WANT TO WORK ON THE CT?

2010 Volunteer Work Projects

Trail Crew

For a list of trails to adopt, please scroll down...

Volunteers usually work a minimum of one day a year. They use hand tools only, such as branch loppers, bow saws and shovels and keep the trails clean and clear. If a big tree has come down, we ask that volunteers create a bypass around the tree until such time as we can get in there and chainsaw it out.

If you think you would like to volunteer to take on a section of the trail, large or small, please contact Pete and Lainie Castine at 603 538-6777 (e-mail at The Cohos Trail Association). Also, contact us and ask us to put your email address into our database to receive free e-newsletters, bulletins and alerts about work days or work weekends.

If you would like to join a volunteer work crew, watch for our bulletins. If you decide to come out for a day and help, be sure to bring work gloves, a hand tool, wear long sleeves, long pants, bug repellant and a hat, use eye protection, and bring at least two quarts of water and some food and snacks with you.

We work hard and get dirty, but we have fun, too. And there is no time limitation. If you decide you have had enough for the day, you are free to stop work and go home.

The majority of the trails south of Rt 110 in Stark are not listed on this table. These trails are currently maintained by the Randolph Mountain Club, the AMC and the US Forest Service. These are existing trails that we use with the permission of these fine organizations.

So feel free to contact us. We look forward to you joining our effort in keeping the CT open and safe.

The table below lists the trails we currently have and future trails that need adopters.

For a print out of the trail maintenance log click here

TRAIL ADOPTED ? HOW DO I GET THERE?
Slide Brook Trail yes The TCTA is proposing to reopen this section of trail... Stay turned for more details...

Col Whipple Trail yes Trailhead: Whipple Rd entrance to Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge.

Owl's Head Trail N/A The Randolph Mountain Club maintains this trail

Martha's Mile N/A The Randolph Mountain Club maintains this trail

Starr King Trail N/A Maintained by the Randolph Mountain Club

Kilkenny Ridge Trail N/A Maintained by the Forest Service

Devil's Hopyard Trail N/A Maintained by the Forest Service

Bald Mtn Trail from Percy Rd to Rowell's Link yes Trailhead: Off Percy Rd in Stark on the Bald Mtn Trail. Park just to the east at the chain link fence of the old Stark landfill. Do not block the trail with your car

Rowell's Link yes Trailhead: Access from Christine Lake Parking Lot. Walk 3/4 miles uphill to trail off main trail (left) to the banks of Rowell's Brook.

Jimmy Cole Brook Road not
neces. Open. Snowmobile trail and grassy tote road. Needs blazing touched up now and then...Some blazes painted on rocks on the ground.

Old Summer Club Trail yes Trailhead: Christine Lake and Christine Lake Rd off Percy Rd in Stark

Victor Head Trail yes Trailhead: Christine Lake and Christine Lake Rd off Percy Rd in Stark - Adopted by the Percy Summer Club people

Percy Loop and Percy Loop Camp yes Trailhead: small pull out. Please do not block driveway.

Pond Brook Falls yes Trailhead: Located at about mile 7 on the Nash Stream Road. (200 foot long trail)

West Side Road (Stratford) not
neces. ATV trail...Needs no work. However, the signage at the western gate should be checked (Sugarloaf Arm Trail)

Sugarloaf Arm Trail (Stratford) not
neces. Saw extensive work - Summer 2008

Sugarloaf Arm Camp not
built We should think about the possibility of establishing this camp in 2010. It would be much like the Percy Loop Camp six miles away.

Sugarloaf Mountain Trail not
yet The State currently maintains this trail.

East Side Trail yes Trailhead: Large bridge over Nash Stream at Mile 8 on Nash Stream Road. Follow trail upriver. Northern trailhead at mile 10 off right side of Nash Stream Road. Park at the entrance where there's a large boulder with a yellow blaze on it.

Headwaters Road to Headwaters Gate not
neces. Narrow gravel road to terminus gate. Needs blazing checked and signs checked at the gate

Gadwah Notch Trail (includes Kelsey Notch Trail and Baldhead Mt. Trail) yes Trailhead: Access from old, obscure logging road that parallels Sims Stream eastbound uphill into Baldhead region. Tote way and trail is accessed from Bungy Road in Columbia. Call or email for details.

Gadwah Notch yes Call or email for directions

Baldhead Mountain Trail yes Extention of Gadwah Notch Trail

Baldhead Lean-To yes On Baldhead Mountain

Kelsey Notch Trail yes Trailhead: Tote way and trail is accessed from Bungy Road in Columbia. Call or email for details.

Dixville Peak Trail not
neces. Snowmobile and service lane trail to summit. We could use some blazing up in this country and signage at the top of the mountian. Old signage up there has been scoured bare by wind.

