Copple Crown Mountain hikers get spectacular views

The hike afforded some pretty views from atop Copple Crown Mountain of Lake Winnipesaukee (Art Slocum photo)

BROOKFIELD, N.H. - Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG) and the Lakes Region Conservation Trust (LRCT) hosted a two and a half mile hike up Copple Crown Mountain in Brookfield, N.H., on Sept. 28.

 Thirty participants hiked and learned about the Copple Crown Mountain area from Art Slocum, who is MMRG Board Chair and LRCT Property Adopter for the LRCT 731 Acre Copple Crown Conservation Area.  Slocum talked about the former Copple Crown Mountain Ski Area, stone walls, cellar holes and the history of this part of Brookfield.  

There are 136 miles of stone walls in the town of Brookfield and during the hike, participants walked along Woodman Hill Road, a dirt road bordered by stone walls, and were able to inspect two cellar holes.  The area once had 23 farms that were established with settlers from Portsmouth, Dover, and Rochester, thanks to construction of the Governor John Wentworth Road.

Woodman Hill Road once was the main road from Brookfield to New Durham.  With the opening of the Erie Canal, industrial development in New Hampshire cities, the sharp drop in the price for merino wool, and the devastating effects of the Civil War, the area slowly lost these families as they abandoned their farms to move to cities or head west to better farm lands in the period from 1830 to 1870.  

From the top of Copple Crown Mountain’s main summit (elevation 1768 Feet), Slocum pointed out the mountain ranges that surround Lake Winnipesaukee, the Moose, Belknap, Sandwich, and Ossipee Mountains, as well as Mt Chocorua and Mt Washington.  He noted that Copple Crown is higher than Mt Major in Alton and that from Copple Crown’s East Peak the view includes Caverly Mountain, Merrymeeting Lake and Mt Agamenticus in York County, Maine.    

In addition to these fabulous views, the outing group enjoyed looking at a porcupine crouched on the branch of a tree near the summit. 

MMRG and LRCT are both Land Trusts serving New Hampshire’s Lakes Region and the small towns in Southern Carroll and Northern Strafford Counties.  LRCT is completing another successful season of their Excursions Program where participants enjoyed hikes, kayak paddles and lectures on LRCT Properties.  LRCT has conserved over 22,000 acres throughout the Lakes Region in more than 120 properties.  LRCT’s conservation work preserves community character, conserves critical wildlife habitat and diverse ecosystems, protects natural landmarks and scenic landscapes, and provides recreational opportunities for people of all ages. To learn more, visit www.lrct.org. 

MMRG works to conserve and connect valuable water resources, farm and forest lands, wildlife habitats, and recreation land.  To learn more, visit www.mmrg.info. Throughout the year, MMRG offers many educational opportunities to inform all ages about the benefits of our region’s natural resources.  The next event is a forestry workshop, “Planning for Long Term Forest Management from the Soil Up”, on Saturday October 19 in Wakefield. For more information, call 978-7125 or email info@mmrg.info.