Photos and story by Stephen Flanders, Norwich Trails volunteer
On June 27th, four explorers and two hosts assembled at the trailhead to Parcel 5 off of Beaver Meadow Road for the second hike of the Discover Norwich Trails program. They set off in two groups of two, each with a host, at a comfortable pace for each group. En route, they discovered and explored some shortcuts that can abbreviate the five-kilometer loop.
Parcel 5 was the brainchild of two Norwich Trails Committee members in 2003 to create a loop in Norwich, suitable for biking, skiing and hiking. It was completed in 2007 with important volunteer contributions from the Student Conservation Association, the Upper Valley Trails Alliance and John Morton, who laid out the trail. Funding came from a timber harvest by the Land Management Council of the Norwich Fire District on whose property the trail system sits and from a Vermont/Federal Recreational Trails Program grant.
The explorers ended the hike with a tour of the Charles Brown Brook crossing where the replacement Brown Schoolhouse Road bridge will go, across Beaver Meadow Road from the Parcel 5 parking area. See the story about the old bridge here.
This hike was part of the Discover Norwich Trails program, which features a different trail on the last Saturday of the month, through October. Here’s a map for the 5-km (3.1-mile) loop at Parcel 5:
For other completed Norwich Trails Discovery hikes, click here.
Norwich Trails 