The first 1.2 miles of this section takes you through mixed woodland on a trail that generally ascends out of the Falls Brook valley. The Trail then follows a series of abandoned and maintained roads ending to the north of NH Route 119.
Directions: NOTE:
There was heavy logging this past summer between the NH-MA border and Monument Rd. The trail is passable north of Greenwoods Road but care must be taken in following the trail. The trail in this section is still blazed with white rectangles. However, several sections cross extensive clearings. Additional white and orange marking tape has been added along the trail. When encountering clearings look for white blazes and or white or orange tapes on the opposite side of the clearing. There are still some logs that need to be cleared and trail maintainers hope to get to these sometime this fall.
If you would rather avoid this section of trail the following bypass is available.
When heading north, head to the right (East) when entering Greenwoods Road. Follow Greenwoods Road to the intersection with Monument Road and head north on Monument Road. You will be back on the white blazed M&M Trail at the intersection of Monument Road and Devils Stair Road.
When heading south, the trail enters the woods just south of the intersection of Monument Road and Devils Stair Road. Instead of entering the woods following the trail, continue south on Monument Road to the intersection of Greenwoods Road. Follow Greenwoods Road to the right (West) until you come to the point where the trail crosses Greenwoods Road and heading south (just before a large beaver pond).
The following paragraph describes the section through the loggging area.
Crossing Greenwoods Rd. take a woods road that bears left around an old gravel pit and then slightly to the right. At a fork in the road at .1 (.7) miles take the left fork going uphill. At .2 (.8) miles the trail turns left off the road to slab a hillside then up a rise bearing to the right and then steeply downhill. Continue up and down but generally uphill through open forest to a gully at .4 (1) miles. Bear right to slab down the gully and up the other side then right through open forest. The logging area will begin at this point. Continuing generally climbing through mixed forest and across occasional cut-over area slabbing and following ridges. At .6 (1.2) miles bear to the right at a point opposite a large rock (The Pouting Pig). The trail now climbs gently to the north end of a ridge, drops to cross a seasonal stream and then goes right to slab a second ridge then turning sharply left at the top of the ridge then down the further side of the ridge. The trail continues generally uphill through mixed forest to emerge on unmaintained Monument Rd. at 1.2 (1.8) miles.
End reroute
Turn left on this road to immediately reach a road junction with stone walled lanes and a cellar hole to mark an old homestead. Turn right at this junction. The road bears left then northerly to 2.0 (2.6) miles where the maintained portion of Monument road begins. At 2.9 (3.5) miles, the road enters and crosses NH 119.
On NH 119 go left (W) on the north side of NH 119 to Old County Rd., a maintained gravel road at 3.2 (3.8) miles. Turn sharply right onto this road and follow it for 300 yards gradually uphill, to the junction at 3.4 (4.0) miles with Dean Farm Rd., an unmaintained old town road that comes in from the left at an old foundation. The trail at this point leaves the maintained Old County Rd. There is space here for parking several cars but do not block either road.
Copyright 2016, 2018, 2019 Frank Bequaert (Copying permitted for personal use)