Dates visited: 8/15/2020, 8/17/2020 & 9/5/2020
See Also: Manchester, Vernon, Bolton, Coventry, Andover, Columbia, Windham
This is probably the best segmnent of the Hop River Trail. It is highlighted by the cover bridge that goes over Rt. 316. It was an overcast day on my initial visit, and while I got some good photos, I decided to re-take some of the bridge photos a couple weeks later when the weather was nicer. Access to the trail in Andover is behind the Andover History Museum, which is where the pictures in front of the tractor were taken. The tunnel in the photos passes under Rt. 6.
Date visited: 5/3/2022
The All-Trails reviews for this trail were so-so, but I was pleasantly surprised. The main trail is the yellow blazed "Percy Cook Trail". It starts at a nice parking lot with a picnic area on Rt 316, and connects with Andover Elementary School, before ending at the Hop River Trail. There is a very steep hill to get down to the Hop River Trail, which of course means a very steep climb back up! On our way back, we used the orange blazed trails that loop back and around the Percy Cook trail. It was a very pleasant hike on a dreary day.
Date visited: 6/19/2021
I know it's impossible because we hiked a loop trail, but this trail seemed to go up way more than it went down! There's nothing out of the ordinary or terribly exciting with this trail. The highlight is the actual swamp, if you can call that a highlight. This one is completely forgettable.