Brown Ash Swamp

An afternoon ramble along the little-used Brown Ash Swamp Mountain Bike Trail in the hinterlands of Thornton.

Much of the The Brown Ash Swamp Mountain Bike Trail provides pleasant walking, despite a few obscure sections and mucky spots. It's an interesting remote area, though it will be different after the planned Forest Service Wanosha logging project.

Mill Brook at the trail's crossing.

Mill Brook as it exits the south end of Brown Ash Swamp.

The south lobe of the swamp is a vast beaver meadow peppered with dead trees.

An old beaver lodge.

A bushwhack around to the west side revealed a view of Bald Mountain and its long southern shoulder. A fallen log provided a convenient seat for a late lunch.

My next objective was a knoll to the NE where there was a potential small viewpoint. Crossing the swamp was a much shorter route than backtracking.

It turned out that backtracking would have been quicker and easier than 25 minutes of delicate balance-beaming on bleached-out logs.

View From the Swamp.

Looking back at Brown Ash Swamp Mountain (2009 ft.), one of New Hampshire's "500 Highest."

Hardwood whacking up the knoll.

Red Trillium.

Getting steeper.

Approaching the viewspot.

A limited view, but a nice ledge-meadow.

Layered rocks.

Back down on the floor of the valley, I visited the truly desolate north lobe of Brown Ash Swamp.

Looking north. This place could be a nightmare in June bug season.

On the slope east of the swamp, the trail passes a magnificent open glade of sugar maple and white ash.

The trail itself does provide a view of the swamp.