Trail Descriptions

Last Content Update:

Trail Map of Hanover

  • Foot travel only.
  • Most trails are closed to motorized vehicles and bicycles. Exceptions:
    • Private land. Many of the trails and protected green areas are open to the public by the generosity of owners. Please use the trails in a manner worthy of their trust. Remember, too, that NH law absolves such owners from liability for mishaps.
    • Class VI roads are historic public roads that are no longer maintained for traffic. Many are good for hiking and skiing. Vehicular use is generally allowed, but may be infeasible. Please don't ride or drive on these roads in muddy conditions. It ruins the roadbed for everyone.
  • Bicycles are allowed on trails 13A, 31, 33, 35A, 36, 37, 71A and Class VI roads.
  • Snowmobiles are allowed on trail 37 and Class VI roads.
  • Accessibility. In dry weather sections of some trails may be usable by wheelchairs, strollers and the like, though the trailbeds are not up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Likely sections are trail 1 from the east, 2 from the west and 31.
  • Omissions. Trails marked "(omitted)" may be used, but are not drawn on the map, by owners' request.
  • "Lost" trails are obscure or badly neglected as of the map date. "Lost" Class VI roads are closed to the public or not traceable.
  • Parking areas on the map are closely related to trails. General-purpose parking areas are not shown.
  • Winter etiquette. When hiking in snow, please keep one ski track clear where possible. Though it's easier to walk in ski tracks, it makes postholes that can catch skis.
  • Other maps. More detailed guides to various conservation and recreation areas are available at Hanover Town Hall, Hanover Conservancy, Upper Valley Trails Alliance and Dartmouth Outdoor Program.

Enjoy the trails. Please carry out all that you carry in, stick to the trails, and respect private property.

The Trails

Appalachian Trail (AT), 13.9 miles in Hanover: B7-M2. The 2175-mile trail enters Hanover over Ledyard Bridge, is blazed down Main Street, passes the Dartmouth athletic fields behind the Mobil station on Route 120, and exits Hanover at Goose Pond Road. Strenuous over Velvet Rocks (with a fixed rope at one spot between trails 7 and 65) and Moose Mountain; otherwise moderate to easy.

  1. River Trail, 1.1 miles: B7. Runs from the electric substation on South Main Street to the corner of Maple Street and Downing Road. Moderate stairs up to Maple Street, otherwise easy.
  2. Quinn Trail, 0.4 mile: B8. Named for benefactors Brian and Allie Quinn. Runs from the pump station at South Main Street and Brook Road through Mink Brook Nature Preserve and Tanzi Tract (5) to Route 120, between houses Number 87 and Number 89. Just beyond a horseshoe bend in the stream 0.6 mile from Brook Road, a side trail leads to a bridge to the Wheelock Trail (68). Easy from Brook Road through Tanzi; moderate up to Route 120.
  3. Pine Point Trail, 0.2 mile: B7. Runs from Pine Knoll Cemetery to Mink Brook. Moderate.
  4. South Esker Natural Area, 0.8 mile: A7. Entrances at the end of Spencer Roal and the southwest corner of Pine Knoll Cemetery. Park near the Water Reclamation Facility at the far end of the cemetery. Trails loop to bluffs above the Connecticut River. Moderate.
  5. Tanzi Tract, 0.3 mile: B8. Follow the Quinn Trail (2) to a loop trail that visits rich native vegetation and tumbling Mink Brook. Easy.
  6. Short cut to Velvet Rocks, 0.4 mile: D6. Runs from East Wheelock Street opposite Balch Hill Lane to the AT near the cut-off to the Velvet Rocks shelter. Moderate.
  7. Trescott Spur, 0.4 mile: E6. Runs from Trescott Road 0.35 miles east of Grasse Road to the AT near the summit of Velvet Rocks. Moderate. The "velvet" is reindeer moss; please stay off it.
  8. Grasse Road Trail, 0.3 mile: B10-C10. Runs from the corner of Grasse Road and East Wheelock Street to the summit of Balch Hill. Moderate.
