Tyler Landing Town Forest / Pamela Blackford Canoe Launch and Walking Path

Tyler Landing is a 5.7-acre Town Forest located on Penacook Road near Tyler Bridge. The property protects 1,100 feet of frontage on the Contoocook River. The name Tyler Landing is a reference to the ferry that shuttled travelers across the Contoocook River from this property before a bridge was built.

Thanks to generous funding from the Blackford family, the property has been enhanced for public access with a canoe launch, walking trail, and small parking area.

Directions:
From Contoocook or Hopkinton Villages, take Penacook Road towards the Transfer Station. The property is located next to Tyler Bridge on the west side of Penacook Road, across the Contoocook River from Bohanan Farm. The access drive is marked with a Tyler Landing sign.

Walking path: Walking path: .3-mile loop Canoe Launch: From the parking area, follow the path along the fence, cross the metal bridge, and turn right toward the river.

History:

Tyler Landing was acquired by the town in 2021 with funding provided by the Hopkinton Conservation Commission and the NH Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund, a grant program administered by NH Department of Environmental Services to protect community water sources. The property is located within four miles of the Riverhill intake for the City of Concord water supply.

The Pamela Blackford canoe launch and walking path was generously donated by the Blackford family in memory of Pamela, a long-time Hopkinton resident who loved paddling on the river. Pam came to Hopkinton in 1958 when she married John Blackford, an owner of HMC Corporation in Contoocook. They raised their three children in town and were active members of the Hopkinton community until they moved to a retirement community in 2011. The Blackfords were inspired to give back to the town of Hopkinton in appreciation for their many years in town, wanting to provide residents some of the same outdoor recreation opportunities that their family enjoyed. A beautifully crafted wooden bench along the trail, dedicated to Pam Blackford, offers a quiet respite along the river.

History of Ferry Crossing, from “Life and Times in Hopkinton NH” by C.C. Lord:

A historic marker located across the river on Bohanan Farm (near the parking area off Penacook Road) notes the site of Hopkinton’s first ferry: “First Ferry in Hopkinton 1766; First Public Bridge 1779”.

In “Life and Times in Hopkinton NH”, author C.C. Lord wrote about a second ferry authorized by the Town in 1772 and operated by Thomas Bickford until the first bridge was built in 1779:

“On the 29th of December, 1772, a vote was passed to build a ferry ” over Contoocook river,” and Captain Putney, Lieutenant Chandler, and Lieutenant Straw were made a committee to effect the purpose. This seems to have been a second ferry, below Contoocook village, at a point near the spot where Tyler’s bridge is now located. This ferry was, for a longer or shorter time, managed by Thomas Bickford. On March 1, 1773, the following acts in relation to this ferry were passed: Voted to give Mr Thomas Bigford the ferra and the old Boat as it is now with his Coming under Bonds to free the Town from all Charges Relating the feary and his Building and Keeping a Boate Sufficiant to Drive in a Cart with one yoake of oxen and a Load for Six During his Life.

The location of the old Bickford ferry is now recognizable, the place being a few rods up the river from Tyler’s bridge, where vestiges of the ancient appointments remain.”

From “Life and Times in Hopkinton NH”, by C.C. Lord, Published 1890

Karen’s Woods is a 75-acre Town Forest donated by David Dufault in memory of his wife Karen. The property, located near the intersection of Dolly Road and Maple Street, includes a mile-long trail that leads to a scenic viewpoint over a vast, open wetland. This significant wetland provides valuable habitat for wildlife and contains the drainage from Gould and Putney Hills before flowing into the Contoocook River in downtown Contoocook.

Directions:
Parking is available on Dolly Road, .1 mile from its intersection with Maple Street. The parking lot is not plowed in winter but there is adequate space for cars on the shoulder of Dolly Road.

Walking path: 1-mile loop. Follow the signs labeled ‘Loop Trail’ to the foot bridge where visitors can enjoy views over the wetland to the backside of Gould Hill. From the Loop Trail, a connector trail leads to the Dearborn Christmas Tree Farm on Cross Road.

Note: Hunting is not permitted on Karen’s Woods.

History:

David Dufault donated this 75-acre property to the Town of Hopkinton in 2024 in memory of his wife, Karen Brown Dufault. Karen especially loved the serenity she found in these woods. Dave and Karen, who lived on Stony Brook Lane, began acquiring adjacent parcels during the 1970’s and enjoyed accessing the ‘backland’ from their home. Dave took great pride in managing the land for timber. He developed trails from skidder roads and generously permitted neighbors to use these trails. Some of these logging roads are incorporated into the Loop Trail.

Dave Dufault gifted this parcel so that it could be enjoyed “as a refuge for everyone, where anyone can retreat from the hustle and bustle of this modern life and enjoy the flora and fauna that the Lord has graciously provided for the pleasure of all”.

