Winter Farm Pastures Hike

There is a new connector trail system in Concord. It’s called the West End Farm Trail. It is a 7.5 mile (each way) hike that combines the I-89 bike path near St. Paul’s School and then the conservation easements of 3 local farms: Dimond Hill Farm, Rossview Farm, and Carter Hill Orchard. We started on the bike path portion by parking at the nearby Audubon Center. From here it was a quick walk up the bike path, under I-89 and into the woods. We saw some mountain bikers pass us by riding in the snow. It appears to be a great section for mountain biking and cross-country skiing. After 3 miles we popped out at Dimond Hill Farm in one of their pastures with views of the surrounding area. We crossed the road and had lunch at their picnic tables. We then followed the trail through the back portion of their land and down to Currier Road. After crossing Currier Road we meandered through the woods and came out at the end of District 5 road and onto the property of Rossview farm. This section passed a frozen beaver created pond, then a larger pond and some of Rossview’s back fields. Except for the woods around Dimond Hill Farm, we hardly saw anyone the entire day. This section from Rossview to Carter Hill land is pretty meandering and we really felt like we were deep in the woods. It must have been awesome back when this was nothing but pastures. The woods are chock full of stone walls, several old stone foundations, and ponds. The end of the hike led us right into the back orchards of Carter Hill. We made pretty good time from the start to Carter Hill Orchard: 7.3 miles in 4 hours. This was an awesome hike using light traction on our boots right here in Concord. No need to travel far to get in a good hike. You can park in several spots to make this hike anywhere from a 15 mile round trip epic day to just a 2 mile jaunt through the woods. It would make for a really cross-country ski run too. So, go check it out, bring some water and light traction.

An easy winter hike to relieve holiday stress that passes  by three farms!  Try out the gear you got for Christmas! This is a 7-mile hike [with car spotting] that passes by three farm pastures on the west side of Concord.

We will be using the West End Farm Trail that crosses over seven miles of land, starting at the bike path off Silk Farm Road [McLane Audubon Center], continuing north through miles of lovely woods, past the vistas of Dimond Hill Farm fields and the beaver ponds, woods, and streams of Ross View Farm, ending in the orchards at Carter Hill Orchard's hilltop site. The hike is a unique blend of terrain and forest growth. We'll see old ice ponds, new soft wood growth, old hard wood establishments, and mini-bogs.

Dress in layers, bring hat/gloves, and have a pack with lunch/water. If we receive a holiday snowstorm, snowshoes may be needed. We'll let you know.