Ridge Trail (West Side)

The Ridge Trail (West Side) at Fox Forest in Hillsborough, New Hampshire is an easy 5.2-mile loop hike that passes through the west side of the park. This trail also connects with the east side of the Ridge Trail to make a loop along the Ridge Trail, Gould Pond Road, and Mud Pond Trail.

Location: Fox Research and Demonstration Forest is located in the town of Hillsborough NH at 309 Center Street at the Henry I. Baldwin Forestry Education Center Headquarters.

Trail name(s): Ridge Trail. West side

Allowed activities: hiking, hunting, fishing, geocaching, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing. There is limited mountain bike use. Mountain bikers are asked to stay off of any trail that is posted “FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY”. Equestrian use is limited to the trails that are “road width”.  From March 1st to May 23rd, equestrian and mountain bike use is prohibited on all trails due to mud.

Prohibited activities: No Camping, No open fires, No picking plants or wildflowers, No littering, No unauthorized motor vehicles allowed, No digging, No metal detecting.

WARNING: Hunting is allowed in Fox Forest. All visitors would do well to heed the warning and wear appropriate clothing to stand out (hunters orange) so as not to be accidentally confused as prey.

Hours: There are no posted hours on the information kiosk, website, brochures or maps. However, the Fox Forest follows the general rule of being open from Dusk to Dawn. During hunting season, hours may be extended to follow state Hunting regulations.

Parking: There is ample parking near the Headquarter building and trailheads.

Pets: Dogs are allowed on the trails as long as they are leashed and waste is carried out with the hiker.

Accessibility: The trails are not wheelchair accessible. Hikers should have the ability to go up and down some hilly or uneven terrain. Trip hazards, such as roots, rocks, and mud are possible along every trail.

Sanitation: There are no restrooms or trash receptacles. Please carry out all trash. Restrooms are ONLY available if by chance there happens to be staff at the Headquarters to open the Baldwin Center. Otherwise, there are no restrooms available.

Trail information:  There is an information Kiosk near the parking area that has a map posted of the trails and also maps to borrow. Hikers can print a map before heading out by going to the link below.

https://www.nh.gov/nhdfl/documents/fox-trails-2017-color.pdf

The trail blaze on Ridge trail is a white blaze with a red middle.

Length and features:  If you happened to be a geocacher, there is currently a geocache hidden just outside the garden that is in back of the Fox Forest Headquarters. It appears to be well maintained, is not hard to find and could be a fun start or end to your day of hiking. The Ridge Trail, at its start is narrow, and hikers will want to travel single file. This hike was an easy 5.2 mile trail that looped. To get to the network of trails, park and then head toward the sign that says “TO WEST SIDE TRAILS”. Walk down a small embankment, and walk across Center Street to pick up the trail on the other side of the road. Please use caution when crossing the street as this is a well-traveled road and cars may be moving faster than they should. Tall pines offer shade to the abundant ferns and vegetation that flank the trail. The footing has some tree roots to be careful on, but no major hazards.

The trail continues into a mostly Hemlock forest were ferns and vegetation give way to a wider path that winds its way through the forest leading to a wooden bridge that crosses over a stream bed. The trail continues a short distance to the intersection of Hurricane Road: signs are posted to assist in direction. Here the Ridge trail will begin the loop; hikers can choose to hike the Ridge Trail in either direction following along Hurricane Road for a short distance. Keeping to the left and uphill, the trail is wide and continues through the forest. There are several boulders of impressive size on the sides of the trail. The Ridge Trail diverges from Hurricane Road and a well-marked junction points the way. Hikers will eventually come upon a trail sign marked “Vista Trail”. This trail is not on the map. This trail is not well maintained by the Forest Stewards. There is no longer a Vista to see, as the trees at the end of this trail have grown up and obscured the view. There are no trail blazes on this trail and downed trees have fallen across the trail. The only reason to venture down this trail is to find an active geocache at the end of it, otherwise this trail should be bypassed.  Hikers will eventually come to a small clearing, by crossing over this clearing, the trail approaches a cemetery and turns to the right up a small incline. Past the cemetery the trail changes to a single file trail with thicker vegetation and a swampy area. Use caution crossing over the stream as the footing is uneven and slippery moss covers the rocks. Farther along the trail is a section of Strip Cutting. The Forest service has posted a sign and an explanation of why Strip cutting is beneficial to the forest for regeneration and for creating a safe travel corridor for wildlife.

