Plumb Trail
Map: Open Street Map detail
Map: NRPC Map detail
Length: 0.9 Miles Post 25 Chestnut Hill Road to Post 18 Highland Trail.
Identification: Red blazes
Difficulty: Walking: Moderate
Identification: Red blazes
Difficulty: Walking: Moderate
XC skiing: Moderate
Mountain biking: not allowed.
This trail is named to honor Edith Plumb who donated this section of Joe English Reservation in 1970 in memory of her father, the Reverend Albert Hale Plumb. A parking area and kiosk on Chestnut Hill Road across from Miss Plumb’s former home form the trail head and entrance point to the east side of Joe English Reservation.
Log: The Plumb Trail leaves from a small parking area and kiosk on Chestnut Hill, Post 25, and follows a right of way along private property for .1 mile before entering Plumb Forest. Note the size of the oaks along the stone wall. These were allowed to grow as the abutting woods were harvested on each side. The trail crosses a wet area on planks before rising to Post 20 at .2 mile where the Plumb Trail goes left. The P-H Trail (orange) begins straight ahead. The Plumb Trail descends gradually through oncecleared land. Note the stone piles. Not all stones made it into walls. The trail joins a former logging road with hemlock woods (moister) on the left.
At .4 miles reach Post 19. The Plumb Trail bears left again. Straight ahead (orange) is a short connector to the Highland Trail at Post 17 and soon the P-H Trail at Post 16. A return to Chestnut Hill may be made using the P-H Trail. From Post 19 the Plumb Trail continues to the left (southerly) through mixed woods with vernal pools and wet areas formed by depressions in the underlying ledge.
At .5 miles the high point of the trail is reached with views through the trees to hills in Merrimack and the ACC Bragdon Farm in Amherst.
At .7 miles notice a cellar hole which is now home to a mature pine. The land on the other side of the stone fence was cleared in 1992. How many years has it been since the building was here at the edge of a pasture? The trail passes another wet area surrounded by highbush blueberry before descending to Post 18 on the Highland Trail (Blue) at .9 mile from Chestnut Hill. On the Highland Trail, Brook Road is .2 miles to the left (south) and PMEC 1.75 miles to right (north).