  9. Hunter Trail, 0.6 mile: B10-C10. Trailhead is at the end of Morrison Road. Goes over the summit of Balch Hill and down to the Piane trail. Moderate.
    1. 9A Garipay Trail, 0.1 mile: 10C. Easy.
  10. Piane Trail, 0.3 mile: A10-B10. Runs from Rip Road opposite house Number 34 to the summit of Balch Hill. Was a Dartmouth ski slope in 1930s. Steep.
    1. 10A Link Trail, 0.1 mile: B10. Easy.
  11. Hemlock Trail, less than 0.2 mile: B10. Runs from the Hemlock Road parking area to the summit of Balch Hill. Steep at the bottom.
  12. Fire Trail, 0.4 mile: B10. Provides emergency and maintenance access to the summit of Balch Hill; shares a private driveway up to the nature preserve. Easy.
  13. Maple Trail, 0.6 mile: B9-C9. Runs from Dot Strong Trail (13A) near MacDonald Drive to the Fire Trail (12) near the top of Balch Hill. Moderate.
    1. 13A Dot Strong Trail, 0.3 mile: B9-C9. Named for a neighborhood humanitarian. Runs from Reservoir Road about 0.1 mile west of the Storrs Pond entrance to the bottom of MacDonald Drive. Open to bicycles. Easy.
  14. Girl Brook Circuit, 1.6 miles: B5-C6. Trailheads are in the golf course northwest of Occom Pond and off Rope Ferry Road Extension. Taken counterclockwise, the trail runs along Girl Brook and the Connecticut River, then up Freshman Hill to the golf course. Treacherous stream crossings in high water; steep grade down from Rope Ferry Extension; otherwise easy.
  15. Cathedral Aisle, 0.4 mile: C5. This variation from the Girl Brook Circuit (14) runs from the mouth of Girl Brook to the base of Freshman Hill. Easy.
  16. Esker Trail (Cardiac Hill), 0.3 mile: C5. Runs uphill from near the start of Cathedral Aisle (15) to the golf course. In golfing season hikers should not go on the golf course. Moderate
  17. Hanover Country Club. In winter groomed ski trails on the golf course connect via Girl Brook East (47) with the network on Oak Hill (33). Tickets are sold at the Dartmouth Outing Club house on Occom Pond.
  18. Ray School Nature Trail, 0.7 mile: C5-D5. From entrances at the marsh beyond the school and the building behind the school, this trail loops along Girl Brook. Moderate.
    1. 18A Ski Trail at the Ray School, 0.2 mile: C5. Begins behind the Ray School and connects to ski trails at Storrs Pond. It criss-crosses the Ray School Nature Trail (18). Moderate.
  19. Fullington Farm Trail, 0.7 mile: D4-E3. Park at Wilson's Landing on the Connecticut River. The trail begins in the hedgerow on the mainland, follows the riverbank past the Dartmouth organic farm, and circles around the south end of the nursery to Route 10. Easy.
  20. Upper Mink Brook Trail, 1.3 miles: J6-J7. Park at either of the first two parking lots on Moose Mountain Road. From there, you can access the network of trails on Moose Mountain. Easy, but with brook crossings.
  21. Logging Road, 0.9 mile: J6-K5. Runs from Goss Road Extension (22) to the AT. Moderate.
  22. Goss Road Extension, 0.7 mile: J6-K6. Begins near the top of Moose Mountain Road. Maintained for access to a TV tower, this Class VI road is a somewhat raw, but wide open way along the Moose Mountain Ridge. Easy. A lost section continues 0.7 mile to Goss Road.
  23. Ridge Trail(formerly Orange Diamond Trail), 4.5 miles in Hanover, 1.2 in Enfield: K5-J10. Runs from the AT near South Peak along the ridge of Moose Mountain to Enfield on Route 4. Views of Mt. Washington, Mt. Cardigan, Mascoma Lake, and (in winter) Killington Peak. Blazed light blue north of Pasture Road. Moderate, but occasionally tricky to follow southward.
