Distance: 2 Mile Loop
Difficulty: Easy side of moderate
I have been asking my hiking group what trails they want to hike . Madame Sherri Forest has come up frequently in group discussion. The end of August we finally got a chance to hike it. It is located near the Vermont border so not very close to the Peterborough area. The trail is located on Gulf Road in Chesterfield, NH. The reason this is a special place is due to the ruins of an old “castle.” Madame Sherri had build her “castle” in the New Hampshire and throwing parties. Unfortunately after Madame Sherri’s death the home fell into disrepair and eventually burned. The stairs and foundation are all that remains.
From the parking lot it is a short walk up to the ruins that you can explore.
If you are looking to get a hike in there are a few options. When you walk back towards the parking lot you take a left to connect to the other trails. A few feet down the trail is a mailbox where you can get a map of all the trails. We chose to do the Ann Stokes Loop. I thought this would be an easy walk through the woods, but it was harder thank I expected.
The loop we did was a little over two miles. It was a gentle incline up to a small pond. You had to walk down a side trail to see the pond.
From there it went up some steep rocky sections to a beautiful view.
The trail looped back around to the mailbox. My guess from looking at the map is the other trails may be harder with more of an incline and a longer distance.
I would rate this trail as moderate and good for people who have some hiking experience. Not a good trail for young children or those with limited to no hiking experience.
