Three people walk along the Hanock Rail Trail in autumn. (photo © Russ Cobb)

Trails

Get outside.

Explore the Great Outdoors

Whether you're looking for a gentle stroll or a challenging hike with rewarding views, the Harris Center has a trail for you. All of our trails are free of charge and open to the public year-round. Dogs are welcome, but they must be on-leash at all times.

All Are Welcome Here

All are welcome here, regardless of race, ethnicity, ability, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Please respect this living landscape and all who share it with you.

The view from the summit of Skatutakee Mountain. (photo © Lynne Pitts)

West Side Trails

The West Side Trails to Skatutakee Mountain, Thumb Mountain, and Cobb Hill in Hancock offer moderate to steep climbs up to dramatic vistas. Trail lengths range from 2.0 miles roundtrip up Cobb Hill to a 4.5-mile loop over the summits of both Thumb and Skatutakee. The Harriskat Trail is also home to a series of popular trailside wood carvings by local artist Jack McWhorter.

Parking: Park at the Harris Center for the Harriskat and Thumbs Down trails. The Cadot Trailhead is on Old Dublin Road, and the Cobb Hill Trailhead is on Jaquith Road, both in Hancock. The parking areas for the Cobb Hill and Cadot Trails may not be plowed in the winter months.

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Hikers consult the trail kiosk at the Harris Center. (photo © Brett Amy Thelen)

East Side Trails

The East Side trail system in Hancock features fairly easy hiking through cool hemlock and hardwood forests to huge glacial erratics. Trail lengths vary from 0.3 to 1.6 miles, with the potential to stitch together a loop hike of up to 4.5 miles via Old King’s Highway and the Dandelyon, Boulder Train Loop, Babbitt, and Channing Trails.

Parking: Park at the Harris Center for all the trails in the East Side network.

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The view from East Pinnacle on the Kulish Ledges Trail. (photo © Brett Amy Thelen)

Partridge Woods & Kulish Ledges

Partridge Woods and the adjacent Bailey Brook Conservation Corridor in Nelson offer more than 10 miles of hiking along old woods roads and newer trails past cellar holes, an old mill site, a scenic brook, several spectacular vistas, and the summit of Cheshire County’s second-highest peak (Osgood Hill: elevation 2233′). A variety of routes and hiking distances are possible.

Parking: You can access Partridge Woods & Kulish Ledges from two trailheads in Nelson: one off Brickyard Road, and another on Old Stoddard Road (“Partridge Woods North”), 2.5 miles north of Nelson village. This Partridge Woods North parking area links to the Bailey Brook and Kulish Ledges Trails via the new Priscilla’s Path and the Holt Trail. It is 0.8 mile from this new parking area to the junction of the Bailey Brook Trail, and 1.6 miles from the parking lot to the eastern terminus of the Bailey Brook Trail on Old Stoddard Road.

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The view of Dinsmore Pond from the Hiroshi Loop Trail. (photo © Will Holden)

Hiroshi Loop Trail

The 1.9-mile Hiroshi Loop Trail in Peterborough gently winds its way through field, forest, and along Nubanusit Brook, and offers a gorgeous view of Dinsmore Pond. It’s also home to two musical hiking experiences: The Singing Stream and In Fine Feather.

Parking: Trailhead parking is in the Hiroshi field on the east side of Route 137, 2.1 miles north of the intersection of Routes 101 and 137 in Dublin and just south of the Harrisville town line.

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A happy hiker snowshoes on the footbridge over Nubanusit Brook, on the Eastview Trail. (photo © Meade Cadot)

Eastview & North Pond Trails

The Eastview Trail in Harrisville runs 1.4 miles along the old rail bed for the Manchester & Keene Railroad line, which opened in 1878 and was abandoned in 1936. The nearby North Pond Trail follows the shore of North Pond for additional 1.6 miles.

Parking: You can access the both trails via a small trailhead off Hancock Road in Harrisville, just southeast of the North Pond dam and opposite a large granite abutment.

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Meade Cadot leads a group of hikers on a winter stroll along the Jaquith Rail Trail. (photo © Ben Conant)

Jaquith Rail Trail

The Jaquith Rail Trail in Harrisville and Hancock runs 1.5 miles along the old rail bed for the Manchester & Keene Railroad line, and includes a repurposed historic steel truss bridge across beautiful Jaquith Brook. It connects to the Eastview Trail at Jaquith Road in Harrisville.

Parking: You can access the Jaquith Rail Trail via a small trailhead off Jaquith Road in Hancock, just west of a large granite abutment.

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Autumn gold on the Old Dublin Road to Eaton Road Rail Trail. (photo © Brett Amy Thelen)

Old Dublin to Eaton Road Rail Trail

This section of trail offers an easy, flat 0.7-mile walk (oneway) along the old Manchester & Keene Railroad bed from Old Dublin Road to Eaton Road in Hancock. To extend your hike into a 2-mile loop with views of farm and field, follow the trail from Old Dublin Road to Eaton Road, take a right onto Eaton Road and another right when it joins Old Dublin Road, then follow Old Dublin Road back to your car.

Parking: To reach the trailhead from Hancock Village, head west on Main Street and turn left onto Old Dublin Road opposite the Hancock Post Office. Continue for 0.9 miles. Then, turn left into the driveway for #92, which is marked by a large boulder. Continue to the parking area.

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Contact Us

For more information on Harris Center trails, please contact Eric Masterson at (603) 525-3394 or by email.