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.

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.

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.

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.