images! It's nice to have a kayak to get views from the inside. Going on the Clyde River in a couple of weeks!

Tim and Ed: I am torn between Long Pond and Jobs Pond. Both were at the top of my list! How do you compare the two for scenery and photography angles?

We are going back when I'm in the NEK!

Britchess: You are going to love it there!!!! Go to Long Pond as well!

[triz]

Such a gorgeous place and stunning pictures!
I haven't had the chance to visit Jobs pond yet, hopefully I can come back to VT next year when my daughter will be a bit older

My wife and I were lucky enough to see other beautiful VT ponds in our last two trips (thanks to suggestions from you guys).
The highlight was certainly Lefferts pond (October 14th, 2017):

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/487 ... fee1_b.jpg

And also Equinox pond last year (October 13th, 2018):

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/487 ... 7998_b.jpg

The Equinox pond was likely a bit past peak but still awesome!

[edmcguirk]

Tim, those are great shots of Jobs Pond, makes me wish I could rent a canoe up there, you have some unique perspectives from the water.

And I agree with MMVT, we are lucky to have some Vermont locals willing to share their knowledge and advice with us Flatlanders.

I was born in Vermont, but have lived so long in Massachusetts now that I must officially qualify as a Flatlander

[edmcguirk]

Tim: amazing shots! It was nice to see you there. I still have your magazine with your other winning images! It's nice to have a kayak to get views from the inside. Going on the Clyde River in a couple of weeks!

Tim and Ed: I am torn between Long Pond and Jobs Pond. Both were at the top of my list! How do you compare the two for scenery and photography angles?

We are going back when I'm in the NEK!

Britchess: You are going to love it there!!!! Go to Long Pond as well!

I prefer Jobs Pond for it wilderness feeling due to it's relative lack of houses, compared to Longs Pond, which has a lot.
It's also tough to beat those cliffs and red maples. But Long Pond is nice in it's own way, and it's so close by, why not do both ?

[triz]

Thank you Carol,
Equinox pond really is a beautiful location, and the nearby town of Bennington is very lovely.

[ctyanky]

Hey Triz: Did you perhaps mean to say Equinox Pond is near the town of Manchester rather than Bennington? If not, I haven't been to any near Bennington. And I would like to find it.

Nonetheless, your shot is one of the best I have seen. It usually peaks around Columbus Day. Last year with the delays in foliage, it was a tad late (I stayed in town and the foliage was a week late) but I think you got the best shot so not sure it was really past peak! I've been a couple of times, and I was just there hiking a couple of weeks ago! It is truly one of the nicest hidden gems in the Manchester area. There is a boat house on the shores for a lovely setting for photography.

For anyone interested, the hike in on the Equinox Preservation Trust is the easiest one on their impeccably laid out trail system and not to be missed. Triz, I think you can take the stroller there too if you go next year with your new baby girl!

https://www.equinoxpreservationtrust.org/guide.php

https://www.equinoxpreservationtrust.org/mapdown.php

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Equinox- ... 8748259272

POND LOOP—1.2 km (0.75 mi.)—Easy loop through beautiful hardwoods around Equinox Pond on a level woods road. Allowed uses: hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, horseback riding, snowmobiling (owner supervised).

Don't miss Emerald Lake State Park! Another beauty!

[triz]

Ahah yes, I meant Manchester.
Our B&B was is Bennington, which is also lovely and is not that far

And to be fair, that shot was taken by my wife so she gets all the credits!

[standupphotog]

That was a fun morning, Ed!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqqZLO9lo4J

Looking forward to heading down in a few weeks.
(to VT, that is... where exactly, still TBD)

[Andy]

Thanks, Ed, for your kind work about the book. As you might imagine, it was a (many hours) "labor of love."

Best regards,

[edmcguirk]

That was a fun morning, Ed!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqqZLO9lo4J

Looking forward to heading down in a few weeks.
(to VT, that is... where exactly, still TBD)

standupphotog, you must be the fellow from the Ottawa area if my memory is correct. Yes, that was a pretty special morning, and it's nice to see your images from that shoot here.