Mt Gloriette Link Off Dixville Peak Service Road yes Trailhead: Park at Balsam's Wilderness Ski Area, or, with permission, drive up steep service lane up the ski runs to top of the mountain.

Table Rock Link (Mt. Gloriette Ridgeline) yes The only real work necessary on this old grassy lane at high elevation is to make the entrance off the alpine ski trails easy to spot. Heavy clipping right at the entrance is necessary. A post with a trail sign and CT sign would be just the thing.

Trails around Dixville Notch no The trailhead can be accessed at the State's Wayside Picnic Area off Rt. 26 in Dixville Notch... See separate page on Trails around Dixville Notch Link... These trails are open to the public and are adopted by the NH Dept. of Parks. If someone was to adopt these trails, we could be sure they were free of blowdowns and debris.

Sanguinary Summit Trail no Trailhead: Park at the Balsam's Grand Hotel Resort upper parking lot and walk uphill to dam. Skirt dam on right then walk north on woods trail 600 feet to trailhead on right.

Nathan Pond Trail yes Open on occassion. Bypassed with a short cut.

Keith Haynes Trail no Trail was logged in its southern end, and is not in good condition. Best to hike down the Coleman State Park access road to the Haynes Road a quarter of a mile away. Low priority project that we may turn to in 2010. This is a snowmobile trail for a half mile.

Bear Rock Road and McAllester Road road These are traveled rural roads we use as trail. No work is required except to touch up a few blazes spaced very far apart.

Creampoke Road to Old Ferguson Road (Now called the Haynes Rd.) road Traveled seasonal roads that requires no work except touching up blazing. At the turn down the Weirs Tree Farm lane, check the blazing in the tree. This is an important turn, and the angle-blaze there helps hikers get where they are going.

The Deadwater Trail no This trail is available for adoption - From Weir's Tree Farm to The Deadwater Loop Rd. off from Cedar Stream Rd.

Lake Francis Trail no Open for adoption is the Lake Francis Trail which runs from the Cedar Stream Road in Clarksville to the Carr's Ridge Bridge in Pittsburg. It's approximately 3-1/2 miles in length and tends to be grassy. (Wow- What an understatement!)

The River Road Trail no This .7 mile section is up for adoption and runs parallel to the River Rd. This is not a top-priority seeing most hikers walk the River Rd. instead of taking the snowmobile trail.

Minnon-Young Trail (To Young's Store from The River Rd.) no Only .5 mile and can be grassy in sections. Duties would involve one snowmobile bridge and keeping the alders cut back from the bridge - also keeping the grasses knocked down.

The trails listed below are proposed. All are up for adoption.

TRAIL ADOPTED ? HOW DO I GET THERE?
Prospect Mountain Trail yes To be open in the spring of 2010.

Covell Mountain Trail no This is a proposed new trail up and over Covell Mountain to Round Pond. (Approx. 4 miles) This trail can be broken into two sections. Section one would be the Ramblewood Campground end to the summit of Covell Mtn. and Section two would be from the log landing on the Northeast end of Round Pond to the summit of Covell Mtn.

Round Pond Brook Trail no This new trail leaves the Round Pond Rd. across from the boat launch (east) and runs alongside the Round Pond Brook for approximately 3/4 mile, then turns due east and connects onto a side tote road leading out to Rt. 3

Camp Otter Trail no This section of trail already exists and bog-bridging will be installed in the spring (2010). It runs from the Dorman property off Camp Otter Rd. to the Magalloway Road (approximately 2.9 miles).

Moose Alley Trail no This section of trail already exists. This trail was cut out in the fall of 2009 and is just waiting for blazing and signage.

Falls in the River Trail no Also a proposed trail, this has to be cut much of the way northeast from Route 3 to the Connecticut River and then north to Second Connecticut Lake. Half of the way is in open spruce-budworm cut clearings. Half of the distance is in woodland. On the northern end, the trail would use an old angler trail that ends at Second Connecticut Lake dam. This trail needs cutting, signage, blaze stakes, and a big bog bridge complex in one place (Dry Brook alder thicket).

Idlewilde Spur no This trail is already in existance for most of the way. .6 mile in length, it is heavily flagged and runs from the 2nd Lake Dam to the Idlewilde Rd.

Black Cat Spur Trail no This is an existing way across from East Inlet Road. It is a short snowmobile trail on the flank of Black Cat Spur. Trail needs little or no maintenance. Needs blazing and CT signs.

Route 5 Snowmobile Trail no This is an existing way from Deer Mountain Campground four miles to the Canadian border. Two thirds of the way is a run-down gravel based road in pleasant terrain. The northern third is a dirt lane filled with weeds. This trail needs signage, direction arrows and blazing. It also needs a bog bridge span near Third Connecticut Lake and one very short spur trail to Toothacher Rock. This is a popular snowmobile trail in winter and is quite well maintained.