At Town Meeting in March 2025, voters approved designation as a Town Forest. In November 2025, over 50 people attended the official dedication of Karen’s Woods. Special thanks to Ron Klemarczyk, Chair of the Hopkinton Conservation Commission, for overseeing construction of the parking area, access road, loop trail and footbridge, and to the many volunteers who helped clear the trail and build the bridge.

The Hopkinton Conservation Commission intends to continue the careful forest management that Dave Dufault initiated.

Putney Hill – Hopkinton Village Greenway Connector

This trail connects Putney Hill Road, just north of its intersection with Old Putney Hill Road, to the Hopkinton Village Greenway, approximately .4 miles south from Hopkinton Road/Route 103. Marked with blue blazes, the trail crosses an open field on privately owned land and along stone walls to Town-owned property known as the “Aqueduct Lot”, previously a well-field for the Hopkinton Village Precinct. Along this section of the trail, recent logging opened a view to the northeast. The trail continues downhill to where it connects with the Hopkinton Village Greenway.

First Parsonage Trail

This is an old town road, now Class VI, which begins on the west side of Putney Hill Road near the historic marker and cellar hole designating the site of Hopkinton’s First Parsonage, located approximately .4 miles south of Hopkinton Road/Route 103. It is a short and pleasant downhill walk to Dolly Road. Many folks use this trail as a loop walk or fitness run which includes other routes on town roads or the trail network on Putney Hill Road which heads east to the Hopkinton Village Greenway or west to Cross Road toward Contoocook Village.

The Little Tooky Trail, on the Rollins Lot, was built in 2019 as a collaborative effort between the Hopkinton Conservation Commission and Boy Scout Troop 77.

The trail, which can be accessed from a parking area .2 miles down Little Tooky Road, is a 1-mile loop through an oak-pine forest. Walkers can find evidence of past farming and pasture land in abandoned farm equipment and old sheep fencing.

A recent logging operation created openings where raspberries and blueberries abound. The trail connects to the abandoned track of the Concord-Claremont Railroad line that went from Concord to the tip of Lake Sunapee.

For a longer walk, start at the gazebo in Riveryway Park and follow the Little Tooky Trail signs through the Village and the Contoocook cemetery to the trailhead on Little Tooky Trail. Visit the Depot Museum at Riverway Park to learn more about the historic Concord-Claremont line.

Walking Times:
From trailhead on Little Tooky Road: 1 mile, 30 minutes
From Riverway Park: 2.5 miles, 1 to 1-1/4 hour

The Sweatt Preserve Nature Trail is located alongside Old Stagecoach Road near Hopkinton Village, a dirt road that rises from Briar Hill Road up to Gould Hill. Consisting of a 2-mile pathway marked by a roadside sign, the trail leads hikers and snowshoers deep into the forest, over brooks, up a slight hill, around a loop, and back to the start. Nature trail brochures are available at the trailhead, providing an overview of the property’s history and natural features.

This woodland trail is a great one for kids, with its two footbridges over a brook, hidden away in a hemlock grove at the bottom of a steep ravine. After the stream and a short climb, the trail loops back through thinly wooded former pasture land edged with stone walls. The property is owned and managed by Five Rivers Conservation Trust.

Directions:
From Hopkinton Village, follow Briar Hill Road 0.8 mile to Old Stagecoach Road. The trailhead is 0.2 mile up Old Stagecoach Road on the right. Park along the side of the road.

Walking times:
Full one-mile loop: 30 minutes

This 73-acre property is located on the right side of Old Stagecoach Road as you go up the hill, just 0.2 mile from its intersection with Briar Hill Road.

The nature trail begins off Old Stagecoach Road where a small sign and pull-out marks the trailhead. The trail enters a mixed forest before gradually descending to a tributary of Dolf Brook. The trail crosses a small drainage way and follows along the stream through a canopy of mature hemlocks.

Scattered throughout the preserve are massive boulders, several of which are visible from the trail. At approximately 0.4 miles, a small bridge crosses the stream and the trail climbs the slope, looping through an upland hardwood forest before descending back along the stream and returning to the point of beginning on Old Stagecoach Road.

The Sweatt Preserve was generously given to Five Rivers Conservation Trust in 2003 by Nancy N. Sweatt in loving memory of her husband, Robert A. Sweatt. Robert was a decorated veteran of World War II. During his many years in the service, he lived in various locations around the globe. His love for his boyhood town of Hopkinton and his land on Old Stagecoach Road never diminished. He and his wife were committed to preserving this land as a preserve for all to enjoy. The trail was built and maintained by volunteers from Five Rivers Conservation Trust.