The 313-acre Shumway Forest is the center of a mountainside trail network that includes not only the Appalachian Trail as it travels from Three Mile Road to the South Peak of Moose Mountain, but a dozen other foot trails totaling 3.4 miles, linking the AT with others on the mountain and beyond. Many are trails that Kay and Peter Shumway built and/or maintained for skiing as the owners of Moose Mountain Lodge.
Kay and Peter signed a permanent conservation easement on their Moose Mountain forest at our office on June 30, 2017. The Shumway family started a new chapter in 2018, and we warmly welcome the new owners of this incredible property! Thanks to the generosity of forward-thinking landowners, this key piece of Moose Mountain’s ridgeline will always be open to all.
2020 Trail Map
Winter 2021 Interim Trail Map (planned improvements noted)
Many trails in this area were originally created as ski trails, and aren’t well-suited for year-round hiking. We are working with the landowners and the Town’s Trails Committee on a master plan for this area that will close some lesser-used, duplicate trails and will focus more attention and maintenance on the best connections. Trail work is expected to start in late spring of 2021. For an interim trail map, click here, or on the link above.
How to get there
From Ruddsboro Road, take Old Dana Road approximately a mile in, then follow the (unsigned) gravel Moose Mountain Road to the very top, where a sign and gravel lot mark the Huggins Trail Access. Public trailhead parking is also available in several spots along Moose Mountain Road; all these trails connect to the Shumway Forest as well.
The Shumway Forest is the center of a mountainside trail network that includes not only the Appalachian Trail as it travels from Three Mile Road to the South Peak of Moose Mountain, but a dozen other foot trails totaling 3.4 miles, linking the AT with others on the mountain and beyond. Many are trails that Kay and Peter built and/or maintained for skiing as the owners of Moose Mountain Lodge. The Shumway family started a new chapter in 2018, and we warmly welcome the new owners of this incredible property! Thanks to the generosity of forward-thinking landowners, this key piece of Moose Mountain’s ridgeline will always be open to all.
Kay and Peter Shumway signed a permanent conservation easement on their Moose Mountain Forest at our office on June 30, 2017. Coincidentally, this was the 40th anniversary of their acquisition of the Lodge. Kay observed, “we have always felt that we don’t really own the land – we are tenants, taking care of it for the next generation.” The rest of us are all fortunate to have such a fine example of land stewardship in our town.
The Shumway Forest is the center of a mountainside trail network that includes not only the Appalachian Trail as it travels from Three Mile Road to the South Peak of Moose Mountain, but a dozen other foot trails totaling 3.4 miles, linking the AT with others on the mountain and beyond. Many are trails that Kay and Peter built and/or maintained for skiing as the owners of Moose Mountain Lodge. The Shumway family started a new chapter in 2018, and we warmly welcome the new owners of this incredible property! Thanks to the generosity of forward-thinking landowners, this key piece of Moose Mountain’s ridgeline will always be open to all.
The Shumways and their neighbors, Elisha and Anne Huggins, previously donated a conservation easement on the abutting Mill Pond Forest and Huggins Trail Access, protecting a key public access point as well as the primary headwaters of Mink Brook.
Two grants allowed us to purchase a permanent conservation easement on this prominent property. New Hampshire’s Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund provided a major contribution, the largest single grant in the Conservancy’s history. A second grant from the Quabbin to Cardigan Partnership helps with transaction costs. Owners Kay and Peter Shumway have generously made a bargain sale of this easement, far below market value. Learning of the awards, the Shumways replied, “We are thrilled with your news and the idea that our land will be forever open for people to enjoy and not covered with no trespassing signs (and houses…)!”
Celebrating the conservation of the Shumway Forest!
The parcel includes headwater tributaries of Mink Brook and a variety of other types of wetlands, including a fen, vernal pool, and black ash and red spruce swamps. Wildlife includes bobcat, black bear and moose as well as ref efts, garter snakes and birds of all shapes and sizes.
Related Articles
| Moose Mountain Ridge Loop | August 1, 2019 |
| Baum Conservation Area and Moose Mountain | July 1, 2018 |
| Moose Mountain Lodge and Ledges | June 1, 2018 |