Deer Mtn Trail no This is the abandoned and largely obliterated old access to the former fire tower on Deer Mt., standing directly above Deer Mountain Campground.

Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail yes This is owned and maintained by the Nature Conservancy. The trail is open and in quite good condition.

Link to Canada N/A Use the highway into Quebec. From the border, the Sentiers Frontaliers have jurisdiction over their trail system, of course. They are supposed to be building a link trail down to the highway Route 258 (on Pants Breaker Road) about half a mile below the boundary ridge.

TRAIL	ADOPTED ?	HOW DO I GET THERE?
Slide Brook Trail	yes	The TCTA is proposing to reopen this section of trail... Stay turned for more details...
Col Whipple Trail	yes	Trailhead: Whipple Rd entrance to Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge.
Owl's Head Trail	N/A	The Randolph Mountain Club maintains this trail
Martha's Mile	N/A	The Randolph Mountain Club maintains this trail
Starr King Trail	N/A	Maintained by the Randolph Mountain Club
Kilkenny Ridge Trail	N/A	Maintained by the Forest Service
Devil's Hopyard Trail	N/A	Maintained by the Forest Service
Bald Mtn Trail from Percy Rd to Rowell's Link	yes	Trailhead: Off Percy Rd in Stark on the Bald Mtn Trail. Park just to the east at the chain link fence of the old Stark landfill. Do not block the trail with your car
Rowell's Link	yes	Trailhead: Access from Christine Lake Parking Lot. Walk 3/4 miles uphill to trail off main trail (left) to the banks of Rowell's Brook.
Jimmy Cole Brook Road	not neces.	Open. Snowmobile trail and grassy tote road. Needs blazing touched up now and then...Some blazes painted on rocks on the ground.
Old Summer Club Trail	yes	Trailhead: Christine Lake and Christine Lake Rd off Percy Rd in Stark
Victor Head Trail	yes	Trailhead: Christine Lake and Christine Lake Rd off Percy Rd in Stark - Adopted by the Percy Summer Club people
Percy Loop and Percy Loop Camp	yes	Trailhead: small pull out. Please do not block driveway.
Pond Brook Falls	yes	Trailhead: Located at about mile 7 on the Nash Stream Road. (200 foot long trail)
West Side Road (Stratford)	not neces.	ATV trail...Needs no work. However, the signage at the western gate should be checked (Sugarloaf Arm Trail)
Sugarloaf Arm Trail (Stratford)	not neces.	Saw extensive work - Summer 2008
Sugarloaf Arm Camp	not built	We should think about the possibility of establishing this camp in 2010. It would be much like the Percy Loop Camp six miles away.
Sugarloaf Mountain Trail	not yet	The State currently maintains this trail.
East Side Trail	yes	Trailhead: Large bridge over Nash Stream at Mile 8 on Nash Stream Road. Follow trail upriver. Northern trailhead at mile 10 off right side of Nash Stream Road. Park at the entrance where there's a large boulder with a yellow blaze on it.
Headwaters Road to Headwaters Gate	not neces.	Narrow gravel road to terminus gate. Needs blazing checked and signs checked at the gate
Gadwah Notch Trail (includes Kelsey Notch Trail and Baldhead Mt. Trail)	yes	Trailhead: Access from old, obscure logging road that parallels Sims Stream eastbound uphill into Baldhead region. Tote way and trail is accessed from Bungy Road in Columbia. Call or email for details.
Gadwah Notch	yes	Call or email for directions
Baldhead Mountain Trail	yes	Extention of Gadwah Notch Trail
Baldhead Lean-To	yes	On Baldhead Mountain
Kelsey Notch Trail	yes	Trailhead: Tote way and trail is accessed from Bungy Road in Columbia. Call or email for details.
Dixville Peak Trail	not neces.	Snowmobile and service lane trail to summit. We could use some blazing up in this country and signage at the top of the mountian. Old signage up there has been scoured bare by wind.
Mt Gloriette Link Off Dixville Peak Service Road	yes	Trailhead: Park at Balsam's Wilderness Ski Area, or, with permission, drive up steep service lane up the ski runs to top of the mountain.
Table Rock Link (Mt. Gloriette Ridgeline)	yes	The only real work necessary on this old grassy lane at high elevation is to make the entrance off the alpine ski trails easy to spot. Heavy clipping right at the entrance is necessary. A post with a trail sign and CT sign would be just the thing.
Trails around Dixville Notch	no	The trailhead can be accessed at the State's Wayside Picnic Area off Rt. 26 in Dixville Notch... See separate page on Trails around Dixville Notch Link... These trails are open to the public and are adopted by the NH Dept. of Parks. If someone was to adopt these trails, we could be sure they were free of blowdowns and debris.
Sanguinary Summit Trail	no	Trailhead: Park at the Balsam's Grand Hotel Resort upper parking lot and walk uphill to dam. Skirt dam on right then walk north on woods trail 600 feet to trailhead on right.
Nathan Pond Trail	yes	Open on occassion. Bypassed with a short cut.
Keith Haynes Trail	no	Trail was logged in its southern end, and is not in good condition. Best to hike down the Coleman State Park access road to the Haynes Road a quarter of a mile away. Low priority project that we may turn to in 2010. This is a snowmobile trail for a half mile.
Bear Rock Road and McAllester Road	road	These are traveled rural roads we use as trail. No work is required except to touch up a few blazes spaced very far apart.
Creampoke Road to Old Ferguson Road (Now called the Haynes Rd.)	road	Traveled seasonal roads that requires no work except touching up blazing. At the turn down the Weirs Tree Farm lane, check the blazing in the tree. This is an important turn, and the angle-blaze there helps hikers get where they are going.
The Deadwater Trail	no	This trail is available for adoption - From Weir's Tree Farm to The Deadwater Loop Rd. off from Cedar Stream Rd.
Lake Francis Trail	no	Open for adoption is the Lake Francis Trail which runs from the Cedar Stream Road in Clarksville to the Carr's Ridge Bridge in Pittsburg. It's approximately 3-1/2 miles in length and tends to be grassy. (Wow- What an understatement!)
The River Road Trail	no	This .7 mile section is up for adoption and runs parallel to the River Rd. This is not a top-priority seeing most hikers walk the River Rd. instead of taking the snowmobile trail.
Minnon-Young Trail (To Young's Store from The River Rd.)	no	Only .5 mile and can be grassy in sections. Duties would involve one snowmobile bridge and keeping the alders cut back from the bridge - also keeping the grasses knocked down.

