Charcoal Burners/Cabot/Perkins/Fahnestock Trail Loop

Cross to the north side of the road and proceed north on the red-blazed Charcoal Burners Trail (named for the men who felled trees in the area during the nineteenth century and carefully burned them to make charcoal). The trail briefly parallels the road, then bears left and heads into the woods. Soon, you’ll reach the eastern end of the yellow-blazed Perkins Trail, but you should continue ahead on the red-blazed Charcoal Burners Trail. The relatively level trail passes through thickets of mountain laurel, with an understory of blueberry bushes.

In about two-thirds of a mile, you’ll reach a cairn (rock pile) that marks the start of the white-blazed Cabot Trail. Turn left and follow the Cabot Trail, which descends gradually, reaching Jordan Pond in half a mile. Two short side trails lead down to the pond; the second trail (which leaves to the right just beyond the crossing of the pond’s inlet) reaches the shoreline at a rock ledge, with a broad view over the pond. A bench has been placed here for hikers to rest and contemplate the bucolic scene.

Continue ahead on the Cabot Trail, which soon goes by a large rock outcrop and begins to ascend. After passing between old stone walls, the trail emerges onto a clearing. Bear left, following a white blaze on a metal post. Just beyond, the yellow-blazed Perkins Trail comes in from the left. The Cabot Trail ends here, and you should continue ahead on the yellow-blazed trail, briefly following a wide, grassy road.

Watch carefully for a double-blaze, which marks a right turn. Just beyond, you’ll come to a unlocked gate – the first of several you’ll encounter in this portion of the hike. This section of the trail crosses private property and several active fields, so be sure to close each gate after passing through. Follow the trail as it turns left on a dirt road for about 250 feet, then turns right and reaches another gate. After passing through this gate, you’ll emerge onto an open field – in summer, filled with a multitude of wildflowers. Follow along the old fence to the right, with views to the right over the ridge to the north.

At the end of the field, you’ll reach a third gate. Continue through a short overgrown area beyond the gate, then turn right and follow along the right side of another large field, used for growing hay. As you reach the crest of the hill, views appear over a large lake below. After descending for a short distance, bear left on a farm road that crosses the field (to the right, a double yellow blaze indicates the turn for hikers traveling in the opposite direction).

Continue along the farm road as it skirts a small field (due to the absence of trees, there are few blazes along this section of the trail). Bear right at the next fork, and emerge onto a fourth field. Here, the trail bears right, skirting the perimeter of the field, then turns away from the field and soon re-enters the woods After reaching a limited viewpoint to the north and west from a rock outcrop, the trail begins a steady descent. Soon, you’ll hear the sounds of traffic, as the trail comes close to Route 301.

Near the base of the descent, the trail swings sharply to the right, heads away from the busy road, and begins to parallel Clove Creek. For half a mile, the trail runs along this attractive watercourse. This is about the halfway point of the hike. The trail then bears left, crosses the stream on a wooden bridge, crosses the private Glynwood Road (a little-used dirt road), and climbs to a grassy woods road.

The trail turns right and follows along this grassy road. Soon, it reaches a T-intersection, where the yellow-blazed trail turns left. In another 150 feet, it reaches a junction with the blue-blazed Fahnestock Trail, which comes in from the left. The Perkins Trail turns left here, but you should continue ahead on the woods road, leaving the Perkins Trail. You’ll now be following the blue blazes of the Fahnestock Trail, which passes a large pond to the right, visible through the trees.

At the northern end of the pond, the trail bears right, crosses the pond’s inlet on a moss-covered cement bridge, and begins a steady climb. Watch carefully for a right turn at the crest of the rise, where the trail leaves the woods road and heads into the woods on a footpath. The trail descends a switchback, climbs a rock outcrop, and continues to ascend more gently. Eventually, it turns right onto a woods road. The trail makes several more turns in this area, so you should pay careful attention to the blue blazes.

After a rather steep climb, the blue-blazed Fahnestock Trail turns right onto a wide, grassy woods road. A short distance beyond, the red-blazed Charcoal Burners Trail joins from the left. Continue along the joint blue-and-red trail, which descends to Beaver Pond. The trail comes out along the shore of this beautiful pond, with a panoramic view over the pond. This is a good spot to take a break.

The trail now turns right, descends to cross the outlet of the pond, then climbs through highbush blueberry bushes and dense mountain laurel thickets to reach another junction. Here, the blue-blazed Fahnestock Trail turns left, but you should continue ahead and follow the red-blazed Charcoal Burners Trail for about a mile to Route 301, where the hike began.