QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 196 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~5.5 miles in network
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy
- Sights: view, woods, stream
I revisited this town walk in the winter of 2016, and what do you know, there is a bit of a view of Bradbury Mountain and environs from Hedgehog’s summit when there is no mist! Some days you can even see Mount Washington from here, the highest point in town, at 308 feet. (But Hedgehog does not have nearly as lovely a view as nearby Bradbury Mountain in Pownal, which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come here—it’s a fun, tiny hike.)
The trails are well marked, and many of them are wide, easy and flat (with exceptions). If you just want to check out the summit, it’s a quick and fairly easy ascent, about 0.4 of a mile from the parking lot on Hedgehog Mountain Road.
On the mountain summit side, if you walk the loops on the southern end of the preserve, the trails will head sharply down into a gully where you’ll encounter a pretty stream and easy stream crossing at both the west and east end of the loops. I’ve marked the stream crossings on my map with two red icons (the summit is also marked with a red icon).
Across Hedgehog Mountain Road there are additional trails behind the ball fields. These are almost uniformly flat and wide.
Directions: The trailhead is located on Hedgehog Mountain Road off Pownal Road. A gravel parking area is located on the left just before the Recycling Center gate.
