Head's Pond Trail and "Sheep Dog Rock"

Gotta pat the sheep head!

Time for some rock hunting!  And to prove how out of shape I am.

I had to pick up dog food in Londonderry, which seemed like a good opportunity to get in a NH Rocks That Rock hike.  There are many trails/rocks on that list down around the greater Manchester area, but as that's an hour plus drive from me, I'd prefer to make it a more worthwhile trip by either doing multiple trails, or hitting one or two when I'm in the area on other business.  

Once again I escaped having to hike alone, as I talked my mom into coming with me.  All of the required hikes on the Rocks list are easy, family friendly trails, and some you can even drive right up to.  It's all about the rocks.  The intention of this fun patch program is to make it accessible & attainable by anyone of nearly any physical ability.  So my point is, there was no question of if my mom could handle these trails.  

We decided to start with Head's Pond trail in Hooksett, which leads to "Sheep Dog Rock."  [I should perhaps mention the founders of this hiking challenge are a known (and accomplished) hiker and his 6 year old daughter.  The young girl named many of the rocks, designed the patch herself, and helps award certificates to those who finish the quest.  Let's hear an "aww."  It's pretty cool.  The field guide is well done too, and I definitely recommend it.  I also highly recommend the author's book on the 52WAV, whether you hike or just like stories about hiking.  It's a wonderful read.]  Anyway, I drive right past the trailhead for Head's Pond every time I'm in that area, and had always wondered what was out there.  I had no idea it was as great as it is!

Historical site marker.

The trailhead kiosk hinted at what we'd be treated to here, with beautiful pictures on display from this trail.

One of those free libraries was planted near the kiosk. Nice!

This is apparently part of the Rail Trail system, and there have been obvious improvements and maintenance on this section.  The main trail is practically a sidewalk the size of a small highway.  That is hardly an exaggeration.  It is smooth, flat, hard packed gravel, wide enough to accommodate hikers, dog walkers, runners, and bikers comfortably together, with plenty of room for passing without ever stepping off trail.  Exactly the kind of trail my mom loves.  There were even a few very fresh looking bog bridges along areas that appear to have a tendency to flood, although there was only a little mud in a couple spots on trail today.  (Off trail there are plenty of wet areas.)

If you go in the other direction at the beginning of the trail, you're taken through a very enticing tunnel under the road, which according to signage ends in just 1/4 of a mile at another road.  I'm still curious enough that I will have to check it out next time.

Such an amazing path! No wonder it's so popular. And yet see how non-crowded it is. (The parking lot was quite full too.)

You can see how mucky it is to the side of the trail.  But this shiny new bog bridge is there to save you from any overflow of said muck.

The side trail to Sheep Dog Rock was exactly where the field guide described, and was easy to find and navigate.  The trail itself was more natural and narrow, but in fine condition.  The boulder we were after was hardly any distance in (indeed, I could spy it from the main trail before we turned off), after which we continued on the path to explore further.  It led us to a point on the pond, onto some boulders which my mom has dubbed Clamshell Rocks, as she immediately thought they looked like clamshells when we spotted them across the pond shortly into our hike.  Beyond the point, the trail weaved along the shore for a while before getting a bit narrower and we decided to turn around.

"Clamshell Rocks"

Side trail to the boulders and point.  Yes, point; like my mom's doing. 😉

"Sheep Dog Rock"

Mom says this one close by looks like a sleeping buffalo.  I pointed out that there is already a Buffalo Rock on the list elsewhere.  But she insists this is another.

Pano from the point.

After wandering a bit out there, we hopped back onto the rail trail and continued on to see what else there was to see.  Not only is the trail itself excellent, there are many interesting sights along the way.  You will find a scattering of informative signs along the trail, talking about local wildlife, the forest, or the history of the location.  Always a neat thing to see.  Benches for resting or just enjoying the sights sat here and there, engraved with who donated them.  The woodland setting (despite being next to building developments near the beginning) was lovely and peaceful, and views of the river & subsequently the ponds, which had several beaver lodges and dams, were beautiful.  I will also happily note that despite the many dogs we saw on trail, most people seemed to responsibly clean up after them.  👍🏻

History of the pond.

A river runs to it. Or from it?

This view was long lasting until we passed the side trail.

Once we hit the second section of Head's Pond, we decided to turn around.  It was a perfect stopping point; easy to remember because of how pretty it is.  As you come upon it, you can see some water, and a colorfully graffiti'd boulder (mentioned in the book, and of course not something any of us condone, but it certainly is noticeable) perched on a hill overlooking the pond.  There is a smidgen of a sandy beach area, another bog bridge, another bench, and a really beautiful little pond.  One hiker in passing shortly before we hit that spot joked to us that sadly the beach was closed.  What a shame.  LOL  Although, I can certainly see the appeal of jumping in if it were a hot summer day!

Approach to the 2nd pond section.

"Beach access."

Pond pano!

It appears that the trail continues even further from this spot, although the book seems to say that it's basically the end.  Perhaps conditions degrade further on, or the map that we discovered is outdated and an extended trail no longer exists.  However, on the educational sign posted on the beach, there is a map that shows quite a bit more trail continuing past a third section of Head's Pond, and up Rattlesnake Hill, which stands above Dubes Pond.  Also, the bicyclists who were in front of us never reappeared, so they obviously continued on somewhere!

Exploration for another day!

Literally the only complaint I can come up with about this trail is that it's perhaps packed a little too well.  We were hardly closing in on 3 miles and my hips were already getting sore.  Needless to say, this made me feel slightly ridiculous and so out of shape.  But of course, walking on pavement does that to me, and this was only a tiny bit softer.  I know very well I'm (usually) still capable of doing at least 4 or 5 miles of moderate woodland/mountain trail without hurting too much, so it had to be the incredibly solid ground.  The repetitive motion of walking a flat path, with no variety of body movement that rolling trails or mountain climbs offer, may have also been a factor, as well as my hiking boots simply being a bit less comfortable & supportive than my Brooks trail runners.  (Nothing is as amazing as those.)  So ok, then I don't feel too bad about how my body feels.  I guess.  Sorta.  😂

The important thing is, we enjoyed a really beautiful hike, which my mom was happy with, and handled well; we kept a good pace over 2 mph; and I put a checkmark on my NH Rocks list.  That was enough for the day, so we finished our errands and returned home.  The other rocks will have to wait for another time.  I also definitely intend to return to Heads Pond trail and enjoy it in other seasons.  I can imagine how pretty it will be as the spring and summer leaves & flowers bloom, how gorgeous the mixed forest will look when there's fall foliage, and how serene it may be with everything frozen in a winter wonderland.  I'd also really like to hike further down the trail to see if you can indeed go as far as the map indicated.  This particular trail is less than 40 minutes from home, so it actually would be worth driving to for no other reason but to hike it, esp. now knowing how nice it is.  And of course there is quite a bit to do around Hooksett if there was desire to do more than just hike.  Sounds like a win!

Can you identify this plant?  It was growing all along the beginning of the trail in the muddy, swampy areas.  My intuition wants to call it skunk cabbage, but I honestly have no idea what that even is!  It sounds appropriate though. haha

Hike 17. 4/6 Heads Pond Trail/Sheep Dog Rock, 3.3 mi, 1:30 hrs, 121 ft.