    1. 23A Tower Trail, 0.6 miles: K6. This former route of the Ridge Trail (23) is easy to follow, but raw north of a TV tower on the ridge and badly eroded south.
  24. Ski Loop, 1.1 miles: J5-K5. Built before the AT as a back-country ski route, this long-neglected trail has recently been reclaimed. Moderate to strenuous.
  25. Fred Harris Trail, 3.8 miles in Hanover, 0.3 in Lyme: J6-L2. This former route of the AT is named for the founder of the Dartmouth Outing Club (1909). At present the trail has been obliterated by windfall and lumbering at the north end and is overgrown near Ferson Road. The trailhead on Goose Pond Road in Lyme is beside a large pine just west of a barnyard. Easy.
  26. New Fred Harris Cabin access trail, 0.5 mile: J5. Runs from a parking area on Three Mile Road 1.0 north of Old Dana Road to the Fred Harris Trail (25), Easy.
  27. Old Fred Harris Cabin access trail, 0.75 mile: J5. Runs from utility pole 94/37 on Three Mile Road to the Fred Harris Trail (25) near the Fred Harris Cabin. Easy, except for a sometimes challenging beaver-dam traverse.
  28. Cory Road, 1 mile: I5-I6. The upper end of this Class VI road, on Three Mile Road near Old Dana Road, serves also as a private driveway. The lower end crosses a field from a gate on Wolfeboro Road 0.3 mile from Hanover Center. The Cory (or Corey) cellar hole is on a knoll SW of the second brook crossing, counted from the lower end. Easy.
  29. Huntington Hill Farm, 5 miles: H2-H3. Trailheads on both sides of Goodfellow Road are 1 mile from Route 10. The trails traverse varied habitat: the evergreen ravine of Slade Brook, upland forest, fields with distant views, a pond, pine plantation, and forest edge. Some trails are marked with red arrows; a major loop is pointed out by white arrows at junctions. Easy to moderate.
  30. Huntington Hill Wildlife Management Area. H3-I3. A large sign beside Hanover Center Road marks the entrance to this trail, which crosses a pond, veers to the north and continues to Goodfellow Road. A side trail to Huntington Hill Farm (29) is marked by coffee-can lids. Easy.
  31. Storrs Pond Ring Trail, 1.6 miles: C5-D4. Followed clockwise from the parking lot, the trail passes a ball field, a picnic area, and junctions to Ferguson Field (32), Rinker/Steele (35) and Oak Hill (33). Open to bicycles. Access fees are charged at some seasons. Easy.
  32. Ferguson Field, 0.25 miles: C4-D4. Runs through a field on Route 10 across from Kendal to Storrs Pond (31). Easy.
  33. Oak Hill Trails, about 5 miles: D5-E4. Park in the upper lot of Storrs Pond. Trails shown are groomed for skiing, with tickets purchasable on site or at the Dartmouth Outing Club house on Occom Pond. Many more trails than these are open for mountain biking in dry season; a complete map is here. Moderate.
  34. Highway 34, 1.8 miles: D3-D5. Begins as a Class VI road off Route 10 opposite the Dartmouth Organic Farm; runs uphill along the brink of a ravine and through Oak Hill (33) to the Frank Fetter bridge at the top of Reservoir Road. Moderate.
  35. Rinker/Steele Tract: Brook Trail, Quarry Loop, and Storrs-Rinker Trail, 0.6 mile: D4. Access from Route 10, at the bottom of the hill north of the Chieftan Motel. Dissected landscape with pond and quarry face. Easy to moderate, except for a goat-path pitch on the Quarry Loop.
    1. 35A Rinker Bike Loop, 0.8 mile: D4. Bike access from Storrs Pond (31), Ferguson Field (32), or Oak Hill (33), not Rinker/Steele (35). Hilly single track.
  36. Goodwin Forest Bike Loop, 3.3 miles: M2-N3. Park on Goose Pond Road at a clearing 2.2 miles SE of Baker Hill Road (continuation of Hanover Center Road). Winding single-track trail runs 2.7 miles over a saddle and down to North Tunis Road (88). The downgrade crisscrosses a brook and a logging road usable as a pedestrian shortcut. The loop is closed by 0.6 mile of hard-packed Goose Pond Road. Easy to moderate.
