Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition
| Trail Guide 5 |
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Springfield/New London Road to Great Brook Bridge
Total Distance: 8.7 miles Estimated time: 6 hours
Total Ascents: 950 feet Total Descents: 1700 feet
Overview: The portion of the SRKG in Springfield is called the Protectworth Trail, the original name given to the land by the Portsmouth proprietors. The town name was changed to Springfield at its incorporation in 1778. After passing by mica mines and crossing Royal Arch Hill, the trail drops to Kidder Brook, climbs and crosses a ridge to the source of Great Brook, then descends along Great Brook to near the northwest end of Pleasant Lake in New London.
Finding the Trailheads: The western trailhead is on the east side of the Springfield Road, NH 114, and 1.5 mi. north of the road to Georges Mills. Park on the right, nearly opposite where the Protectworth Trail from Baptist Pond and Stony Brook Road emerges. The eastern trailhead is at the north end of Pleasant Street, which leaves New London's Main Street, NH 114, opposite Tracy Memorial Library. Go north on Pleasant St. (2.0 mi.) and park in a New London Conservation Commission parking area on the right after crossing Great Brook.
Trail: From the western trailhead parking area the trail turns south on NH 114. A short section of the western end is on private land between NH 114 and Webster Pass Road. Owners of the new home built close to Webster Pass Road have given the Greenway permission to reroute the trail on their land. Please take special care to stay on trail where it crosses a corner of their rear yard. This trail is a continuation of the Protectworth Trail. At 0.2 mi. the trail leaves the road and enters the woods on the left. Staying to the right of a stone wall, the trail climbs to Webster Pass, a Class VI road. Local folklore has it that the Pass earned its name by being the route that Daniel Webster used to drive his sheep (his tuition) on his way to attend Dartmouth College in Hanover. The trail turns right on the Pass and at 0.4 mi. leaves it, turning up to the left. Notice the group of large oaks on the right, which were probably sprouts that grew from the stump when the parent tree was felled. The trail starts a steep ascent and at 0.7 mi. crosses up and over a stone wall and turns left. Above on the right is an abandoned mica mine and there is mica in the rocks on the trailside. A sharp turn to the right and one switchback brings the trail to the ridge top.
The trail levels out and passes through a section of softwoods. At 1.2 mi. notice the wide-spaced ridges across the trail, remnants of past agriculture. Probably potatoes or corn were planted in these ridges. At 1.3 mi. the trail crosses a stone wall, turns right, and for a short distance follows an old road. The old stone walls, which have been bordering the road, swing to the left and the trail continues straight ahead, entering a section of turns to the Cliffs and Caves Clearing. A short detour down to the ledge face on the right will explain its name. At this clearing the trail bears left slightly and passes into the Gile Forest. The boundary is well marked with blue blazes. After a softwood section at the ridge top, the forest becomes mixed as the trail descends. The trail crosses a small wet area and bears left to the ridge top and the East Overall and North Overall viewpoints (signs on trees) (1.9 mi.). A short trail to the left goes to North Overall from where Morgan Pond can be seen to the north. The SRKG continues to East Overall (20 yd. farther) from which Ragged Mountain can be seen to the northeast and Mount Kearsarge to the east.
From the Overalls the trail turns right and south towards the side trail to Royal Arch. The SRKG descends through a mixed hardwood forest and continues on with minimal climbing, passing up and over a small ledge area and then by a vernal pool. A pleasant section of trail leads to a ledge/moss section just before passing the end of a stone wall and leaving the Gile Forest. From here the trail descends through primarily softwoods and enters a long clearing blanketed with ferns.
At 2.8 mi. a red-blazed spur trail to the right leads to the top of the Royal Arch ledge with a good view of Lake Sunapee to the south and the microwave relay tower. This short spur trail is the only way to return to the SRKG (see * for emergency bail out). The main trail continues to the east, climbs and descends three times as it passes along the southern side of Royal Arch Hill, then descends and crosses Kidder Brook at 3.9 mi. Warning, we have "decommissioned" the rotting and slippery bridge crossing Kidder Brook north of Perley Road. Best crossing is now over stepping rocks on the down stream side of the bridge. Rebuilding of a safer bridge is scheduled for Spring 2008. Spruce logs suitable for carrying a better-designed, longer-lasting bridge were sawn by Andy Hager and skinned by Ralph Spofford. The logs, drying while awaiting construction, lie west of the brook. The trail from the brook to Royal Arch was cleared of multiple blow-downs and over growth in mid-June 2007. At 4.1 mi. the SRKG reaches an unnamed gravel road, a bail out point (see ** for bail out) and turns right.
After walking 170 yd. southeast on the gravel road the SRKG turns left onto a 0.2-mi.-long link to the gravel Perley Road and turns left (north) onto Perley Road. At 5.2 mi. it turns right onto Old Poor Road, a woods road. At 5.4 mi. follow the Great Brook Trail, which leaves the Old Poor Road at a trail sign on the right. The trail skirts a long wet area, once a large beaver pond. It then follows the Great Brook to another large, former beaver pond called Devil’s Half Acre; rhodora blooms here at the end of May. Here blue blazes mark the boundary of the Gile Forest. At the beaver dam, which created the pond, the trail turns sharply right, and descends steeply for 100 yd. beside the Upper Cascades. The trail reaches an intersection with the Morgan Hill Trail on the right (6.6 mi.). Shortly after passing an old foundation on the left, Crockett Brook is crossed on a footbridge. From here, the trail first follows a woods road traveled by pickups, and then at 8.0 mi. makes a sharp left; be careful not to miss this turn. Sixty yards farther, a picnic area is reached at the upper end of the Lower Cascades. At 8.2 mi. the trail reaches an intersection; the SRKG follows the trail to the left, which is the Great Brook Trail (Coco's Path). The trail to the right goes to Pingree Road.
In 50 yd., after crossing a brook, another intersection is reached. The Trail to the left is the Bunker Loop while the Great Brook Trail bears right. At 8.7 mi. the Great Brook Trail ends at the Wolf Tree Trail. Turn right and walk 100 yd. to the trailhead at the corner of Lake Shore Road and Pleasant Street; the parking area is across the road.
* Emergency Bail Out: On the right side of the ledge the old SRKG switchbacks down to the caves. From here the old SRKG continues down to rejoin Webster Pass. This bailout is for emergency use only; it can be followed to the privately owned Dutchman Pond Road that leads to NH 114. No unauthorized vehicular traffic is permitted on Dutchman Pond Road.
** Bail Out: Continuing southeast on the gravel road, one reaches the Kidder Brook Trail, which departs on the right. It is a 1-mile orange-blazed trail that goes to a parking lot and a bridge over Kidder Brook near Twin Lake Villas. The gravel road continues to and intersects Perley Road, which runs from Twin Lake Villas (to the right) to Morgan Pond.
