I finished out my weekend of low impact hiking at Piscassic Greenway in Newfields. Another SELT property. I am really enjoying these walks through these forests/parks. Naturally it's nice to get a view, reward for the effort, but sometimes it's just nice to take a walk as well. I'm glad the AMC South Trail Guide includes these types of places, change of pace and wonderful to explore. I had my buddy Cameron with me today and we set out with the goal of redlining the entire property in 1 trip. I had figured it to be about 6 miles. The SELT properties are definitely some of the best maintained that I have encountered so far. Every intersection is signed with directions and mileage and the trails are blazed well. This property had quite a lot of extra maintenance with bridges and it looks like more to come as I saw quite a bit of timber alongside the trail in places. We started on Bald Hill Road on the Mraz Trail. It starts by crossing a farm before heading into the woods. We then came to the Byrne Trail, which we followed all the way to the end (by taking a left). I didn't actually see signage referring to it as the Byrne Trail, the signs had markers like "Wildlife Viewing Platform" and "Schanda Farm" but the yellow blazes matched that on the map. At the end of the Byrne Trail be on the lookout for a gate to the right of the trail, this is the SELT boundary. It appears a private trail continues straight, so if you're not paying attention you may not realize you've reached the end of the trail. Also of note, the map currently on the SELT website shows Byrne Spur Trail with Winter Access Only. This is outdated. They have since built a bridge to cross the marsh allowing for year round access. This also cut about a mile off our walk as we were able to link Byrne Spur Trail and Otis Hill Trail with a quick Class VI road walk of maybe half a mile. We were able to complete the entire map in just under 5 miles, and very little elevation change. I really enjoyed these trails and this little piece of forest.
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| Mraz Trail |
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| Mraz Loop South |
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| end of Byrne Trail at Rockingham Rail Trail |
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| a private cabin alongside Byrne Trail |
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| Byrne Trail |
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| alongside Otis Hill Trail |
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| Start of Otis Hill Trail off Neal Mill Road |
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| end of Byrne Spur Trail at Neal Mill Road |
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| wildlife viewing platform on Byrne Spur Trail |
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| intersection of Byrne Trail and Byrne Spur Trail |
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| gate at the end of Byrne Trail |
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| Mraz Loop North |
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| Mraz Loop North |
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| interesting find along Mraz Loop North |
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| start of Mraz Trail at Bald Hill Road |
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| parking on Bald Hill Road |
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