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Trails at a Glance

Trail Head/Main Trail: (1, white-outline) Main entrance to the Hickory Woods. Multi-purpose.
East Perimeter Trail: (2, blue) Well blazede winding walking trail.
Jega's Walk: (3, gold) Walking trail connecting the main entrance with a direct link to the fireplace.
Rigel's Way: (4, silver) Walking trail connecting Jega's Walk to the East Perimeter.
Lower Swamp: (5 yellow) A rugged sometimes wet walking trail.
Horned Owl Trail: (6 burnt orange) A unique walking trail meandering past a nesting horned owl.
Snowmobile Trail: (7, peach) A fun multi-purpose trail with lots of hills.
Brook Trail: (8, purple) Scenic views of Mulpus Brook. Not marked.
Barred Owl Trail: (9, olive green) Short walking connector trail.
Ridge Trail: (10, red) A casual stroll over some scenic areas on a landmark trail.
R/W Trail: Red/White Trail that travels into the Town Forest
B/W Trail: Blue/White Trail that travels into the Town Forest

Intro

Most of the trails are obvious, and cleared for easy walks in the 47.2 acre parcel owned by Hickory Hills, called Hickory Woods. That's not to say you cannot get lost.

Shy of buying your own GPS system, you have a few noticeable boundaries to look for should you get lost.

Currently most of the trails have been marked with rectangular paint blazes - a 3 1/2" x 6" paint mark.

The map shows each trail's color. Most of the trails also have signs. The only trails that do not have markings are the Ridge Trail, Barred Owl Trail, and the Brook Trail.

Trail Descriptions

Trail Head/Main Trail:(1, white-outline) Main entrance to the Hickory Woods. Multi-purpose trail. Marked with White Blazes on the trail. A Trailhead Station is located 100 yards from the road.

The Main Trail is accessible by foot, push-bike, horse, and snowmobiles.

The Main Trailhead can be found off Island Rd between house #200 and #214. There is a steep incline. The left side has a new 200' wooden fence. Careful of the poison ivy that flanks the trail here. As you begin to go into the shelter of the main woods, you will pass 2 sets of granite property markers as you walk up a small hill. There is a Trailhead Station with maps on the left side at the second set of granite markers. The Main Trail will veer to the left about 100' after the second granite marker. Before the bend, the East Perimeter Trail begins off to the right at the top of the hill. At the bend, you will also see Jega's Trail straight ahead.

After the bend, the Main Trail continues along a straight section till it comes to a "T" intersection with the Lower Swamp Trail.

The trail goes sharp right, and runs north, maintains a few gentle bends as it winds under the wooden canopy. It runs past the Horned Owl Trail, on the left. After going up a gentle slope, the trail forms a small island, and you will see the Snowmobile Trail off to the left. The Main trail continues straight and up to the northern perimeter. Here you will find a small fireplace, long since abandoned. At this point, you intersect the East Perimeter Trail (to your right). You will also see Jega's Trail to your right.

The Main Trail veers left, and follows the stone wall for 200 feet. Then, the trail takes a sharp left. Note, at this point your curiosity will be looking at two paths that lead through the hole in the stone wall. Both paths lead away into Lunenburg Forest. One path is blazed with Blue/White markings. Continuing along the Main Trail, it continues in a westward direction, skirting the perimeter of Hickory Woods flanked by a stone wall. It takes you up a small hill, then down and through a very scenic laurel grove. It crosses a small wooden bridge. The trail then ascends a small hill and under a huge pine tree. 50 yards beyond the pine tree is one of the corners of the property. The trail then begins a gradual descent over a few rolls travelling in a southerly direction. You will then come to a main intersection of several trails. Off to the left is the Snowmobile Trail, and Horned Owl. Continuing straight in a southerly direction, the Main Trail passes beneath some balsams and to the edge of the swamp. You will find a peculiar bridge that will hopefully keep you dry as you pass over a small stream (usually dry in summer). You will pass the Lower Swamp Trail to your left. The Main Trail then meets another small stream (usually dry in the summer). There is a 25' bridge across the stream. The Main Trail continues for another 30 yards and passes the Barred Owl trail on the right and continues fairly straight for a 1/4 mile before taking a hard right at the foot of the Ridge and continuing till it passes 'Cana Rock' and up the steep incling of the Ridge and out into the Lunenburg Town forest.

