The Kulish
Ledges Trail and Holt Trail Loop at this Harris Center Parcel in Nelson, New Hampshire is a moderate 4.3-mile loop hike that leads hikers to a beautiful vista point - Kulish Ledges Viewpoint - while also ascending Osgood Hill, and features interesting points-of-interest like an old stove made by The Barstow Stove Company.
Trail name: Kulish
Ledges Trail and Holt Trail Loop
Location: Old Stoddard (Bailey Brook Road), Nelson NH
Allowed activities: Hiking, Nature study, geocaching
Forbidden activities: Do not disturb plants, flowers or any natural objects. Do not disturb any historical or cultural artifacts. No littering
Hours: There are no posted hours for trail use
Fees and Parking: There are no fees to park or use the trails. There is limited off road parking at the trail head
Pets: Dogs are allowed on the trails and must be leashed at all times
Accessibility: The trails are not wheelchair accessible.
Sanitation: There are no restrooms or trash containers at the parking area or along the trail. Please carry out whatever you carry in.
Length and Trail information: There is no information kiosk at the trailhead and no large Trail sign naming the trail. However, Visitors will find a Yellow Black fly marker nailed to a tree near the start of the trail. There are two mailboxes with trail maps, a visitors log and information inside each at the start of the trail. At the time of our hike the trail maps were very well stocked. The trails maps currently found online do not show the Holt trail, perhaps because the Holt trail is relatively new; being blazed in 2019. The Holt trail gives hikers the opportunity to “loop” back to the trailhead instead of back tracking. Even without a map, the trails are well blazed and well maintained. This area is maintained under the stewardship of the Harris Center for Conservation Education and the Nelson Trail Committee. A copy of the trail map can be found by following the link below, BUT, bear in mind, this linked map does NOT show the Holt trail on it at the time of this report:
This hike was done as a loop hike that was approximately 4.2 miles long and is a moderate difficulty hike with the highest elevation being 2,233ft. The Kulish Ledges Trail is marked by a yellow blaze marker and the Holt Trails has blue markers. Besides the markers, visitors will see occasional wooden trail signs posted along the trail to keep hikers on the correct path. The trail substrate has the typical trip hazards, such as rocks and roots and tree debris. There are well placed and well maintained wooden bridges along the trail to help hikers cross over wet areas and through the mixed wood forest. There is also a very sturdy wooden bridge that enables hikers to cross over a section of Bailey Brook. The Kulish Ledges trail offers visitors some stunning Eastward viewpoints of the surrounding mountains, hills and waterbodies. If you take a trail map with you from the mailbox at the parking are, these features that you see are named.
Old Stove: The old stove located along the trail is a rusty relic of The Barstow Stove Company, founded in 1836. The company later closed its doors in the 1930's.
