The Hike To Sheldrick Forest In New Hampshire Winds Through An Old Growth Forest
By Michelle|Published March 27, 2020
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Michelle
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Michelle's life is a colorful map of exploration and adventure. From the iconic streets of New York to the sunny shores of Florida, the jagged coast of Maine to the rugged terrain of Montana, she's been fortunate to call some of America's most beautiful states home. Beyond the U.S., Michelle's wanderlust has taken her on a motorcycle journey through India, led her to teach English in Hanoi, and saw her studying Spanish in Guatemala. Michelle graduated with a communications degree from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and in addition to a career in advertising has worked with OnlyInYourState since 2016, where her love for travel and storytelling converges. Alongside writing and exploring, Michelle finds joy in photography, staying active, and time with her family.
For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.
Wandering through the forest in New Hampshire is a great way to enjoy some time outside. And there are plenty of wooded areas to explore. While many of them will do if you’re trying to find some peace and quiet, we especially love this hike which will show you some of the oldest trees in the state. Huge, stately and impressive you’ll want to do this hike over and over again.
Sheldrick Forest Preserve in Wilton offers a great way to get outside and explore some very old and beautiful trees in the process.
The forested area making up the preserve is more than 227 acres and the trees date back so far that it’s safe to say they’ve been around longer than any of us.
Before European settlers arrived forests like this one were able to thrive without much interruption. Walking through the hiking paths here gives a good sense of what things were like back then.
In addition to these trees being tall, their diameter is also quite impressive. Some of the trunks have grown to 30 inches. This is likely due to the fact that they’ve been able to grow for such a long time without intrusion.
And because the area is protected birds like wood thrushes, ovenbirds and scarlet tanagers have been able to thrive.
Old Growth Forests can be found all over the world, including the United States. These are wooded areas that have been allowed to grow without interruption for centuries. A big reason for this is simply being in hard-to-reach locations!
Head to the town of Milford to get to the Sheldrick Forest Preserve. Once there you’ll go west on Route 101 leading you past the center of Wilton. Turn left on Temple Road after you see Gary’s Harvest Restaurant. Drive down Temple Road for about a quarter of a mile and then bear left to cross the bridge. Make another left onto Town Farm Road. In about 3/4 of a mile, you’ll reach the preserve entrance and parking is in a small field on the left.
You can learn more about the Sheldrick Forest Preserve by clicking here.