Mast Yard & Lehtinen Park NH

• 4-star hike
• 4 to 5 mile options
• Easy | Gain 90 feet
• Hopkinton & Concord, NH | Merrimack Region
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The image shows a metal truss bridge spanning a river, with a stone pier supporting the bridge in the middle of the river. The bridge is surrounded by a natural setting with trees, some of which have lost their leaves, indicating it might be late autumn or early winter. The sky is partly cloudy with patches of blue visible.

NH Heroes Recreational Crossing on the Rail Trail

The Eastern white pines that grew here along the Contoocook River near Concord provided highly prized timber used as masts on nineteenth century ocean-going vessels. There’s also a history lesson here about how protests against British law reserving the best timber for the British Royal Navy fleet led to the Pine Tree Riot, which may have been inspiration for the Boston Tea Party, but this is a hiking website and not a history website.

Today the Mast Yard State Forest area is much quieter. No lumberjacks were to be seen, and over a space of four hours this hiker happened only across one hunting bowman and a couple walking a dog. Probably for the best however in case they wondered what a British person (me) was doing surveying the former mast yards of New Hampshire.

Trail Options Expand KML · Google Earth ·

⬤ 4★ Rail Trail & Riverside Loop 4.0 mi loop, easy, gain 90 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions GPX?

⬤ 4★ Mast Yard Loop 5.3 mi loop, easy, gain 90 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

For us the highlight of the area is the two mile hiking trail following the banks of the Contoocook River. We’ve mapped out two different looping routes that start from different trailheads but both include the river trail.

⬤ Rail Trail & Riverside Loop
Combines the river trail with 1.7 miles of rail trail, beginning at a trailhead on Horse Hill Road. The rail trail return is completely straight and mostly featureless, but the New Hampshire Heroes bridge near the Horse Hill Road trailhead might be worth checking out.

⬤ Mast Yard Loop
From the Broad Cove Drive trailhead follow the wide trail into the woods, past the open power line corridor and over the small bridge at Dolf Brook. Hang a right at the junction and take a counter clockwise loop up to the narrow river trail. There’s some more power line trail to traverse before reaching the river trail, where in summer the high grass will be brushing your legs.

The image shows a scenic riverside trail in a forested area. The trail is narrow and covered with fallen leaves, running parallel to a river on the right side of the image. The river is calm and reflects the surrounding trees. The trees along the trail are mostly bare, indicating it is likely late autumn or early winter. One notable feature is a long, fallen tree that is leaning against other trees, creating a natural arch over the trail. The sky is partly cloudy with patches of blue visible.

On the river trail.

We’d have rated the mast yard trails and the straight rail trail as a 3-star, but because of the scenic meandering river trail we upped it to a 4-star review. Also note that we recommend counter clockwise routes as the river trail can difficult to pick up on the West side due to a mess of logging roads.

Due to its mostly level terrain these trails can also be used as a non-technical mountain bike route. We had great fun on our hybrid bicycle at slow speeds, particularly on the river trail.

The image shows a high-voltage power line structure with a warning sign attached to it. The sign reads 'DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE ABOVE KEEP OFF' and includes a pictogram of a person being struck by lightning. The background features multiple power line towers extending into the distance, set against a backdrop of trees and a partly cloudy sky.

Under the power line corridor on the Mast Yard Loop.

Tangents:
• Official: PDF Map
• AllTrails Public: Mast Yard State Forest
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us

Trailspotting Nearby
3★ Jim Hill River Walk (1-3 mi) · 4★ Marjory Swope Park (2-5 mi) · 3★ Henniker & Hopkinton Rail Trails (6 mi) · Show Map

Rail Trails of New Hampshire
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