RUMFORD — The Mahoosuc Land Trust invites hikers and history buffs to explore the Mount Zircon Trail on Saturday, Sept. 13.
The Rumford mountain was the site of the Moontide Spring and Mount Zircon Reservoir, construction of which was completed in 1914. It was once a source for Rumford’s water.
“This is a moderately difficult hike, beginning gradually on a gravel road and ending with a steeper trail to the summit,” Jolan Ippolito of the Mahoosuc Land Trust said Tuesday by email.
“Long views of the Rumford area, the Mahoosucs and the Presidentials are the reward. Geocachers take note: There are three history-related caches on this hike.”
From the Mahoosuc Land Trust perspective, the summit gives a great view looking at Milton Plantation and Peru of the Concord River Easement that the Land Trust holds, she said.
The view into Milton Plantation, Rumford and Peru is part of the 4,000-plus acre Concord River Easement the Land Trust holds.
The easement was donated to the Land Trust by The Nature Conservancy prior to their sale of the land, she said.
“So it is basically the only place to see a large portion of those lands,” Ippolito said.
Mount Zircon’s summit elevation is 2,240 feet and the round-trip hike is 5.4 miles.
“I have not hiked it, but everything I find for information says it is the last (0.5 miles) that is the steeper section,” she said.
The hike will begin at 10 a.m. at the trailhead, which is on South Rumford Road, 3.2 miles west of the intersection with Route 2 in Rumford or 6.2 miles east of the intersection with Route 232.
It is marked with a Rumford Water District sign. Ippolito urges participants to wear sturdy shoes and be prepared with rain gear, sun and bug protection, water and snacks.
For more information, visit www.mahoosuc.org or call 207-824-3806.
The Mahoosuc Land Trust is an accredited community land trust encouraging public interest in conservation in central Oxford County and eastern Coos County, N.H., supporting a balance of growth and conservation and emphasizing sustainable and traditional land uses.
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