Black Fox Pond Trail

The Black Fox Pond Trail at the Deering Wildlife Sanctuary in Deering, New Hampshire is an easy 2.3-mile loop trail that features views of Black Fox Pond.

Trail Name: Black Fox Pond Trail.

Location: Deering Wildlife Sanctuary, Clement Hill Rd, Deering, NH.

Allowed activities: foot travel only, hiking, birding, geocaching, picnicking, nature study.

Forbidden activities: no dogs, no fires, no camping, no vehicles, no biking, no horses, no hunting, no firearms, no littering, no smoking, no swimming, no metal detecting, no bottle digging.

Hours:  Trails are available during daylight hours year round. The roads may not be in ideal condition during winter and spring months.

Parking and fees: There is ample parking at trailhead. There are no fees to park or use trails.

Pets: Dogs are NOT permitted in this sanctuary.

Accessibility: This sanctuary area is not accessible for wheelchairs or strollers.

Sanitation: There are no rest rooms or trash bins at the trailhead or along the trail.

Trail information: There is a trailhead kiosk at the parking area with information about the trail system and there is a posted trail map. The trail blaze markers for the Black Fox Pond Trail are yellow. There are no maps to take along so hikers may want to print a map before heading out. A map can be downloaded by following the link below:

https://www.trailfinder.info/print/trails/trail/deering-wildlife-sanctuary-nh-audubon

Length and features: This trip was an easy 2.34 mile hike, done as a loop. The trail is mostly made up of narrow shaded pathways that are often carpeted by pine needles. The trail gently winds through the forest of mixed woods and out onto an open meadow area where hikers will need to pay attention to pick up the trail again across the meadow: keeping the stone wall to the right, will head hikers in the correct direction.

The trail continues back into the woods and descends to travel for a time alongside Black Fox Pond. Black Fox Pond is a 36-acre tranquil pond  with no boat traffic of any kind noticed during the hike. The trail is well marked and easy to follow and offers visitors numerous beautiful views of Black Fox Pond. The trail crosses through and along some privately owned lands, so hikers are encouraged to keep to the trail and respect landowner’s privacy. The trail travels away from the pond and back into the woods. The trail exits the narrow wooded path onto an abandoned dirt road. The substrate along the dirt road can be tricky due to washout from snow melt or heavy rains and hikers will need use care in traveling this last part of the hike. The Black Fox Pond Trail exits the old road onto Clement Hill Road for a short walk back to the trailhead parking area to finish the loop.

Park Information
This wildlife sanctuary is part of the New Hampshire Audubon Society, thanks in large part to Ruth Crary Young, who back in 1979 donated a substantial amount of land to the NH Audubon Society. Her generous gift included an endowment to support and maintain the property. When Ruth Crary Young died in 1988, she left an additional donation to the Society to help support Audubon’s land conservation program.

In the middle of the Deering Wildlife Sanctuary, there is a 21 acre section of land that is owned privately. The land cannot be developed due to a conservation easement that protects it. In addition to the easement on the privately owned land, The NH Audubon Society has 3 additional easements on land that abut the sanctuary, increasing the sanctuary to 51 acres. This natural space is a great resource not only to the hikers who visit, but also to the local and migrating wildlife as well. This sanctuary offers habitat for many different types of wildlife including deer, porcupine, turtles, frogs, Kingfishers, Great Blue Heron, raccoon, otter, Canada geese and the American Black Duck. Evidence of past beaver activity can also be seen along the pond trail.

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