  37. Snowmobile Trail, 1.4 miles: O3-O4. Until bridges are restored, this former state snowmobile trail is passable only on foot at low water. It runs from Goose Pond Road near Wolfeboro Road to the Canaan Turnpike. Wide, easy grade, with several wet stretches.
  38. Old Highway 38, 1.4 miles: E8-F7. Runs from Greensboro Road opposite the town storage yard to Trescott Road opposite Partridge Road. One short steep pitch at south end; otherwise easy.
    1. 38A Connector to AT, 0.4 mile: E6-E7. The trail connects Old Highway 38 (38) to the AT. Follow blue blazes to avoid taking private trails. Easy. Continuation north of the AT leads only to private land.
  39. Old Logging Road, 0.9 mile: L5-K6. This unmaintained trail at the northern extremity of Goss Road is on land owned by the National Park Service. Easy.
  40. Wolfeboro Road, about 10 miles: D5-O4. This 18th century road can be traced from Reservoir Road to the Canaan border. It is closed to the public in the Trescott Company reservoir lands and has been legally abandoned between Elm Road and Hanover Center. Between Dogford and Elm Roads, it traverses a hill farm with a fine wall and view. Grades are easy to moderate, but there are rough and/or wet stretches over Moose Mountain.
  41. Pasture Road, 0.8 mile: J7-K8. The trail, which partly follows a Class VI road, begins opposite the parking lot at the top of Moose Mountain Road and immediately passes impressive beaver dams; a side trail visits a cellar hole and loops around a large mill pond, expanded by beavers. East of the Ridge Trail (23), Pasture Road is marked with blue-white blazes and passes impressive relics from wall-building days. A continuation to Goss Road is not shown. Moderate.
  42. Dartmouth College Morton Farm, about 2.5 miles. I9. These trails may be accessed via the Morton farmhouse driveway on Laramie Road, or via a path from Birchview Terrace on Blueberry Hill. Mainly for horses but good for skiing. Easy.
  43. Wardrobe Road, 1.5 miles: I1-I3. This Class VI road runs between Goodfellow Road near Hanover Center Road and Rennie Road near Fern Lane. Easy downhill from Goodfellow to Rennie Road, with one difficult stretch near Pingree Brook.
  44. Hayes Trails, 0.8 mile: G7. This small network connects the Etna Library and Fire Station to Woodcock Road via varied habitats in the Town's Nan and Allen King Bird Sanctuary and Trescott Ridge Wetland. Easy, with some rough footing.
  45. Aggie Kurtz Trail, 0.8 mile: H10-H9. Named for the moving spirit of the former Hanover Trails Association. Runs north from Blueberry Hill behind properties on Laramie Road to Morton Farm (42). Easy.
  46. Etna Highlands Road, 2.5 miles: F8-H9. Alternating between Class V and Class VI, this road runs from Etna Village to Morton Farm (42). Class VI sections toward the ends are bushwacks.
  47. Girl Brook East, 1.3 miles: C5-C6. The north end of the main stem of this trail is a footbridge downhill off the driveway of the Dartmouth Day Care Center on Reservoir Road. At the south the trail can be entered from Route 10 0.35 mile north of Park Street or from the corner of Verona Avenue and Willow Spring Lane. Easy.
  48. Cliffside Trail, 1.1 miles: B5-B6. Runs from the Girl Brook Circuit (14) in Pine Park near the bottom of Freshman Hill to the back of Tom Dent Cabin just above the Ledyard Canoe Club. A narrow sidehill trail, irregularly maintained, with frequent scrambles.
  49. Coleman Road, 0.7 mile: G3-F3. This Class VI road runs from Dogford Road to Pinneo Hill Road. The public is asked to avoid walking close to the house on Pinneo Hill. A small brook crosses the road five times and runs along the road for a short distance. Take the trail closest to the brook, as the other is a private logging road. The trail is irregularly maintained and footing may be difficult.
