The Monadnock Conservancy purchased land on Cunningham Pond in Peterborough at the end of 2019, and now the 99-acre property is open to the public.
The area features a new 1-1/2-mile trail network, a large open field and woods that offer key wildlife habitat, and frontage on the pond. You will find a parking lot for three to four cars and a trail kiosk on Cunningham Pond Road near the intersection with East Mountain Road. The property will be known as the Cunningham Pond Conservation Area.
Trails Now Open
“There are new hiking opportunities, including along the old carriage road that follows the shoreline,” Conservancy Executive Director Ryan Owens said in a video announcing the trails’ opening.
The main trail starts from the new parking area on Cunningham Pond Road, from there traversing through woodlands and a hemlock grove before crossing a stream and climbing to a large hay field with sweeping views of Pack Monadnock and Temple Mountain. Along the trail, you can find trees with woodpecker holes, mushrooms, and moss-covered rocks amidst the sounds of the stream and birds flitting above.
From the field, a spur trail winds down to an old carriage road at the pond’s edge. Another spur trail, branching off closer to the main trail’s beginning, connects you to the Goyette Natural Area, another Conservancy property, off East Mountain Road.
Related Links
Learn more about the Cunningham Pond Conservation Area.
Download the trail map.
Watch the video.