More than 20 Francestown residents gathered Saturday to explore the “Turnpike Trails”  near Route 47  and Campbell Road as part of the Francestown Land Trust’s “Exploring Our Trails” summer hiking series.

The hikes are designed to introduce town and area residents to Francestown’s network of trails on public and private conserved land. Saturday’s hike highlighted the group’s Green Corridor fundraising campaign for a conservation easement on a 55-acre parcel of land within the trails network.  

“When this easement is completed, it will provide a ‘green corridor’ of recreational trails and wildlife habitat in Francestown,” said FLT Director Larry Ames. “It’s been a very significant effort over many years to conserve this land, and has made Francestown a leader in the state for conservation. With this easement, FLT will have conserved almost over 3,100 acres in Francestown and surrounding towns.” 

The property is also a part of Francestown’s watershed, with wetlands and frontage on Collins Brook, which feeds into the Piscataquog River. An identified primary wildlife transit corridor passes through the property, linking the open space on Crotched Mountain to green space around Shattuck Pond. 

Marsha Dixon, who is spearheading the FLT’s Green Corridor campaign, said the land is a “keystone” to linking Francestown’s network of trails. 

“With this property conserved, there will be a unbroken network of trails connecting conserved land in Francestown, stretching from the Deering border to Shattuck Pond, the  St. Jean's Turnpike Trails, Schott Brennan Brook Falls Reserve and on to the Crotched Mountain Town Forest,” Dixon said. “These hikes help people understand where the parcel is located, and how critical it is to connecting Francestown’s conserved lands.”

Founded in 1986, the Francestown Land Trust is dedicated to protecting critical natural land areas in Francestown and surrounding areas. The FLT currently owns properties totaling 1,259 acres, including the Rand Brook Forest and Schott Brennan Falls Reserve, and holds conservation easements on 35 privately owned properties.

The “Turnpike Trails” network was created by landowners Jim and Cindy St. Jean of Francestown, who are both avid mountain bikers. While the trails were designed primarily for mountain bikers, hikers and walkers are always welcome. The first trail was created in 2020, and the network now includes 10 miles of trails. 

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“Word is getting out about the trails. We’ve had mountain bikers from all the surrounding towns – New Boston, Greenfield, Goffstown. There were three teenagers from New Boston here the other day who said they had just heard about the trails, and they were over the moon about it. Seeing that kind of excitement from young people is just really gratifying, ” Jim St. Jean said at Saturday’s hike. 

Cindy St. Jean told the  group they would cross their fingers to see some wildlife on the day’s hike.

“We have seen a lot of wildlife in here, but no moose yet. It’s a  major corridor for bobcats,” she said.  

The St. Jeans have created a website, “Turnpike Trails,” with information and maps of the trails. The  trail network is named for a disused section of the original Second NH Turnpike which was abandoned by the town in 1837 for the section of Route 47 just below the old road. The original  Second NH Turnpike, which was built in 1800 and was the state’s second toll road, ran in a straight line from Amherst to Claremont. At that time, turnpikes were privately owned, with owners charging by the mile  for the number of sheep and hogs using the road. 

The St. Jeans, who are also history buffs, have erected historical markers at the parking area, telling the history of the land. Plaques at the trails tell the story of the Fisher families, who farmed the land in 1700s, and kept the land in the family until 1916. A large boulder near the parking area contains historic carvings by members of the Fisher family.

The St. Jeans named many of the  “Turnpike Trails” for transportation-themed songs. Jim St. Jean said that one trail, “’92 Subaru,” is named for an actual abandoned 1992 Subaru left in the woods, as well as for a song of the same name by the band Fountains of Wayne. The trails website contains a playlist of the songs that make appearances in the trail names, including “Little Red Corvette,” “Little Deuce Coupe” and “Road to Nowhere”.

“Road to Nowhere is a short loop that comes back to parking lot,” Cindy St. Jean joked. “It goes nowhere.”

For information about the Francestown Land Trust, go to francestownlandtrust.org. To learn more about the “Turnpike Trails,” go to turnpiketrails.org.