Recently I've had several enjoyable hiking
experiences by poking around the recently established Cooley-Jericho Community
Forest (CJCF) located in Easton, NH This
844 acre parcel of land became a reality in the Autumn of 2013 after intensive planning
and fund raising. (Click HERE to read a brief article which provides some
interesting details about the CJCF.)
The CJCF can be accessed from end of Trumpet
Round Road, or from the west end of Dyke Road.
Shown below is a composite image of two different maps. Neither map is very detailed, but might serve
to provide a general idea as to the location of this property. (Click on map image to enlarge it.)
Currently,
there is no signage at this location, and hiking trails are still a work in
progress. Although some potential trail corridors
have been flagged by volunteer workers for ACT (Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust),
they are not quite ready for prime time.
In addition to the lack of official trails and signage, there is a
confusing array of old skidder roads that head off in many different
directions. Therefore, exploration of
this area is currently a bit rough and tumble!
The
situation described above can be appealing to some folks, but to others, not
so much! For the adventurous hiker
with map and compass skills, it can be great fun to poke around and then be
rewarded by discovering some very pleasant views.
The remainder of this report will consist of a
few snapshots taken from various spots within the CJCF during my recent hiking
adventures at this location.
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| Flagging along a potential trail corridor |
 |
| Northerly vista with a segment of potential trail corridor in foreground |
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| Westerly vista with a segment of potential trail corridor in foreground |
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| Vista that includes portions of Presidential and Franconia Mountain Ranges |
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| Zoomed view of Mt. Cabot and the Pilot Range |
 |
| Long lineup of mountains from the Percy Peaks (left) to Pilot Range (right) |
As I understand it, there are plans to
eventually construct a trail within the CJCF property that will connect to the
remains of the fire tower that once existed on Cooley Hill. But even without a formalized trail, one can
reach the fire tower by any number of easy bushwhack routes through the CJCF
property. (Of course, the old fire tower can also be accessed via the existing WMNF's Jericho Road Trail.)
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| Remains of fire tower on Cooley Hill |
 |
| View of Cole Hill as seen while bushwhacking between Cole Hill and Cooley Hill |
 |
| Sunset from a viewpoint at Cooley-Jericho Community Forest |
To sum it
up, this new parcel of publically-accessible land has provided me with
several enjoyable explorations over the past few weeks. I'm grateful to the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust for their
tireless efforts to make the CJCF a reality.
If you would like to get involved with the planning and building of
trails, or simply make a monetary donation, you can contact Rebecca Brown at: rbrown@aconservationtrust.org.
2 comments:
Thank you for posting this, John. I enjoyed a nice afternoon exploring the "pink" and "blue" trails, as well as wandering down several logging roads and a few short bushwhacks. Ended the day with a trip in the Bronson Hill trail complex. Some really nice places out in this area; with the lack of any signage, it would have been difficult to tell if I was in the right spot without your report.
Chris, thank you so much for the feedback, and I’m delighted that you had a nice afternoon at the Cooley-Jericho Forest.
It’s great to learn that my report was helpful to you. As you indicate, the lack of any signage makes it challenging to find the “good spots”. But they are surely there. It just takes a bit of poking and prodding to find them.
Glad you also incorporated the Bronson Hill complex into your agenda. Since it’s such a short hike and such a short drive from Bethlehem, I often go there when my time is limited. Weather permitting, it provides wonderful views of the Franconia Range at all times of day, and at all seasons of the year.
John
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