Heald Tract
Open for: hiking, picnicking, bird-watching, snowshoeing, XC skiing,
tracking, berrying, fishing and hunting in season. Dogs permitted on
leash. Please carry out your trash, and remove dog waste as
required by state law. No fires or camping permitted. Open dawn to
dusk.
Getting There: From Rte. 101, take Rte. 31 South (Greenville
Rd.) 2.3 mi to King Brook Road. Turn right onto King Brook. At the end
turn left onto Russell Hill Rd, and take the first right onto Heald Rd.
(dirt). Parking is available at the kiosk on the right after Batchelder
Pond; at 0.1 further; and at less than 0.2 beyond that. Do not park on
the road.
Alternately, from Rte. 101, follow the
hiking signs south onto Russell Hill Rd. (paved/dirt). At 1.3 miles
there is parking for MacGregor Road and the Camp Trail. Do not park in
the road.
Maps: The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests’ website has a downloadable map to the Heald Tract, including its walking trails.
Management: The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
(SPNHF, or “the Forest Society”) owns or holds easements to lands
within the Heald Tract. The tract is managed by a local land steward
with the help of volunteers. SPNHF conducts periodic lumbering to
encourage new growth and maintain a variety of habitats. Some areas are
easements allowed by their owners; other areas are private property;
please respect the owners’ privacy.
Description: The Heald Tract offers 10 miles of
easy-to-moderate trails on about 1500 acres. Several trails can be muddy
in wet seasons. Fishing is permitted in season on the two ponds, but
boating is not. The land is home to beaver, otters, deer, moose, and
small mammals, as well as a large variety of birds. The ponds are
resting spots for many migratory and aquatic birds.
From the kiosk on Heald Rd., you will find
woods trails around Heald Pond as well as trails connecting to other
parts of the tract. The south end of the Camp Trail is located a few
yards beyond the Kiosk. The road is also suitable for walking and is
kept open in winter.
An easy 1-1/4 mile loop follows the Camp
Trail past Batchelder Pond and out to Russell Hill Rd. Go left on the
road for 200 yards to an obvious jeep/snowmobile road on the left. The
jeep road meets Heald Rd. in 0.4 miles. Going left on Heald Rd. returns
you to the kiosk. Or go right on Heald Rd., around a gate on the left
and down the trail to the pond. Walk left on the Heald Pond Trail to the
dam and a cable-gate at Heald Rd. The kiosk is to the right, just down
Heald Rd.
From the kiosk at MacGregor Rd. you can
find beaver dams and lodges; vernal ponds and a heron rookery. There is a
network of old town roads and several large cellar holes; views from
Fisk Hill; orchards, wetlands, and fields.
History: The Heald family
has donated or given easements to much of the land from their former
farms and orchards. SPNHF-designated the Heald Tract as a Century Forest
in 1999.