  50. Old Spencer Road, 0.7 mile: G2-G3. This Class VI road runs from Dogford Road to Old Lyme Road. Moderate.
  51. Pipers Lane, 0.5 mile: G1-G2. This Class VI road runs from the maintained part of Pipers Lane to River Road through a narrow ravine with a town nature preserve to the north. Easy.
  52. Waterfall Trail, 0.8 mile: F2-G2. Starting from River Road just north of Purling Brook Road, the trail traverses the Jim and Evalyn Hornig Natural Area past a waterfall and ends at Route 10 between the ends of Old Lyme Road. Easy.
  53. Barnes Trail, 0.5 mile: G2-G3. This wide woods road begins at a gate on Old Lyme Road just north of Old Spencer Road (50). After entering Huntington Hill Farm (signposted), it merges with the Bridle Trail (54). Easy to moderate.
  54. Bridle Trail, 0.4 mile: G3. The trail leaves Old Spencer Road (50) at a broad junction about 1000 feet from Old Lyme Road. There is a waterfall off trail downstream of the Slade Brook crossing. The crossing, site of a defunct bridge, may be difficult; otherwise easy.
  55. Slade Brook Link, 0.3 mile: G3-H3. Runs from Old Spencer Road (50) about 1000 feet from Dogford Road down to a bridge across Slade Brook. There are orange boundary blazes beside the upper end. Easy
  56. Hayfield Road Easement, 0.4 mile: I4. Where Hayfield Road curves south, the trail continues east along the stone wall. Go right at a T junction to the field and trails at Alswell Farm (57). Easy, but poorly marked.
  57. Alswell Farm Trail, 0.5 mile: I4. From a gated entrance about 300 feet beyond the end of the maintained part of Wolfeboro Road east of Hanover Center, the trail crosses a field, enters the woods at the field's northeast corner, crosses Slade Brook, and loops back to meet Wolfeboro Road just east of a small pond on Monahan Brook. Easy.
  58. Chandler Road, 0.7 mile: H6-I6. This Class VI road runs from the end of maintained Chandler Road to Three Mile Road. The south entrance is hidden by a hedgerow. Easy.
  59. Mountainside Trail, 0.5 mile: J6. The trail leaves the Upper Mink Brook Trail (20) near a "No Horses" sign. It climbs the mountain to "Tulle's Walkie-Walkie", a diversion from the Logging Road (21). Steep.
  60. Red Pine Trail, 1.3 miles: G8-G9. Park on Etna Highlands Road just west of Hayes Hill Road. There are two loops of trails. Easy.
  61. Back Woods Trail, 0.5 mile: H9. The trail begins just east of the last house on the maintained section of Etna Highlands Road. It soon heads east and meanders through a logged section of land, then meets the Class VI road again at the far end. Easy grade, but the footing is tricky.
  62. 50-Acre Trail, 1 mile: H9. The trail leaves the Class VI portion of Etna Highlands Road opposite Back Woods Trail (61). It makes two loops, through forest to the east, and overgrown fields to the west. Easy.
  63. Great Hollow Road to Stevens Road, 0.4 mile: F8. Park in a small lot off Great Hollow Road opposite the trailhead south of the Mink Brook bridge. Follow the brook east, then turn uphill along a small tributary and continue to Stevens Road. Moderate upgrade toward Stevens Road.
  64. Mount Support Trail, 0.6 mile in Hanover. E8-E9. No longer a Class VI road nor readily accessible from any road, the trail starts at a stone gatepost near a ford across Mink Brook 0.2 mile west of the large field on Greensboro Road. It passes a small old quarry. Indistinct through the saddle east of Mount Support, it joins a network of woods roads in Lebanon that leads to Route 120 and the former Wilson Tire building. Moderate.
  65. Ledyard Link, 0.4 mile: D6. Runs from the top of East Wheelock Street opposite Grasse Road to Ledyard Spring, where it meets connectors to the Short Cut to Velvet Rocks (6) and the AT. The trail crosses a water tower access road, along which it jogs right about 75 yards. Blazed blue. Easy.
