Back to the Nashua River Rail Trail today. This is still one of my favorite places, in all seasons. After a dry winter & early spring, recent rains have brought out the wildflowers along the trail, including the columbines that I know will be gone before my next visit. Today’s walk was from Gilson Road in Nashua, New Hampshire to Rt. 113 in Pepperell, Massachusetts.
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests headquarters is in Concord, off of I-93’s exit 16. Follow signs for “conservation center”, and you’ll find the headquarters on Portsmouth Street.
The Forest Society trail network at this property runs along the Merrimack River and includes a pine plantation, a silver maple forest, floodplain, and a river cove with a canoe landing. The traffic sounds from nearby I-93 are easy to ignore. In this drought, the river is quiet, but the sharply-cut banks indicate how high the Merrimack can run in a rainy season.
I stayed here longer today than I had intended, stretching a quick lunchtime walk into an hour. The trail is flat & sandy; no boots required. The bugs are out, so bring your insect repellent. This is an undramatic, peaceful spot for a walk, and it’s open from dawn to dusk.
I took my husband up on his invitation to join him and his running buddies in Mason, New Hampshire this morning. Beautiful day, lots of sun, 40 degrees or so at 8 a.m. We agreed to meet back in the Parker’s Maple Barn parking lot at 9:30, and I left the runners to follow their own paths. I walked toward the rail trail that runs through Mason from the Massachusetts border north to Wilton and then west to Greenville.
Mason has hills. Not steep hills, but hills nonetheless. Brookline Road heading northwest from Parker’s makes a steady climb up to County Road and continues fairly level to a sharp left turn. At that point, I went straight onto unpaved Scripps Road, a dead end with no-parking signs all along one side. Soon, I emerged onto the rail trail.
(Update, 2020: that access point is no longer a formal trailhead. Please respect private property. A trailhead with parking is at the trail crossing on Depot Road, less than a mile south of Scripps via Brookline Road. Parking for the trail is also available where it crosses Pratt Pond Road.)
This is a decently-maintained trail, wide as a boulevard, with unremarkable but pleasant woodland scenery. It must make a great snowmobile trail in winter.
I know from long-ago hikes on more northerly segments of the trail that I could have walked in peace all day if I’d had the time. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop today at Pratt Pond, probably the prettiest spot on the Mason trail.
Although close to town roads, the trail’s peace and quiet are remarkable. Aside from a plane passing far overhead, the only sounds were birdsong and wind in the trees.
I walked back to Parker’s Maple Barn and met up with my husband and friends for an excellent breakfast. As is usually the case with Parker’s on a Saturday morning, there was a short wait for a table. Believe me, it’s worth it. (Try stuffed French toast and a mug of maple coffee. Trust me.)
I spent this uncommonly warm April day driving upstate to Bethlehem, Littleton, and finally Lancaster. This is a blog about southern New Hampshire trails, but today’s trip was pleasant enough to rate a mention.
I found my way to the auto road up Mt. Prospect at Weeks State Park. The road is closed to auto traffic until sometime later this spring, but pedestrians may leave their cars at the base of the road and walk to the top. A pullout with a view of the Presidential Range makes walking even halfway up the road well worth the effort.
I didn’t walk all the way to Mt. Prospect’s summit on this trip, but I encourage readers to do so if they get a chance. The summit’s fire tower is unique. Instead of the usual metal skeleton, this one is a flagstone tower. This is an active firespotting station, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be there on a day when it’s staffed & the cab is open to the public. As you’d expect, the views are outstanding.
The entrance to Weeks State Park is on U.S. 3 in Lancaster, about 2 miles north of the Whitefield town line. Details are available at nhstateparks.org.
I spent a couple of hours at Pawtuckaway State Park in Raymond yesterday, still waiting on southern New Hampshire’s first snowfall of the season. Great time for a visit! I came in the “back” way, via Reservation Road in Deerfield, parking at the Round Pond Trailhead alongside a couple of other vehicles. I had no company on my walk to Tower Road and the fire tower. I’d never been to the tower without finding dozens of other hikers there, and I rather liked having the view to myself.
I enjoyed the sunny December day, but there was too much haze for me to catch sight of the Boston skyline.
(Update: Pawtuckaway State Park’s popularity skyrocketed during the Covid pandemic, prompting the state of New Hampshire to institute a reservation system for parking and beach use. The system has outlived the pandemic. Especially on weekends and holidays, check the park’s website for reservation information.)
Updated web link inserted, 2026.
The Oak Hill trails in Concord, New Hampshire branch out from a parking area on Shaker Road, where ten cars (maybe a dozen, in a pinch) can fit comfortably. From NH Route 132 in the northeast part of town, turn onto Shaker Road and continue for about 2.4 miles. Watch for a sign on the right with a parking area.
The forested hill is laced with trails, with good vistas here and there. The fire tower at the summit, on the Concord-Loudon line, is a bonus, and you can get there by following Tower Trail, which is about two miles long and has signage along the way. Print out your map from the City of Concord’s website so you can find your way around the trail network.
My trail report from a visit on December 18, 2010:
Tower Trail is free of obstructions. The few bridges are intact. Oak Hill is still snowless, and the trail itself is ice-free except for a few small areas in the last few hundred yards leading to the tower. The frozen ground is covered with leaves that can be a bit slippery, and the surface is a bit uneven with rocks and roots. In other words, this is a typical woods walk.
The last quarter-mile or so follows a power line straight to the fire tower, which is dwarfed by a pair of cell towers. The cab is unstaffed and locked this time of year. I was able to climb to the platform just below the cab, stopping at each landing to wonder just what the fire warden was supposed to survey. I had to get to the platform before the view and the breeze really opened up. Warner’s Mt. Kearsarge dominated the view to the west-northwest. There are hills in all directions, none of them snowcapped yet, though my view was limited by distant haze.
It’s about 500 feet of vertical rise from the trailhead to the tower, with a gentle grade. The hike took me 50 minutes each way, and a more fit walker could undoubtedly cut that time considerably. The full trail network on the hill covers about 7 miles, so a hiker could easily spend a day exploring the area. There are no toilet facilities at the trailhead.
The trailhead is less than 15 minutes’ drive from the State House, and the trail is in great shape. I’ll be back.
Granite State Walker 