Distance: 3.5 Mile Loop, option for further.
Difficulty : Easy side of moderate due to distance and short incline.
Russell Abbott State Forest is located in Mason and Wilton, New Hampshire. There are some trails that go through this forest and connect with the Greenville Mason Railtrail.
Today we explored a loop through the forest. We parked at Pratt Pond on Pratt Pond Road in Mason. We started out by walking up the dirt road towards Starch Mill Road. At the intersection, on the left, there is a small parking area and trail sign for Russell Abbott State Forest.
We walked past the gate down an old skidder road. We walked along a small stream for a short amount of time. The trail is not marked, but it was fairly easy to follow.
We did have to walk through some clear cuts, but were able to navigate through them to where the trail continued.
Once we got to the power line you can go straight or you can take a left. We went left and walked the power line, which was steep in sections, but a little less than a half mile. We came out on the Mason Greenville Rail Trail where we looped back to Pratt Pond.
This loop was 3.5 Miles with the option for longer hike if you wished. The only difficult park was walking up the power line as it was steep and the trail was soft sand. I am not sure what the trail is like if you went past the power line to the next trail that also connects to the rail trail. There was not any great views, but just a nice walk in the woods.
