Plumb Memorial Forest
| Date: | 4-27-2025 |
| Location: | Amherst, NH |
| Distance: | 3.65 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 302′ |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 56 min |
| Parking: | 4+ cars |
We had some nice weather for a change, so I decided to do a little Sunday morning hike around the Plumb Memorial Forest.
When I arrived at the trail head, located off of Chestnut Hill Road in Amherst the lot was empty. It is not very big but can hold 4 cars if people park politely.
The trail starts off alongside a private residence before entering the woods. This first section is the Plumb Trail. When I arrived at the first junction, I decided I would do my loop counterclockwise and took the P-H-T Trail.
This trail is a nice rolling trail that has a few benches to sit on and some beautiful moss-covered stone walls. When I came to the next junction I continued my loop down the Highland Traill.
The Highland Trail meanders south and has a number of interesting fallen trees along the trail. There is a bench if you want to take a break and listen to nature. There are also some cool rock formations to hike through along the rolling hills of this trail.
The Highland Trail meets up again with the Plumb trail. I followed it for a short way until I reached the Bobtail Loop that is part of the Joe English Reserve.
The Bobtail Loop had a lot of stone walls along the trail. There was also a large pile of rocks with a small cairn on the top and some trees that look like they were placed there (not fallen). I’ll have to look into the significance of this land.
I again did this small loop counterclockwise. Toward the beginning of the trail I walked along a small ridge before dropping a bit down in elevation. There are some bridges and cool root and rock formations along this trail.
There was one small stone worth noting that I saw. It was a small square stone covered with lichen. It was sitting up straight and seemed to have something carved in it. I couldn’t make out if it was a name or number. I suppose it could be a boundary marker of some sort. I took some photos at different angles so I could try and identify the markings.
Once I made it back to the Plumb Trail, I continued north toward the lot. This section of trail is a lot more direct than the meandering trails that I started out on. This section of trail also had some interesting cairns along it. I’m not sure if they are borders, or if they were where stone walls once were? Some of them even had some chambers in the cairns.
Toward the end of the Plumb Trail, I found myself back at the first trail junction. From here I walked a short distance to the parking lot. Overall, this was a pretty interesting hike. There was not much elevation, but it was beautiful walk in the woods.
