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Trail Description - Philbrick-Cricenti Bog

The Philbrick-Cricenti Bog is unique not only for its natural features but also for the care that has been taken to protect and display them. A printed brochure is keyed to numbered stations. Most of the trail is boardwalk on the surface of the bog. While there are no cliffs to contend with, be careful not to slip off the boardwalk or you could be like the Bog Men of northern Europe and disappear for 2000 years.

Distance: Varies, a hike of all loops will be just over a mile

Elevation gain: Nearly level

Hiking Time Estimator

Maps: USGS Sunapee

Location: Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region
NH 2003-2004 map M-5
DeLorme NHA&G 34-H4 - New London
New London is between exits 11 and 12 of I-89

Trailhead: South side of Newport Road (old Route 11) on the outskirts of New London, about 1.6 miles E of Exit 12 off I-89 and .4 miles W of County Road by the hospital, elevation about 1270 feet
43.4253°N, 72.0074°W (WGS84)
Park on the South shoulder near the bottom of the dip and look for the trail sign hidden in the bushes

Owner: unknown

Maintainer: New London Conservation Commission

Special regulations: See signs

Description

Walk a short distance from the road to a sign about the trail and a box containing brochures. These will describe the three loops that make up the trail. You can hike all three loops in a total of just over a mile, or devise a shorter walk if you prefer.

Continue out the boardwalk .1 mi. to the first junction:

• To the R, it is .3 miles around the Bog Peril Loop. This has tundra landscape like the Arctic and true to its name, the brochure warns that the bog contains careless cows, deer, and a horse.
• To the L, it is a short walk to the Peek Hole Loop on the R. The most notable feature of this short loop is a stick placed vertically in the bog which you are invited to pull out and measure to see how deep the bog is.
  • You are likely to get very muddy if you try this, so clean clothes and a towel in the car are advisable
  • It is hard to break the stick loose from the suction, easy for a few feet, then hard to balance the free end in the air while pulling
  • Be sure to put it back vertically so a later group can try
• The farthest L is the Quaking Loop, which is not a simple loop but has a choice of routes plus its own side loop where you actually walk on the quaking mat itself. You can see pitcher plants if you look carefully. One choice of route is partly back on dry land.

Off Season

Unknown

Map Notes: The trail is not shown on the USGS map although the bog is

Topozone.com live map

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