Nature Trail

The Nature Trail at Edward MacDowell Lake in Peterborough, New Hampshire is an easy 4.8-mile loop trail that features views of the lake and offers several scenic creek crossings.

Trail name: Nature Trail

Location:  Edward MacDowell Lake, 75 Wilder Street, Peterborough NH 

Allowed activities:  hiking, biking, geocaching, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, birding, picnicking (tables and grills on site), nature study, kayak, canoe, boating (small engine allowed), swimming at designated areas (no lifeguard on duty).  Life jackets are a requirement for any boating activities. The playground area for children is currently closed during the Covid-19 crisis.

Hunting, trapping and fishing are allowed as long as State and local laws are adhered to.

Forbidden activities:  no motorized vehicles, no fires, no camping

Warning:  Visitors are bound by Title 36 “Rules and Regulations governing public use of Corps of Engineers Water Resource Development Projects”. Those who violate any rules could be subject to citation or mandatory court appearance. Rules are posted on the parks website and are available in printed form at the information kiosk across from the Park office.

Fees:  There are no fees to use the trails, park, picnic, swim or boat. However there are 2 outdoor shelters that can be reserved for larger gatherings (when social distancing due to Covid-19 is not a factor) and those need to be reserved in advance and are subject to fees. If the Shelters are not reserved, they are available free of charge on a first come, first serve basis. For information on reserving a shelter, see the link below for details.

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/EdwardMacDowellLake

Hours: Edward MacDowell Lake is open daylight hours only with a posted sign that says the park is open from 8:00am to 8:00pm.

Parking: There is ample parking at several locations around the lake. Parking is available past the Gatehouse which is straight across from the Park Office. Past the park office and park buildings to the right is another smaller parking lot.  Additional parking is available on Richardson Road which makes access to the boat ramp easier. Two parking areas are located on Route 137 for easy access to the trail on the west side of the lake. Having several options for parking helps visitors safely follow social distancing guidelines.

Accessibility:  Trails on the west side of the lake are not wheelchair accessible. A portion of the trail on the east side are graded enough to allow safe passage and start near the boat ramp to Richardson Road.

Pets: Pets are allowed on a leash. Leashes must not exceed 6 feet in length. Pet waste must be picked up and removed from the park. There are waste bag stations strategically placed around the park for visitors to use.

Sanitation:  During the Covid-19 crisis, public restrooms have been closed.  When the crisis is past, there are Public restrooms available for visitors at the Park office and at the parking area past the Gatehouse. There are trash receptacles near the restrooms as well as water fountains.

Trail information:  Park office telephone number: 603-924-3431. Edward MacDowell Lake has a Facebook page for information.  There is an information kiosk across from the Park office at the entrance that has trail maps and rules pamphlets available for visitors.

 A trail map can be found by following the link below: https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Portals/74/docs/Recreation/EML/EMLTrailMap.pdf

Length and features:  The Nature Trail is an easy 4.8 mile hike done as a “loop”.

A word of caution:  Two sections of the Nature trail are on roads with high traffic or are through residential areas (Richardson Road and Route 137). Please use common sense and caution when hiking along roadways.

Trail Route
We chose to park past the Park office and out buildings and start our hike from that parking area. The Nature Trail begins just off of lower parking area into the woods for a short time traveling through a forest path. Trail blaze markers are blue diamonds.  Tree identification and education markers are posted along the trail to inform visitors on the varied species that can be found here.

The wooded trail deposits hikers onto a wide, flat dirt road that travels along the east side of the lake. This part of the trail is wheelchair accessible.  There is a turtle education placard at the junction of the Sand Pit Trail. Sand Pit Trail veers off to the right of the Nature Trail. The Nature Trail continues straight and northward onto Richardson Road. This part of the trail is a bit disappointing as it travels mainly through a residential area.

The trail continues down Richardson Road until it meets Spring Road.  Hikers will take a left onto Spring Road and continue heading westward on the paved road.  This was for me, my least favorite part of the trail with cars whizzing by from time to time. The trail crosses over the Nubanusit Brook and the elevation of the overpass affords a pretty decent view of the brook from the bridge, however constant traffic makes this a dangerous spot to linger. Continue down the road heading west.

Hikers will pass one of the several satellite parking areas for the park. This parking area is not the access to pick up the trail back to the Lake. Hikers will need to continue down the road until they cross over Brush Brook and look for the small trail kiosk that marks the trail. There is another small parking area with limited off road parking at this kiosk. The trail turns to the left southward with blaze markers changing to Red.

Brush Brook is an absolutely gorgeous waterway. It has beautiful views from the banks with a very large and sturdy wooden bridge that crosses over an area where two streams converge into one.  The Trail continues along Brush Brook for quite some time and is worth the disappointment of having to walk on the paved roads for a while.

The trail eventually leads deeper into the forest and away from the brook.  From elevated spots along the trail, the marshland and then the Lake will come into view. There are changes in elevation along the trail, but none are very steep or of long duration. Several wooden bridges have been installed sporadically to help hikers cross any sections that may have water slowing the trek.

The trail exits the forest at the parking area nearest the Gatehouse.  To close the loop and end the hike hikers will want to walk across the top of the Dam toward the Park office and then to the left, down the small hill to the parking area.

The hike is a great escape in a beautiful setting on a well-marked and well maintained trail system.