Scot's Trail at the Crotched Mountain Town Forest in Francestown, New Hampshire is an easy 3.8-mile loop trail that features views of Crotched Mountain.
Trail name: Scot's Trail
Location: Scot's Trail is a trail located within the Crotched Mountain Town Forest. To access Scot’s trail, hikers will need to park at the Farrington Road Trailhead parking area and hike part of the Link trail and Joslin Loop Trail to reach one of its starting points. Another way to access Scot's trail is to hike part of the Link trail and the Summit West Trail. Parking for the Farrington Road trail head is off of Route 136 in the town of Francestown, NH.
Allowed activities: hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, picnicking, birding, geocaching, foraging, fishing and hunting.
Forbidden activities: No fires, no motorized vehicles except on posted Class "A" roads. No wheeled vehicles are allowed on Class "A" roads from Dec 15 to May 15.
Warning: This is a multi-use area and hunting is allowed. It is a good idea to wear brightly colored clothing during hunting season to lower the chances of being mistaken as a target for hunters.
Hours: Trails are open daily. There are no times for opening or closing at this trailhead parking area.
Parking: There is plenty of parking near the trailhead. Winter parking cannot be guaranteed and visitors may need to park on Farrington Road if the parking area is not plowed out.
Pets: Dogs are allowed on the trails as long as they are leashed and waste is carried out with the hiker.
Accessibility: During the spring, summer and fall seasons, there are the expected trail hazards along the trails. Hikers will find tree roots, wet leaves, rocks, mud, and tree debris. Hikers should have the ability to ford small streams with confidence and traverse uneven terrain. There is a wooden pedestrian bridge that spans an active beaver dam section, which is sturdy, well maintained and very easy to cross. During wet weather, the trails can be covered by small streams or be muddy. During the winter season, the trails are still accessible but in winter terrain changes from “TRIP” hazards, to “SLIP” hazards depending on the amount of snow pack or ice. It’s a smart idea to have ice cleats at the ready, to slip onto your snow boots or make sure shoe treads are sturdy and able to grip icy sections.
Sanitation: There are no restrooms or trash bins at the Farrington Road Trailhead. Please carry out any trash or animal waste.
Trail information: There is a Trail kiosk with posted maps at the trail head parking area. There is a small back mailbox on the side of the kiosk, which sometimes has maps to take and return. It’s best that Hikers should either print a map before heading out, or snap a picture of the posted map at the kiosk before venturing out. A map can be printed by going to the link below. Scot's trail is listed at number 10 on the map below:
Length and features: This hike on Scot's Trail
is an easy 3.9 mile trail. This hike transports visitors through a dense mixed forest, past old stone
walls and cellar hole, through open meadows and over several bubbling
streams. There are beaver ponds to
observe and interesting fungi and animals to be on the lookout for. This hike
was done as part of a big lollipop/loop incorporating the following route and
connections: From the Farrington Road Trailhead parking area begin the hike
taking the Link Trail past the small kiosk at the junction of Bullard Hill Road.
At the small kiosk, head to the left and travel down the road to the marker for
the Joslin Loop Trail. Continue on the Joslin Loop Trail to Scot's Trail which
will be found off of the Joslin Trail to the right side. There are plenty of markers
and signs at the start of Scot's Trail. The trail is marked by white diamond
trail blaze markers. Scot's trail will
intersect and follow the Summit West Trail for a short while, and the junction
area is not well marked. At this junction hikers will want to head uphill to
the left and follow the markers for the Summit West Trail. The trail blaze
markers for Summit West Trail are yellow diamonds. A landmark to look for to
verify if you are hiking in the correct direction is keeping an eye out for a
posted sign for the “Vernal Pool”. The Vernal Pool is a point of interest off
of the Summit West Trail and can be found a short hike from the trail junction.
The sign will be on the left side of the trail. At one of the small streams hikers will
encounter the junction where the Summit West and Scot's Trails split. Scot's
Trail branches off of the Summit Trail heading to the right. The trail blaze
markers will switch back to white diamonds. The trail continues through the
woods and out onto a wide meadow. There
are two trail blaze markers posted at strategic points in the meadow. They are
on wooden posts which can be visible in winter as long as the snow pack is less
than 4 feet. The trail brings hikers
back into the woods and then back out to a smaller meadow where another small
trail kiosk can be found. This kiosk is at the junction of Bullard Hill Road
where the Scot's Trail terminates. Hikers will want to keep to the right, and head down Bullard Hill Road.
There are signs posted just past a wooden gate that is just beyond the kiosk
that points hikers to “the parking area”. Follow the trail back to the kiosk
at the Link trail junction and retrace your steps on the Link trail to the
Farrington Road parking area.
Highlights: This is a beautiful hike to do any time of the year as the trails are mostly easy to do and are in a lovely woodland setting. This forest truly is a sanctuary for humans and animals alike. A bonus for winter hiking is the ability to see tracks left in the snow by those who were on the trail before you. During our visit we were able to identify several visitors, such as turkey, moose, deer, voles, weasel and canine, all of which would have gone unnoticed during different seasons.
