Houston Fields, located off of Pine St. behind Hopkinton’s Town Library and Senior Center, is the gemstone of the town’s recreation facilities. It is designed to serve all age groups from the very young to the elderly and it is the home for most town-sponsored team recreation activities.

At present it is comprised of two full-sized soccer fields, two multi-purpose fields used for lacrosse, soccer and football, an official little league field and a children’s playground. Picnic areas, one with views of the entire park, have been developed near the playground.

Wheelchair accessible paths and nature viewing locations are also available. The trails on Houston Park connect with the town-owned Stevens Rail Trail to the north.

The Hopkinton Village Greenway – 4.5 miles of walking trails – connects town forests and conservation lands surrounding Hopkinton Village. The Greenway links existing trails on Hawthorne Forest, Ransmeier Woods and Kimball Lake with new trails on other town parcels, private lands and Class 6 roads. The trail offers a unique opportunity for walkers of all ages to experience the natural lands that lie within a short distance of the Village center.

Directions:
The Greenway can be accessed at the trailhead parking areas at Kimball Lake, Ransmeier Woods, and Hawthorne Forest, or from the center of Hopkinton Village.

Walking times:
Approximately 2 ½ hours to complete the entire Greenway. Shorter loops are available by walking individual sections and following town roads or other trails back to starting point.

The Conservation Commission’s vision for a greenbelt of protected land around Hopkinton Village began in the early 1990’s following the acquisition of Hawthorne Forest. The Commission developed trails at Hawthorne Forest and Kimball Lake (donated to the town in 1982) and linked them to New Road, a Class 6 road off South Road. Gradually the Conservation Commission, with help from Open Space Bond funds and other funding sources, acquired additional lands surrounding the village center. Today, nearly 400 acres are protected around the village.

The Hopkinton Greenway trail was developed and is maintained by an all-volunteer crew, under the leadership of the Conservation Commission. The trail is made possible by the generosity of private landowners who have permitted the trail to cross through their lands.

Trail Description

The 4-5 mile trail is marked with yellow blazes, arrows and signs. Starting at Kimball Lake and walking in a clockwise direction, the trail breaks into five sections:

Kimball Lake to Hopkinton center: 1.23 miles
Beginning at the parking area at Kimball Lake, the trail follows an old woods road along the lake. The trail skirts the edge of the water, then winds by wetlands and streams before joining the unmaintained section of New Road. Turn right on New Road and continue to South Road. Follow South Road to the center of Hopkinton by the Cracker Barrel Store.

Hopkinton center to Route 103: .84 mile
At the Cracker Barrel store, cross Route 202, turn left (Veteran’s Park will be on your right), and follow along the road to Old Putney Hill Road. Follow Old Putney Road .3 miles to a woods road on the right. The trail winds its way through forested land owned by the Hopkinton Village Precinct and the town’s Aqueduct Lot. Cross Route 103 to pick up the trail on the opposite side of the road.

Route 103 to Stagecoach Rd at Sweatt Preserve: .61 mile
This section begins on the northeast side of Hopkinton Road on the Ransmeier Woods property. A short section crosses over boardwalks and bridges before joining the existing blue trail of Ransmeier Woods. Turn left at the trail junction and follow the blue trail to its intersection with the Greenway. Turn left on the Greenway, heading north across private land to the junction with Old Stagecoach Road. The trail emerges directly across from the trail on the Sweatt Preserve.

Note: From the parking area at the Ransmeier Woods trailhead (next to the Police Station on Hopkinton Road), follow the orange trail to the blue trail, cross over the footbridge and continue on the blue trail to its junction with the Greenway.

Stagecoach Road to Hawthorne Forest trailhead: .79 mile
Turn right on Stagecoach Road and continue .2 mile to Briar Hill Road. Turn right on Briar Hill and look for the Greenway trail on the left. The trail follows an unmaintained town road up the hill to Rollins Road. The upper portion of the public way serves as a driveway for several homes off Rollins Road. Cross Rollins Road and pick up the trail on the other side. The trail parallels Rollins Road until it joins the trailhead parking area at Hawthorne Forest.

Hawthorne Forest trailhead to Kimball Lake trailhead: 1.15 miles
Follow the Hawthorne Forest trail from the parking area, through the woods and across the footbridge. After the bridge, turn right and follow the yellow blazes to the connector trail to Main Street. Turn right on this trail (marked “to Main Street”), and turn right again on Main Street. It is .3 mile back along Main Street to Kimball Lake.

Connector from Greenway to Putney Hill Road and Dolly Road
In the fall of 2014, a new trail section was built to connect the Greenway to the historic sites on Putney Hill Road and to Dolly Road via the First Parsonage Road trail. The trail connector begins on Putney Hill Road at the historic cellar hole identified as the “First Parsonage”. To the east, the trail crosses a field and follows stone walls on the Aqueduct Lot town forest where it connects with the Greenway. Along this section of the trail, recent logging opened a view to the northeast. To the west of the First Parsonage site, the trail follows the old roadway downhill to Dolly Road.

This 111-acre forest is located close to the center of Hopkinton Village, yet the well used hiking trail has a wild and remote feeling as it passes through thick hemlock groves and a steep gorge. The Hawthorne Forest trails connect to the Hopkinton Village Greenway.

Directions:
From Hopkinton Village, proceed north on Briar Hill Road for 0.3 miles, then right on Rollins Road for 0.3 miles. The parking pullout is located on the right.

Walking times:
Full 1.7 mile loop: 40 minutes. Shortened loop via cut-off trail: 25 minutes.

This 97-acre town-owned lot is located along the Contoocook River adjacent to the Mast Yard State Forest and Concord Broad Cove City Forest. Access to the lot is from a logging road that starts under the power lines on Broad Cove Road. The road follows the power lines for a short distance and then turns left and runs along the Town Line all the way to an old railroad bed.

The railroad bed is a heavily used recreational trail, especially by snowmobilers in the winter months. A hiking loop was constructed by the Hopkinton Boy Scout Troop in the early 1980s.

Contoocook Overlook Loop (yellow blazes):
This loop trail was added in the fall of 2016 to provide access to Horne Town Forest, a 14-acre parcel acquired in 2015. The new town forest is surrounded by Bohanan Farm at the confluence of the Blackwater and Contoocook Rivers. The trail to the overlook leaves the Blackwater River Loop at the half way point, adding ¾ of a mile to the Blackwater Loop (2.2 miles total with the overlook trail). The trail follows a bluff above the Blackwater River before turning toward the Contoocook River where an overlook provides beautiful views where the two rivers converge. The trail climbs a short hill to a bluff along the Contoocook River, follows through mature woodlands with views over Bohanan fields, and rejoins the Blackwater River Loop.

History

The 14-acre Horne Town Forest was acquired by the Town in 2015 through the efforts of the Conservation Commission. The property had been privately owned by multiple owners. Located in the middle of Bohanan Farm, the parcel had no road access but had valuable river frontage on both the Blackwater and Contoocook Rivers.

The Conservation Commission, working with town officials, was able to acquire the land through tax deeds as well as the generosity of one of the owners, Donelda Horne. In appreciation of her effort to sell this property for the enjoyment of town residents, the property was named Horne Town Forest.