Green Hills Preserve
The Green Hills are the playground of local mountain runners who don't have the time to drive to the notches but want to get some uphill running in. There are quite a few trails in the Green Hills Preserve (owned by The Nature Conservancy) that are multi-use that are used by hikers, mountain bikers, and snowmobilers in the winter. Many of the trails are quite rocky, but runnable. A detailed trail map is available at kiosks along the trail. Black Cap Trail This trail starts at the parking lot at the top of Hurricane Mt. Rd. and goes to the summit of Black Cap where it connects to the Mason Brook snowmobile trail. The trail is rocky and rooted at the beginning but gets better. The last section before the summit is slippery when wet. There are great views in all directions form the top. Red Tail Trail This trail is a great downhill run. It is very popular with mountain bikers in the valley. It criss-crosses a few clear cuts where there are great views of the Presidentials. The trail is well maintained by local mountain biking trails. Its quite the grind when climbing, but a great training run for Mt. Washington. The trail starts by taking the Cranmore Connector from the Black Cap Trail. When coming form Black Cap the Red Tail Trail is on the right. Look carefully as the trail is not marked. The trail ends by the water reservoir tank at the bottom of Hurricane Mt. Rd. Peaked Mountain Trail This trail is the central artery so to speak of the Green Hills Preserve. It starts at the Puddin Pond trailhead and crosses under the powerlines. The trail reaches an intersection with the Middle Mountain Trail (steep and rocky). After bearing left at the intersection the trail crosses the side of the mountain until it meets another trail at the Thompson Rd. kiosk. The trail starts to climb and eventually meets up with the Black cap Connector / Mason Brook Trail. A left turn (uphill) will take you to Black Cap; a right turn (downhill) takes you to East Conway Rd. Directions: Take Artist's Falls Rd. from Rt. 16/302 in North Conway and cross the North-South Rd. Take a right onto Thompson Rd. and park at the trailhead for the Puddin Pond Loop on the right. |