New Trail at Harold Parker - May 12, 2007 - Park Serve Day

We had a very good turnout for our Park Serve Day event at Harold Parker State Forest.  This event is also part of the 2007 Merlin /  NEMBA Trail Care Series.  The thirteen volunteers included many of the regular crew plus some non-NEMBA members.  Tom Powers & Dennis O'Sullivan from The Friends of North Andover Trails joined us.  Also, a couple of locals, Jean Tang &  Dick Howe, joined us after finding out about the event from the DCR's web site.  Building the new trail, which is approximately 1/4 mile long, required a lot of work and the trail event ran a little later than normal.  However, after having some lunch, we still managed find the energy for a nice ride.

The new trail will greatly enhance the trail system in the Northern section of the forest.  This is the area beyond the gun club.  In the past, users would find some nice trails after crossing Salem Street / Middleton Road near Berry Pond.  The technical single track in this area is commonly referred to as "The Ledges".   Once past The Ledges, if trail users wished to continue on a loop towards Stearns Pond, they needed to pass along a fire road that was frequently filled with mud.  This area is commonly referred to as the "Mud Pits".  Once past this lousy section of trail, users will once again find some very nice single track that continues towards Harold Parker Road.

Now, with the addition of the new trail, users can bypass the mud pits on some sweet new single track.  At the Northern trail entrance, the choice should be obvious with user having the option of some nice single track & the Mud Pit.  The map to the right shows the new trail enclosed in a pink box.  Also, permission has been granted to create another short section of single track to help avoid a couple of less muddy areas along the fire road.  This extension is shown in pink on the map.

New single-track shown in red, inside pink box.  Short extension shown in pink to be completed at a later date.

Trail care volunteers, Left to Right: James, Reenie, Joe, Sandy, Lee, Kirk, Jean, Lionel, Dan, & Tom.

Missing from photo: Dennis O'Sullivan, Tom Powers, & Dick Howe.  Photo by Kirk Goldsworthy.

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