Green Hills Preserve
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GREEN HILLS PRESERVE Welcome to the White Mountains’ Backyard reaching views of the Presidential Range, have been a popular White Mountains destination for well over a century. ENJOY THE PRESERVE RESPONSIBLY Trail Map & Guide You are about to enter a vast, 12,000-acre block of unfragmented This area is open to the public for recreation and education. forest—home to black bear, warblers and other wildlife. The Nature In the early 1900s, the Green Hills raged with wildfires, kindled by Conservancy, Town of Conway and State of New Hampshire have logging slash piles and sparks from timber trains. The fires helped to Please, for the protection of this area and its inhabitants: partnered to protect much of this land for public benefit. It’s an sustain a rare natural community known as “red pine rocky ridge,” extraordinary conservation success story and a place beloved by locals a hardy habitat adapted to fire, drought, wind and winter ice. You’ll • Leave No Trace—please keep the preserve and visitors alike. see some of this 700-acre community (the largest in the state) atop clean by carrying out your trash. Middle and Peaked mountains. Look for even-aged stands of red pine • Snowmobiles are allowed on designated (seeded during the fires) with a sparse, glade-like understory. History of the Green Hills multi-use trails only. All other motorized use is prohibited. Long ago, the Green Hills were town “common land,” where settlers • Mountain biking is allowed on designated had rights to hunt, graze their farm animals and cut firewood. In the 1800s, the town sold the land to private owners, but fortunately for trails, but is prohibited anywhere on “foot those interested in conservation, most of the Green Hills remained travel only” sections of the trail system. wild, beautiful and full of life. Off-trail mountain biking is strictly prohibited. • Help us protect wildlife on the preserve and be The idea of conserving the Green Hills began in 1966, when Katherine Billings and Anna B. Stearns, summer residents of New respectful of other hikers by keeping dogs Hampshire, went on a bushwhack up Peaked Mountain. They were leashed and under verbal control. delighted to see a variety of forest types, fascinating geological • Respect the natural world around you! Do formations and spectacular views. They resolved to protect the not remove or destroy plants, wildlife, minerals Green Hills from development and to enlist others in their campaign. or cultural items. Anna B. Stearns visited the Green Hills often, even in winter. She • No camping or open fires allowed. and Katherine Billings shared their hopes for protection with many, * Hunting is allowed. Be aware of hunting seasons. including The Nature Conservancy. After years of negotiations, The Conservancy purchased 2,822 acres in 1990. Although Anna B. Stearns died before the purchase was finalized, she lived to learn of the Conservancy’s agreement to purchase the land, and she DIRECTIONS TO THE GREEN HILLS PRESERVE provided funding for the acquisition as a memorial for her mother and father. Since then, The Anna B. Stearns Foundation and many CONNECT WITH NATURE! others have contributed to support The Nature Conservancy’s Thompson Road—From NH Route 16, turn left 0.5 miles continuing work in the Green Hills. south of the North Conway village onto Artist Falls Road. Turn right onto Thompson Road in 0.3 miles, and reach nature.org/newhampshire the parking area for Pudding Pond and the Green Hills in Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) interns take a break from trail work in the Green Hills © Megan Latour/The Nature Conservancy 0.4 miles (just before the power lines). PLEASE DO NOT facebook.com/TNCNH PARK AT THE END OF THOMPSON ROAD! There are more than 50 miles of trails in the Green Hills, making it a From NH Route 16 and @Nature_NH favorite destination for hikers, mountain bikers, snowshoers, cross Hurricane Mountain Road— 2 miles north of North Conway Village, turn right onto country skiers and snowmobilers. This extensive trail network is Hurricane Mountain Road just north of the scenic vista spread across conservation lands owned and managed by The Nature at the North Conway/Bartlett town line (this is a steep Conservancy, the Town of Conway, the State of New Hampshire, Tin BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST! winding road that’s closed in winter). At the height of Mountain Conservation Center and