FANNY MASON FOREST TRAILS
• Trails are open to the public year-round to enjoy hiking, photography, nature study, birding, etc.
• We ask that you do not destroy the plant life, and to please stay on the trails during mud season to avoid erosion.
• Except for snowmobiles, all motorized vehicles are prohibited.
HUNTING
Private, County and Municipal Lands
80% of New Hampshire’s forestland is privately owned. Most private lands — especially larger tracts — remain open to hunters, unless posted
against hunting. New Hampshire Fish and Game recommends that each hunter contact landowners and seek permission to hunt. Even posted land
can be accessed by contacting the owner prior to hunting. Please respect all landowners wishing to keep their lands posted.
DIRECTIONS
Parking for the southern end of the trail is located at a picnic / rest area, on the eastern side of Route 12, north of the Connector Road.
There is also a pull-off for the northern end of the trail, also on the eastern side of Route 12, about 0.8 miles north of the main parking area.
ABOUT FANNY MASON FOREST
From Fanny Mason Forest Report by town forester Alex Barrett, 2019.
Fanny Mason Forest encompasses approximately 286 acres of land on both sides of Route 12 and is a significant and special asset for the town,
in terms of recreation, current and future timber potential, and wildlife habitat. Given the farsightedness of its benefactor, Miss Fanny Mason,
there is a diverse array of forest types, and potential for excellent forest management. The Mason Forest can rightfully be considered,
the crown jewel of Walpole’s multiple-use forests.
The recreational trail network on the property is a work in progress, and consists of a wonderful group of established trails, trails in need
of rehabilitation, and new trails recently built. The Walpole Conservation Commission (WCC) and Walpole Trail Committee (WTC)
have led some work days at Fanny Mason Forest, with good results.
Deer utilize the Fanny Mason Forest extensively. In addition to deer sign, bear scat has been observed, and there is a suite
of forest birds making their home there.
ABOUT FANNY PEABODY MASON
From A History of Walpole, New Hampshire by Martha M. Frizzell (Walpole, NH: Walpole Historical Society, 1963).
Fanny Peabody Mason (1864 – 1948) was a New England author, preservationist, and philanthropist. Mason was a patron of music, and inaugurated the Peabody Mason Concerts–still performed annually by the Boston Symphony Orchestra–in 1891. She maintained several homes, including in Boston and Paris, as well as a 2,000-acre estate in Walpole, NH, leaving much of her Walpole woodland for a town forest when she died in 1948. In addition to her conservation efforts, Mason left an estate of $4 million to be used for charitable distribution.
