You Are Here: Pulpit Rock & Joppa Hill Farm

The warming temperatures have continued and we had a good batch of rain this week. I decided to head back to Pulpit Rock after my first visit back in January. I knew I wanted to hit it up in Spring to finish the trails there in the hopes the waterfalls would be flowing. I parked in the parking area on Pulpit Road. The section of trail from here to the main network is graded gravel, so easy going. I got a bit turned around finding my first intersection as it wasn't marked right at the intersection, but I had pre-downloaded tracks so I was able to figure it out. Other than that, the trails are all well blazed and easy to follow. I did a lollipop out to Joppa Hill Farm first, which leaves the Pulpit Rock Conservation area and joins trails maintained by Amherst Conservation Commission. This was a really pleasant walk through the woods. Nothing particular to see, but the trail was really well maintained. I encountered some mud from the recent rains and a little ice here and there, but nothing that impeded moving forward. I took the Joppa Hill Farm Loop trail to make it a lollipop and was surprised at the top of a moderate climb to find a big open field and then actual Joppa Hill Farm. I wasn't expecting an actual farm that you can visit and see the animals! There were several families already here and I enjoyed seeing the ducks, donkey, horse, goats and alpaca! Definitely an unexpected thing to see along the way. Continuing on, I did the out and back to Horace Greeley Road, which had some bridges across a pond. Encountering all the terrain types on this hike! Back on the loop and I continued back to Pulpit Brook Trail and back to where I started. This time I continued along to the Tufts Trail intersection, however I was coming back that way, so I stayed right on Pulpit Brook Trail. A little scrambly bit of area made it fun and I passed a huge erratic, that I didn't realize at the time was Indian Rock (on the NH 24 Rocks that Rock list). Before long I was back at the intersection where I got turned around on my last visit. This time coming from the opposite direction, it all made sense. I took Ravine Trail again, it was the iciest part of the hike, but thankfully was still doable in bare boots (I had my spikes just in case, but never needed them) with some care. There was still a lot of ice in the area, but the waterfalls were mostly flowing. I definitely think it was much prettier in the full Winter though. I headed up Granite Trail, which is a short steep connector to the top of Pulpit Rock. I took Tufts Trail back, which was super smooth and easy going. Near the bottom of Tufts Trail, I picked up Martin Trail, which was an out and back to nowhere really. Up a moderate climb with some left and right turns to a big open field. All in the name of redlining though! Back on Tufts Trail I continued to Pulpit Brook Trail and retraced my steps along the section of graded gravel and back to the car. A definite hidden gem of a place not so far from the city!

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