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. The only place to park is along Cobblers Way. If the ground is firm and dry, you can pull off onto 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. A standard HALT trail entrance sign is planned for this location, but the first half is well-marked with tree tags. Immediately after entering the woods, the trail turns right and goes along the top of an old stone cellar with multiple chambers. It does not look like a building foundation: what do you think this cellar was used for? One theory is that it might have been a shelter (presumably with a roof) for sheep and goats, to protect them from predators overnight. Watch out for poison ivy in this area.
The next part of the trail passes through open woods, across a man-made ditch that is often wet, 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 flagging tape on a tree to the right. If you follow the pink and orange flagging, it takes you to the second half of the trail. It is still under development and more rugged, but very walkable. It is a very 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. Where you see two pieces of flagging on the same branch, there is a fork to the right.
- Going straight at this fork is highly recommended. It is a scenic walk along the bank of a former Weston Nurseries irrigation ditch that feels more like a river. The wild, undeveloped backcountry of Legacy Farms South is across the channel, much of it meadows with tall grasses. Along the bank next to the trail there are several fine holly trees. There are three places where you have to step across or walk around ditches that are likely to be water-filled. Eventually the trail turns right away from the stream and crosses a swampy area where, for now, you have to step on moss-covered rocks to get across without getting wet. Poles may come in handy here for balance.
- The right fork is a higher and less rugged bypass of the walk along the ditch and swamp crossing, though it also has a short wet section where you have to step on 2 or 3 rocks to get across.
Both forks eventually rejoin. Boy 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 going to Front Street, you can make a loop of 1¾ miles by returning back on the fork you didn’t take. Again, two pieces of flagging on the same branch mark the fork.
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
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