  66. Urban Trail, 0.6 mile in four short segments. C6-C7. The trail follows a sewer easement from Valley Road Extension between houses Number 34 and Number 36 to Kingsford Road between Number 9 and Number 11. From Kingsford Road, between Number 12 and Number 14, it runs to Rayton Road between Number 19 and Number 21. This section of the trail is wide and open, but indistinct. There is no public trail between Rayton and Haskins Roads. From Haskins Road between Number 20 and Number 22, it runs to Low Road between Number 19 and Number 21, again indistinct. From Low Road, between Number 22 and Number 24, it heads uphill to the Velvet Rocks Shelter via one of the steepest grades on Hanover trails. To avoid the steep part, turn south behind the backyards of Low Road and make your way to the AT.
  67. N/A
  68. Wheelock Trail, 1 mile: B8-C8. East end is on Buck Road, 0.1 mile off Route 120. West end is on Route 10 just southeast of the Mink Brook bridge. Best parking is at the electric substation northwest of the bridge. From Route 10, walk east through the meadow to a Mink Brook Nature Preserve sign, then follow light blue blazes to Buck Road. Runs along a very scenic stretch of Mink Brook and, near the east end, opposite remains of Wheelock's mill. Easy grade, with narrow side-hill footing in spots.
    1. 68A Wheelock Terrace Spur, 0.2 mile: C8. Just outside the marked boundary of the Mink Brook Nature Preserve. Moderate.
  69. Trout Brook Trail, 0.4 mile: B8-C8. From a major junction on the Wheelock Trail (68) this trail follows Trout Brook uphill to a power-line corridor. Continuing trails connect to Indian Ridge (72), Easy.
  70. Sachem Village Trail, 0.2 mile: B8. From a major trail junction on Wheelock Trail (68) this trail crosses Trout Brook to a power-line corridor. From there a trail continues to Sachem Village. Easy.
  71. Oli's Trail, 0.5 mile: D7. Runs among ledges and ravines in the Greensboro Ridge Natural Area (GRNA) from the top of Velvet Rocks Drive to a switchback on the AT. Moderate, with some very short steep pitches.
    1. 71A Silent Brook Trail, 0.5 miles: D7. For the upper end (in the GRNA), park at the top of Velvet Rocks Drive. For the lower end (on Forest Edge Drive), park along the eastern spur of Silent Brook Drive. The trail dips sharply into a ravine at the upper end; otherwise easy. Open to bicycles.
  72. Greensboro Highlands Trail, 0.6 mile: D7. Visits interesting ledges and stone walls in the GRNA. Moderate, with very short steep pitches.
  73. Indian Ridge, about 2 miles: E8 and south. This network overseen by the Hanover Conservation Commission connects to DHMC, Boston Lot and Sachem Village. Map is available at Hanover Town Hall.
  74. Baum Conservation Area, 2.4 miles: J7-K8. Parking lot on Goss Road (continuation of Maple Street, Enfield) is 3.4 miles from Route 4. A southern "yellow" loop (0.9 mile) and a northern "blue" loop (1.6 miles) traverse ledgy terrain in rapidly regrowing forest. Moderate.
  • 87. Tunis Mill Trail, 0.5 mile: N4-O4. Beginning 1.6 miles beyond the end of the second paved stretch of Goose Pond Road opposite a gate to Bear Hill Reservation, the trail runs over private land to ruins of a sawmill now owned by Hanover Conservancy. Easy.
  • 88. North Tunis Road (old Highway 88), 1.7 miles: M5-N3. This Class VI road runs from Goose Pond Road to Wolfeboro Road 0.5 miles southeast of the AT. Some of the road is bordered by town land and some by private property. Very wet in places, but a good ski trail. Easy.

Map prepared by Douglas McIlroy. Trail data collected by the trails committee of the Hanover Conservation Commission, Boy Scout Troop 45, Dartmouth Outing Club, and Upper Valley Mountain Bike Association. Base map data from Town of Hanover Master Plan, 2003.