Join John Donovan of the Hanover Conservation Commission, Ronan Donovan, National Geographic Fellow and wildlife biologist, and others who are knowledgeable about old growth forests for a guided walk through an old growth forest in the Mount Sunapee Reservation.

Date: Saturday, November 8 at 10AM. This event follows the Wild Lands Panel Discussion on Thursday, November 6.  The panel and the walk are co-sponsored by the Howe Library and Hanover Conservation Commission.  

A legacy to protect:  The Mount Sunapee Reservation is 1185 acres. It contains majestic 250+ year old Red Spruce and Beech trees and has escaped harvesting or other significant human modification over the last 350 years. 

Getting There: The Mount Sunapee parking lot is a 55 minute (35 mile) ride from Hanover.  Please email us (below) to join the hike, where you will be coming from and if you can help with carpooling.  We will leave from the parking lot shortly after 10 AM.  Do plan to arrive early to make sure you can find the parking lot and so we can organize car pooling up the service road.

Sunapee Old Growth Forest Trail Description:  Access is from the first parking area (where we will meet at the Mountain)  to the left off the Mountain Sunapee Access Road.  We will meet at the lower lot and carpool to drive part way up the service road.  The hike is uphill, out and back, fairly steep, approximately two miles up through the forest and two miles back down the same trail.  approximately  2.5 to 3.5 hours, depending on time in forest, weather conditions, etc.  We can easily shorten the hike, if necessary, and still see much of the beauty of the old growth forest habitat.  Once in the forest, we will briefly leave the trail periodically and walk to get close to some of the trees along the way.  

Bring/ Wear, Know:  Sturdy footwear; know and heed the weather forecast; bring warm clothing and rain/ wind gear; bring water; snacks; lunch. 

Read/ See:  Here is a link to an article about the forest  Discovering Old Growth Forest and a wonderful description of the forest on YouTube: The Forgotten Forest Primeval - Rediscovering Mt Sunapee's Old Growth

Questions, please contact John Donovan, 617-803-6813, donovana1@aol.com. And please do email back if you plan to hike with us to confirm numbers and arrange car pooling.