TRAIL	ADOPTED ?	HOW DO I GET THERE?
Prospect Mountain Trail	yes	To be open in the spring of 2010.
Covell Mountain Trail	no	This is a proposed new trail up and over Covell Mountain to Round Pond. (Approx. 4 miles) This trail can be broken into two sections. Section one would be the Ramblewood Campground end to the summit of Covell Mtn. and Section two would be from the log landing on the Northeast end of Round Pond to the summit of Covell Mtn.
Round Pond Brook Trail	no	This new trail leaves the Round Pond Rd. across from the boat launch (east) and runs alongside the Round Pond Brook for approximately 3/4 mile, then turns due east and connects onto a side tote road leading out to Rt. 3
Camp Otter Trail	no	This section of trail already exists and bog-bridging will be installed in the spring (2010). It runs from the Dorman property off Camp Otter Rd. to the Magalloway Road (approximately 2.9 miles).
Moose Alley Trail	no	This section of trail already exists. This trail was cut out in the fall of 2009 and is just waiting for blazing and signage.
Falls in the River Trail	no	Also a proposed trail, this has to be cut much of the way northeast from Route 3 to the Connecticut River and then north to Second Connecticut Lake. Half of the way is in open spruce-budworm cut clearings. Half of the distance is in woodland. On the northern end, the trail would use an old angler trail that ends at Second Connecticut Lake dam. This trail needs cutting, signage, blaze stakes, and a big bog bridge complex in one place (Dry Brook alder thicket).
Idlewilde Spur	no	This trail is already in existance for most of the way. .6 mile in length, it is heavily flagged and runs from the 2nd Lake Dam to the Idlewilde Rd.
Black Cat Spur Trail	no	This is an existing way across from East Inlet Road. It is a short snowmobile trail on the flank of Black Cat Spur. Trail needs little or no maintenance. Needs blazing and CT signs.
Route 5 Snowmobile Trail	no	This is an existing way from Deer Mountain Campground four miles to the Canadian border. Two thirds of the way is a run-down gravel based road in pleasant terrain. The northern third is a dirt lane filled with weeds. This trail needs signage, direction arrows and blazing. It also needs a bog bridge span near Third Connecticut Lake and one very short spur trail to Toothacher Rock. This is a popular snowmobile trail in winter and is quite well maintained.
Deer Mtn Trail	no	This is the abandoned and largely obliterated old access to the former fire tower on Deer Mt., standing directly above Deer Mountain Campground.
Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail	yes	This is owned and maintained by the Nature Conservancy. The trail is open and in quite good condition.
Link to Canada	N/A	Use the highway into Quebec. From the border, the Sentiers Frontaliers have jurisdiction over their trail system, of course. They are supposed to be building a link trail down to the highway Route 258 (on Pants Breaker Road) about half a mile below the boundary ridge.

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