East Perimeter Trail: (2, blue) Well blazed winding walking trail. Marked with Blue blazes on the trail.

The East Perimeter Trail begins 50 feet after the second granite marker on the Main/Entrance Trail. A right turn at the top of the hill will bring you along a narrow winding path. Around 600 yards, the trail will bear left, and cross over a few old fallen trees. Then it crosses a small brook (dry in the summer) and up a small hill. As the trail winds up the hill, it will flatten out and you will see a large boulder on the left side. 20 yards beyond the boulder, the trail takes a very sharp left, almost 180 degrees. You will notice at the sharp turn that there are markers heading straight. This will take you to the northeast corner of the property where you will find an old dirt path. Continuing from the sharp left, the trail will travel along the northern boundary of the property. It passes by the remains of an old structure (noted by a large granite slab), then passes over the brook again. It begins a gradual climb, and you will pass one end of Rigel's Way. The trail meanders on and eventually meets the Main Trail, and Jega's Walk all at the fireplace.

Jega's Walk: (3, gold) Walking trail connecting the Main Trail with a direct link to the fireplace and beyond. Jega's Walk begins where the Main Trail takes a left bend. Its a narrow trail, and after 300 yards will veer to the left. Rigel's Way starts to the right at the bend. Jega's Walk continues on till it meets the East Perimeter and the Main Trail at the fireplace.

Rigel's Way: (4, silver) Walking trail connecting Jega's Walk to the East Perimeter Trail and beyond.

Lower Swamp Trail: (5 yellow) A rugged sometimes wet walking trail. Blazed with yellow markers.

Horned Owl Trail: (6 burnt orange) A unique walking trail meandering pass a nesting horned owl (at least last spring). The trail begins from the Main Trail. It goes up a slight grade passing over a fallen tree. It continues straight for 300 yards past a bent pine tree. The trail then veers to the left past a small swale. The trail then bears right along a little ridge area, then down. It crosses a dry stream and continues straight for 300 yards. It then crosses a small depression sometimes wet. There are a few logs that allow a dry crossing. The trail bears left again, and a final right bend before a straight section and finally intersects several trails. It meets up with the Snowmobile Trail to the right, and a "T" intersection with the Main Trail.

Snowmobile Trail: (7, peach) A fun multi-purpose trail with lots of hills! The trail is marked with Peach/beige Circle markers. The trail begins from the Main Trail before the fireplace. It travels straight for a ways before passing a old growth pine tree. It begins a decent down to a little stream passing through a beautiful section of the forest. It then endures a few swales, and meets up with the intersection of Horned Owl and the Main Trail.

Brook Trail: (8, purple) Under construction. It skirts the lower foot of the Ridge Trail and continues along the edge of the brook offering beautiful views. The end is still under construction.

Barred Owl Trail (9, dark green) The trail starts and ends on the Main trail. It starts about 40 yards from the Main trail where it leaves the last bridge thru the swamp area. It continues over a few wet spots, past a granite marker, through some more laurals and meets with the Main Trail at 'Cana Rock'.

Ridge Trail: (10, red) A casual stroll over some scenic areas on a landmark trail.

Blue/White Trail: Hickory Hills does not maintain this trail. It is entirely on Lunenburg Town forest property. It starts at a corner of the Main trail where another wider Town trail also begins. It follows a stone wall for awhile and over some beautiful parts of the forest. It eventually meets up with a Yellow/White blazed trail. There are maps here that show where these trails are.

Red/White Trail: A rugged sometimes wet walking trail. Blazed with yellow markers. There are maps here that show where these trails are.