the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust. Help us collect valuable data at this Combined, there are nearly 9,000 acres of conserved lands in the land, a parking area is on the right. preserve. Report your animal and Green Hills. plant sightings via iNaturalist: http://naturenh.org/iNaturalist The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve Local Action, Global Impact the lands and waters on which all life depends. For more The Green Hills are part of an ambitious initiative to conserve information on the Green Hills Preserve, our work or our ABOUT THE NATURE CONSERVANCY and connect the 80-million-acre Northern Appalachians region, preserves, please contact us: The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has Green Hills Preserve from the air © Jeff Lougee/The Nature Conservancy which represents the largest intact example of temperate forest in the Western Hemisphere. The Northern Appalachians support been safeguarding our state’s most precious natural The Nature Conservancy resources since 1961, conserving 290,000 acres of The Preserve a higher diversity of native mammalian carnivores than anywhere forests and fields and 680 miles of river and estuary else in the eastern United States. We’re working with partners 22 Bridge Street, 4th Floor Now more than 5,500 acres, The Nature Conservancy’s Green shoreline. Our 29 preserves are open for hiking, fishing, from New York to Maine and Eastern Canada to protect and Hills Preserve protects a string of summits crowned by ledges of Concord, NH 03301 skiing, hunting and wildlife viewing. We are committed restore productive forestlands, critical habitats, wildlife corridors 200-million-year-old Conway granite. The open and readily accessible 603.224.5853 to finding solutions to some of the most formidable and the many benefits they provide to people and nature, including peaks of Black Cap, Peaked and Middle mountains, with their far- nature.org/newhampshire challenges facing our natural world. clean water and air. W E Trails of the Green Hills Preserve EK eks Bro S We ok Thompson Road Trailhead B R OO M Distances are one way from trailhead unless otherwise noted. K i L d I TR dle A A IL B ro R ok T Peaked Mountain Trail—2.1 miles. Follow yellow and blue blazes . T M up exposed granite slabs with intermittent stands of red pine and E Green Hills G White Mountain National Forest pitch pine to the summit of Peaked Mountain to take in excellent R Green Hills Preserve A S views of Middle Mountain, Black Cap, Mount Chocorua and Moat R Preserve hatham A C HUR E Mountain Range. RICA K Town of Conway NE MO AD Bartlett Conway UNTAIN RO Conservation Land Conway Hurricane Middle Mountain Trail—2 miles. This trail climbs 1,200 feet I#Mountain Other Conservation 2101 following red blazes to the summit of Middle Mountain. G K R Lands E E T E IN T D N T L MT R E E CANE Pudding Pond Trail—1.6 miles round trip. A hike through spruce, fir RI H R O R V R HU I A L ÆP Public Parking L L I OA D D L E S R D Æ and hemlock stands yields to a pleasant view of Pudding Pond. C RO S G P B E Conway State Forest R A O T R R E A T R ³ D D ? Kiosk L A E I Hurricane Mountain Road Trailhead T L TA T IL T T R R AIL B # E I O Distances are one way from trailhead unless otherwise noted. Summit L E CRANMORE A T A R ³ D R C T MOUNTAIN ? Hurricane Mountain S A K TRAIL I C Highway L Common Land A Black Cap Trail—1.1 miles. Blazed in red, this is a relatively easy hike Cranmore P Mountain that offers excellent views of the Presidential Range and is one of Local Road E G 1667 R ³ A ? the most popular short hikes in the White Mountains. S # Railroad R I A E CD16 K I#Black Cap R Contour (200') IVER 2369 Black Cap Connector Trail—4 miles. Connects the trails of Black R D IJ302 Cap, Peaked and Middle mountains. Blazed in yellow, the trail k Municipal Boundary o ARTIST ST o connects the Black Cap Trail with both the Middle Mountain Trail SEAVEY r FALLS TR. B rook B W and Peaked Mountain Trail. ! *PLEASE NOTE* ist e rt GROVE A H Water g NO PARKING ST r I a T s ! E r D B P L ( a A M A N L NORTH O E C Other Trails on the Green Hills Preserve e R H O T A K . K K C OR T CONWAY T T C E A C R E O B D P . N R R VILLAGE STICKS & N R O Cranmore Mountain Trail—1.5 miles. This leisurely hike forms LS O ID O AL THOMPSON STONES MT. C O K T F TIS D R the link between the Black Cap Trail and the summit of Cranmore AR OA BIKE TRAIL T R 1 R ÆP I# 9 ³ ) A Mountain. ? I Peaked Mountain L ! M 1739 Green Hills Preserve V IDDLE A L P L U M D L T E .