Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition
| Trail Guide 7 |
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NH 4A to Wilmot Center
Total Distance: 4.6 miles Estimated time: 3 hours
Total Ascents: 800 feet Total Descents: 1100 feet
Overview: This section of the SRKG is a mixture of well-developed wooded trails and woods/logging roads with one uphill section. From an elevation of approximately 1200 ft. at NH 4A it rises up to 1800 ft. at the summit of Bog Mountain and finishes at 900 ft. elevation in Wilmot Center. Deer, turkey, bear, and moose have been seen on this section of trail.
Finding the Trailheads: The western trailhead is just off NH 4A, where Trail 6 intersects NH 4A at School House Road (where you park), 2.4 mi. west of North Wilmot Road. The eastern trailhead uses the parking area at the Wilmot Town Hall. From NH 11 go 3 mi. west on NH 4A and turn right on North Wilmot Road. The Town Hall is on the left after about 80 yd.
Trail: The SRKG crosses NH 4A from School House Road and turns right. The trailhead sign for the Kimpton Brook Trail (SRKG) is 70 yd. down the road (east). The trail crosses the bridge over Kimpton Brook, which was the main power source for Wilmot Center industry until almost 1900. The trail continues uphill, enters an area that has been thinned for maple syrup production, and at 0.4 mi. reaches a grassy road. Turning left and following the road uphill for about 270 yd. the trail turns left off the road into the woods, and proceeds through a cut between two hills. (Note the cliffs on the left and then a view of Bog Mountain from a cleared area.)
Re-entering the woods the trail goes downhill and crosses a stream and wall at 0.7 mi. Soon the trail crosses a larger stream where there is a beautiful woodland pool -- a suitable spot for lunch and feet cooling! At 1.2 mi., the trail crosses Dickey Road and follows an overgrown farm road up the hill, crosses a saddle and descends to a beaver pond. The trail follows the edge of the pond and reaches Stearns Road at 1.5 mi. (There is parking for 2 cars 100 yd. up Stearns Road.) Turn right on Stearns Road (downhill), and the Bog Mountain trailhead is on the left after about 70 yd.
The Bog Mountain Trail has a few steep sections and runs parallel to a cleared field on the left. Taking a short drop to cross and follow a stone wall, the trail reaches an overlook at 1.8 mi. Here the trail follows a rocky ridge with many viewing points, including a good view of Mount Kearsarge, and further on a view of Mount Kearsarge and Mount Sunapee. There is another opening at 2.2 mi. and rock cairns mark the route across the bare rock. The ridge broadens and the woods are thicker. Deer find winter shelter here.
At 2.5 mi., the trail reaches an opening that leads to the summit. Care should be taken on these ledges. From the bare summit there is a view of Mount Sunapee to the south-southwest, the Oak Hill relay tower to the west, Cardigan Mountain to the north, Mount Kearsarge to the south; a short walk east through the woods brings Ragged Mountain into view to the northeast. Continuing across the summit, the trail drops rapidly, reaching the first level traverse at 2.7 mi. Notice the severe trailside forest damage caused by the January 1998 ice storm.
At 2.8 mi. there is an unusual balancing triangular stone pointing off to south-southwest. The mountains in view are Ragged Mountain and Mount Kearsarge. The trail heads steeply downward over rocks, to another overlook and then to the bottom. At 3.0 mi., the SRKG joins a woods road and turns left. At this intersection, notice several large beech trees with bear claw marks. According to Wilmot scholars this road was an early slip road designed to bypass the toll on NH 4A. The road continues downhill reaching the intersection with a woods road, which comes in from the right, at 3.4 mi.
The SRKG continues a short distance up this road, turns left, crosses a stone wall, and heads downhill, following another stone wall. At the bottom of the hill it turns right towards Wilmot Center. At 4.2 mi. the trail turns sharply right and follows an old farm road uphill, bordered by a wonderful old stone wall. Turning left through new growth forest and paralleling some open fields, the trail reaches Pinnacle Road. It turns left and follows Pinnacle Road to the paved North Wilmot Road and then right to the parking area at the Library (4.6 mi.).