After the Strip Cut sign, the Ridge Trail continues up a small incline and leads to another junction point. Hikers will want to pay attention at this junction of trails as this junction is not as well marked as the others. Hikers might accidentally continue straight and end up on another trail. Look to the left for the Ridge Trail signs as well as a large RED sign posted to keep equestrians and mountain bikes off of this section of the trail.

From time to time the Fox Forest has a timber harvest/sale to ensure the biodiversity of the forest. At this section of the Ridge trail, evidence of a timber cut can be seen. This part of the trail is very rocky, wet and muddy. In springtime this area could be a challenge to cross. There is a large clearing of trees to the right, and there are “left over” scraps of trees that were not taken in the harvest. The trees were felled and been left to decompose and return to the forest substrate. Harvesting allows for the sun to penetrate the forest floor and encourages other tree species and vegetation to grow.

Shortly after this section, hikers will notice a sign reading “REROUTE” ,an arrow and an orange trail information marker. There is no information on the marker, but hikers need to pay attention in this area because the trail blazes are hard to locate and the footpath is impossible to see. There has been clearing here, creating a large meadow-like area. Smaller trees have already started to fill in the meadow. If hikers have a hard time finding the trail blaze markers, or temporarily lose the trail, they will be able to find the trail again by keeping the meadow area to their left. Use caution in this area as the footing is hazardous; there are a lot of small boulders on the path but ferns have grown up to hide them. Vegetation has grown thick in many spots and trees are down across the trail. Just keep the clearing to the left and keep looking for the blaze markers to keep on the Ridge Trail.

The meadow and thick vegetation give way to a forested trail once again and blaze markers are more readily seen. Here the trail wanders through a vast boulder field were massive boulders have come to rest. The trail has another “REROUTE” and Trail information sign posted. Keep to the left to stay on the Reroute section, as the “old” trail blaze markers can still be seen. The trail information is hard to decipher, as the writing is fading, but the sign warns that after the timber harvest, the section of trail that is affected, will not be maintained. Hikers will need to stay on the “REROUTE” section. The trail continues to a wooden bridge along a small ravine. The trail descends to another sturdy wooden crossing over a flowing stream. Not too far from this area, a sign for “FOX HQ” is posted. Following that trail hikers will find some muddy, slippery sections. Logs have been placed here to “help” hikers cross, but the spacing isn’t the best and you may end up wet anyway. Just take your time and use caution when crossing. The trail leads up a small incline along a small stream. This part of the trail will parallel Center Street and lead hikers back to Hurricane Road. From this point hikers will head back up the hill to the junction point of Ridge Trail.to the left, to retrace steps and return to the parking area.

Visitors will notice that there are many shorter trails that connect to the Ridge trail. Some of these trails loop back to Ridge Trail, others would be an “out and back” addition to the hike.

Fox Forest info: There are plenty of options at Fox Forest with some 22 miles of hiking trails in a 1445 acre forest. This lovely sanctuary exists all because of Caroline Fox. Back in the early 1920’s, Caroline Fox donated a large parcel of land and later her summer home. That home is now the Headquarter building. Ms. Fox was conservationist and wildlife enthusiast. In addition to the generous donation of land and her home, she established a trust fund to ensure that the forest and wildlife she loved would be cared for in perpetuity.

If there are any downed trees, or other problems along the trail, the stewards of Fox Forest have requested that users either leave a note on the office door, or email them to let them know. The email is: foxforest@dred.nh.gov. The telephone number is 603-646-3453.

For more information about Fox Forest, please visit the following link:

https://www.nh.gov/nhdfl/natural-heritage/state-owned-reservations/fox-forest.htm