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.

At approximately 660 acres, the Samuel Myron Chase Wildlife Sanctuary is currently the third-largest Audubon sanctuary in New Hampshire. Its relatively large size compasses a good diversity of wildlife habitats.

In 1931, Samuel Myron Chase left in trust 63 acres of wooded land in the town of Hopkinton. Samuel Chase had a life-long interest in and concern for wildlife and wished his land to be held in trust as a greenbelt around the town of Hopkinton, “where the axe of the lumberman shall never ring again, and where New Hampshire bird life, wildflowers, and animals shall be protected in perpetuity.”

The seed he planted has led to steady growth of the sanctuary, which is now approximately 660 acres. The greenbelt Chase envisioned those many decades ago is slowly coming to fruition.

Directions: From Rte. 202/9 in Hopkinton, turn onto Jewett Road. The trail head is 1.7 miles on the right.

The Carson property abuts the town-owned Brockway Preserve and is managed as part of that parcel.

This parcel of about 30 acres was purchased with money from the Open Space bond in 2004. The town has conveyed a conservation easement on the property to Five Rivers Conservation Trust. The parcel’s many streams and wet areas are not conducive to development of a trail system, but do help to protect downstream water quality.

The trail on the marshy John Brockway Nature Preserve is short but compensates with handsome views across the old mill pond and lots of birdlife. The property is jointly managed by New Hampshire Audubon and the Hopkinton Conservation Commission.

Directions:
From Jewett Road, turn onto Farrington Corner Road (by Family Tree Health Care). After 1.5 miles, look for small parking area on your left where there is a Brockway dedication plaque on a granite boulder.

Walking times:
McArnerny Marsh Loop (yellow blazes): 10 minutes.
Verville-Benson Pond Loop (red blazes): 15 minutes

The trail on this marshy parcel is short but compensates with handsome views across the old mill pond and lots of birdlife. The property is jointly managed by New Hampshire Audubon and the Hopkinton Conservation Commission.

This 98-acre town-owned lot is located on the northeast side of Farrington Corner Road, across from the Brockway Road intersection. Although the trail is not long, it compensates with handsome views across the old mill pond and swamps along Boutwell Mill Brook, and the lot contains numerous vernal pools and seeps. A unique feature of the lot is that it was used as water storage system for two water-powered mills. The trail starts by crossing the old fieldstone dam, and one mill foundation is still visible on the southwest side of Farrington Corner Road. Once across the old dam, the trail incorporates old woods roads and has side loops to the various wetland areas.

History

The preserve was acquired by the town in 1993, funded in part by Dorothy Brockway Osborne in memory of her great grandfather, John G. Brockway, whose farm was located nearby. Although Dorothy Osborne was born in New York City and spent most of her life there (for many years as headmistress of the prestigious Spence School), she never forgot her family roots in Hopkinton. When she helped the town acquire the preserve, she gave an endowment to New Hampshire Audubon to run educational programs on the property. The property is jointly managed by New Hampshire Audubon and the Hopkinton Conservation Commission. Dorothy Osborne passed on in 2001 at the age of 103.