Peloquin Woods
Location
Map Legend
Directions
Enter the woods by the stop sign at the corner of Front Street and Cobblers Way. There is a small property entrance sign just inside the woods. Park on either side of Cobblers way alongside the HALT properties. Please do not park on the grass.
Overview
This property surrounds the Cobblers Way development. While only 16 acres, it borders 70 acres of former Weston Nurseries, now Legacy Farms South, providing a connection to the large Legacy Farms trail network. The property feels much larger than it is because ¾ of the outer perimeter is adjacent to open space with no visible development.
The Marjorie Peloquin Memorial Trail starts at the Cobblers Way corner at a large sign. Immediately after entering the woods, the trail turns right and goes along the top of an old stone cellar with multiple chambers. The cellar wraps around a central chimney foundation. There are plans to preserve this historic structure by removing vegetation that damages stone foundations. Most of it is invasive anyway, such as barberry, honeysuckle, and most of all, Japanese bittersweet. Some of the large, cut-off vines are still changing from the trees. The largest one was 35 years old when cut.
The next part of the trail passes through open woods, across a small bridge over a man-made ditch, and through a stand of very tall pine trees. It soon connects to a long-used and well-worn cross trail coming from private property at Wyman Lane on the left. Please respect private property on both sides of the trail near this area.
Going straight, it continues through uplands in open forest and eventually leads you off the property through a stone wall to trails at Legacy Farms, which has many public trails.
Just before this stone wall, you will notice the trail forks to the right. This leads you to a beautiful walk along the stone wall and a row of rhododendrons, and in the distance you can see rows of arborvitaes and other plantings from the former Weston Nurseries. Eventually there is another fork just before you see water to your left.
- Going straight at this fork is highly recommended. It is a scenic, though rugged, walk along the bank of a former Weston Nurseries irrigation ditch that feels more like a river. Beavers downstream of here once flooded this area completely, and they may do so again in the future, but enjoy it while it’s dry. The wild, undeveloped backcountry of Legacy Farms South is across the channel, much of it tall grassy meadows. Along the bank next to the trail there are several fine holly trees. There are several log bridges across some ditches. Eventually the trail turns right away from the stream and crosses a swampy area on a long boardwalk.
- The right fork is a higher and less rugged bypass of the walk along the ditch and boardwalk, and does not cross a swamp, though it also has a short wet section where you have to step on two or three rocks to get across. A short boardwalk is planned for this section, too.
Both forks eventually rejoin. By now you will likely hear traffic on Front Street, and if you continue on you will come to the street. Here you are a few hundred feet from the Cobblers Way corner where you started. There is no safe place to park along Front Street. Instead of walking back along Front Street, you can make a loop of 1¾ miles by returning back on the fork you didn’t take.
Before you leave the area, check out the interesting stone walls and foundations on the opposite corner of Cobblers Way. (Zoom into the map above to see it.) This small parcel of land is also HALT property. If you have any idea what this was once used for, let us know.
Size: 16.2 acres
Longest Walk: ¾ mile one way or 1.6 mile loop
Acquired: 2018
Photo Gallery
History
This property, originally called Peloquin Estates, was held by the Peloquin family since at least the early 20th century. When Marjorie Peloquin passed away, the executor of her estate sold it to a developer who built Cobblers Way and deeded more than half of the remaining land to HALT.
Activities
Biking, Bushwhacking, Cross Country Skiing, Easy Walking, Hiking/Walking, Vernal Pool