Rocky Ridge Trail via Wood Duck Pond Trail
Trail name(s): Jeff Smith Trail, Wood Duck Pond Trail, Rocky Ridge Trail
Location: Beaver Brook Association, Proctor Hill Road, Route 130 Hollis NH
Permitted uses: Hiking, Nature Study, Snow Shoeing, Skiing
Prohibited uses: Hunting, firearms, motorized vehicles, camping, trapping, littering, alcohol, fires, cutting of plants, collection of wildlife
Hours: Dawn to dusk. No after dark usage.
Fees and Parking: There is no fee to park or hike the trails. There is limited parking next to the trailhead for two to four small cars. Across the street there is more parking in a gravel roadside parking area. Please be careful when crossing Route 130. Route 130 is heavily traveled and vehicles are going at a fast rate of speed.
Pets: Dogs are allowed on a leash and owners must clean up after them.
Accessibility: These trails are not wheelchair accessible.
Hiker amenities: There is no information kiosk at this trailhead. No maps, no restrooms and no trash bins. There is a kiosk across the street from the trailhead or hikers can download a map before traveling to the trailhead.
Length and Trail information: This hike originally was going to be a Loop hike, but it ended up being done as an out and back hike instead. The hike was approximately 2.9 miles long. The trails are blazed with a yellow triangle. The trail was easy to moderate, with the moderate section being on the Rocky Ridge Trail where hikers will need to climb up and down a large rock face.
This is a beautiful hike through a mixed forest of Chestnut Oak, Beech trees, Hemlock, Maple, and White Pine. The trail changes from wide at the start to narrow and is often flanked by huge swaths of Mountain Laurel. The substrate is typical of a New England forest with sections rooted and rocky, especially on the aptly named Rocky Ridge Trail.
Our original goal for this hike was to make it to the Rocky Ridge Trail to see the huge glacial erratics, explore them and then have a picnic lunch. After lunch we planned to hike to the Overlook to check out what views were to be seen before moving on to see the Falls. Mother nature does not always allow for goals to be reached, but we had a lovely hike nonetheless .
We parked right at the trailhead and noticed almost immediately how low the water level was in the tiny pond that is next to the parking area. We began by heading down the Jeff Smith Trail that is wide and flat and a lot like a class 6 road until it passes by the Large Oak tree that has the information placard installed along the trail. Once you pass the large Oak, the trail narrows and you begin to feel like you have been immersed in nature. We walked until we reached the small wooden bridge that crosses the brook and once again took note of the dramatically low water level. Not far from the bridge we came to our first junction, the Wood Duck Trail that was off to our right. The trails are marked by blazes as well as small wooden signs with the trail names painted in white. Not too far down the Wood Duck Trail we saw another trail side placard and so we paused to read some information. This placard had been installed alongside the trail to acknowledge the gift of land that made our hike possible. The placard stated that in October of 2021, 35 acres were gifted to the Beaver Brook Association by the children of Deborah Worcester Hildreth. This was not the first time land had been gifted by this family, as back in 2005, some 75 acres were gifted by Deborah herself. No doubt she would have been happy to know that her children had followed her fine example and honored her with this special gift in her memory, and thanks to them and their generosity, we get to enjoy this special protected space.
There is a bit of elevation gain along this hike, but nothing is too strenuous, steep or of long duration. The small hills allow for hikers to pause to enjoy looking down the hill side to the forest floor below. We had a few steeper scrambles up some rocky slopes and we finally reached the rocky ledge face the trail crosses over. This is probably the most moderate part of the hike. You will likely need to have both hands free to help you start your climb up the rock face. The trees and exposed roots alongside the trail were useful in climbing up. If you're hiking in the fall, watch your step as you ascend, as the fallen leaves can make the rock slippery.
Once up the rocky ledge we hiked a bit until we came to a mammoth outcropping of stones. We took our time exploring this area and enjoyed safely climbing on and around the huge boulders. It's almost impossible to describe just how massive they are,but they were fun to explore and feel like a kid again.
Back on the trail, we hiked until we came to another smaller rocky outcropping. We decided it would be a good place to break for lunch. As mentioned at the start, sometimes Mother Nature has other plans for us and the weather started to turn during our break. The wind picked up, a chill set in and we even noticed a sprinkle of rain beginning to fall. We decided not to chance hiking further and decided to cut our visit short this time and head back instead of hiking to the Overlook and Falls.
Despite having to change our plans, we really enjoyed this hike and hope to be back soon to explore this special place even more.
