This 2.9-mile out-and-back/loop combination hike at the Miller Memorial Forest and Dinsmore Brook Conservation Area in Francestown, New Hampshire is an easy hike that features a peaceful woodland setting.
Trail name: Unnamed Trails.
Location: The trails within the Miller Memorial Forest and Dinsmore Brook Conservation Areas (DBCA) can be found off of Old County Road North in Francestown, NH. This area is managed by the Francestown Land Trust (FTL). The Francestown Land Trust has directions to this forest at the link below:
http://www.francestownlandtrust.org/maps---directions.html
Allowed activities: hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, picnicking, nature study, snowshoeing, birding.
Forbidden activities: no motorized vehicles.
Hours: The Forest and Conservation areas are open daily. There are no times posted for opening or closing at this trailhead parking area.
Parking: There is limited parking at the trailhead. Winter parking cannot be guaranteed. Old County Road North is unpaved and can be hard to drive on whenever roads are rutted or muddy.
Pets: Dogs are not forbidden from this area, however dogs should be under control of their owners and all waste should be carried out with the hiker.
Accessibility: Both the Miller Memorial Forest and the Dinsmore Conservation area are not wheelchair accessible. The trails have hills with mild elevation changes. Some of the trails are narrow and winding and others wide and road-like. Hikers with good health and fitness will enjoy this hike as it offers several different landscapes and trail habitats. Depending on the season the trails can be icy, muddy, wet or all of the above. Hikers should plan accordingly for the trail conditions to avoid any trail hazards from slippery conditions.
Sanitation: There are no restrooms or trash bins at the parking area near the Trailhead. Please carry out any trash or animal waste.
Trail information: There is an information kiosk with a posted map at the trail head parking area. Visitors who plan ahead can print out a map of the area by going to the link below.
Length and features: By combining the trail
starting at the Miller Memorial Forest with the trails within the Dinsmore
Brook Conservation Area, visitors will be able to enjoy an easy 2.9 mile “looping”
hike that also features and out-and-back section. It is perhaps more accurate to
describe this hike as “lollipop” hike, as the “loop” part of the hike is small.
Regardless of the description, it ends up to be a very enjoyable journey. The trail begins just past a wooden barrier that
has been installed to keep motorized vehicles out. The trail continues through
the Miller Memorial Forest along a wide path. Most notable in this area is the
abundance of Hemlock trees. Although
there are no trail markers yet, the trail is obvious due to the width of the
trail. The trail brings hikers to a lovely area where there is a large sturdy
wooden bridge spanning Collins Brook. There is a table/ bench at this area and it
is easy to imagine yourself enjoying a summertime picnic lunch followed by a
refreshing dip in this gentle stream.
Over the wooden bridge, the trail becomes narrower and light blue trail blaze markers are now visible, abundant and easy to follow. The trail begins a gentle climb up the slope and into the woods. This area was once used for harvesting lumber and there is an abundance of felled timber along the trail. Nature students and amateur mycologists will appreciate is evidence of mushrooms growing and helping to break down the old dead trees.
There are several places along the trail where hikers will see either groups of rocks, or one or two very large rocks in unusual places. Large trees have taken root in the rocks splits and have been standing as quiet sentinels over the decades.
The trail with blue markers winds its way through dense forest, and then along rock walls, crossing through the walls in two areas. There are sections where vernal pools can be see or blueberry bushes are growing amidst stands of small white pine, hemlock and spruce. The trail exits down a hill and onto a road-like pathway that is the approximate border of the Miller Memorial Forest. Hikers will now be entering the Dinsmore Brook Conservation Area (DBCA). This is a multi-use area, where hunting is allowed. Caution should be used, and proper attire (blaze orange) worn to warn hunters. There are also snowmobile trails in the DBCA.
At the junction of the DBCA border, we chose to head to the left. The trail is wide again, and crosses over a stream via a large double culvert. The culvert is in need of maintenance as some of the gravel cover has washed away, but it is safe to cross at the time of this writing. The trail climbs up a small hill and rounds a corner. The light blue trail blaze markers are no longer posted, instead orange markers with black arrows will point the way. Further down the trail hikers will find a split in the trail. One of the trails to the left is marked by a white blaze that has a black “golf flag” painted on it. The other trail to the right has a white blaze with a dark blue square painted on it. We chose to keep to the right on the blue square blaze. The trail is marked, but the blazes are few and far between. Fortunately, the trail is wide and well-traveled, so it is not difficult to stay on track. This trail eventually exits back onto the “golf flag” trail. By taking a left at the intersection, hikers will be looping back toward the starting point. Hikers will see green diamonds as markers and then will begin to see the orange and black signs once again until they reach the point where the “golf flag” and “blue square” trail split. The loop is closed at this junction and hikers will be traveling back on their original path.
A word of caution: On your return to the Miller Memorial Forest, after crossing back over the double culvert, keep an eye out for the small sign posted on the entrance to the right of the trail. If you are not paying attention you can miss the entrance and go too far down the path. The sign is a wooden sign painted white. It is slightly up the hill and high up on a tree that says “To Old County Road North”.
