Effective January 1, 2020 the Bedford Land Trust (BLT) has merged with the Piscataquog Land Conservancy (PLC), a nationally-accredited regional land trust based in New Boston, NH. The Bedford Land Trust’s 704 acres of conservation easements and fee-owned lands have been transferred to PLC, under a merger agreement reviewed by Charitable Trusts Unit of the NH Attorney General’s office.

The Bedford Land Trust was founded in 1990 with the mission to conserve strategic parcels of land in Bedford, New Hampshire. The original vision for a land trust in Bedford came from Linda Moore Hockman, a Bedford resident who believed a local land trust was needed to protect important ecological, scenic, recreational, and historic assets in the fast-growing town.

In December of 1993, the Bedford Land Trust acquired its first conservation easement on ten acres of riverfront land at the end of Moore’s Crossing Road from Stephen Foster. The land was named for Linda Moore Hockman in 1997 in recognition of her many contributions to land conservation, including founding the Bedford Land Trust. This parcel was the first of 14 properties that the land trust protected in its thirty-year history.

Every one of BLT’s conservation easements and other properties have been transferred to PLC without modification, so all restrictions, use limitations, reserved rights, etc. listed in each easement or deed remain unchanged and the land will remain protected in perpetuity.

The Piscataquog Land Conservancy is honored to become the keeper of the Bedford Land Trust’s legacy, and we will uphold its commitment to stewardship, and continue its work of protecting high conservation value land in Bedford and throughout southern New Hampshire.

Bedford Lands with Trails

We encourage you to explore and celebrate these beautiful properties in Bedford.

The properties listed below have marked trails systems with available maps.

 

Pulpit Rock

Van Loan Preserve

Joppa Hill

Benedictine Park

Trail Sign

To find all the PLC properties with trails systems, navigate to the  "Land Conservation" page on this website then look for the properties marked with the hiker symbol.

Full List of BLT properties transferred to the PLC

For descriptions of all the PLC properties, navigate to the "Land Conservation" page of this website

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust in 2009 and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
&nbsp
Description:
This 6.2 acre parcel is located on Bell Hill Road in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Town of Bedford, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Walkways, a skating pond, park benches and a bandstand
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road take a right onto Bell Hill Road. Bedford Village Common will be on the left.
Parking:
Off Bell Hill Road

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
&nbsp
Description:
This 28 acre parcel is located on Wallace Road in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Town of Bedford, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Trail, field, sledding
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road take a right onto Church Road and then right onto Wallace Road. Benedictine Park will be on the right.
Parking:
Off Wallace Road at Benedictine Park
Map:
Click here for more information and a trail map.

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
&nbsp
Description:
This 14.7 acre parcel is located in Bedford, NH.
The property is privately owned, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Seasonal pond, woodland

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
&nbsp
Description:
This 190 acre parcel is located on Joppa Hill Road in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Town of Bedford, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Active educational farm, hiking trails, fields
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road head west toward Ministrerial Road. Merge onto North Amherst Road. Continue for 3.4 miles and then turn right onto Joppa Hill Road. The property will be on the left and right of Joppa Hill Rd.
Parking:
Off Joppa Hill Road at the Educational Farm.
Map:
Click here for more information and a trail map.

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
&nbsp
Description:
This 10 acre parcel is located in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Town of Bedford, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Railroad tracks, river frontage

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
&nbsp
Description:
This .23 acre parcel provides Wallace Road access to the Van Loan Preserve and is located in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by PLC.
Key Features:
Hiking trails, field
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road take a right onto Church Road and then right onto Wallace Road. The MacDermott Parcel will be on the left.
Parking:
Off Wallace Road at Benedictine Park
Map:
The MacDermott parcel is adjacent to the Van Loan Preserve. For walking, use the Van Loan Preserve trails.
Click here for more information and a trail map of the Van Loan Preserve.

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
&nbsp
Description:
This 2.68 acre parcel is located on North Amherst Road in Bedford, NH. The property is owned by PLC.
Key Features:
Historical Bedford Town Pound
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road take merge on North Amherst Road. Continue for .4 miles. The Middleton lot is at the interaction of North Amherst Road and Wallace Road.
Parking:
Off North Amherst Road
Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
 
Description:
This 3.2 acre parcel is located in Bedford, NH.
The property is privately owned, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Woodlands, fresh water marsh

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
 
Description:
This 6.6 acre parcel is located in Bedford, NH.
The property is privately owned, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Woodlands

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
 
Description:
This 338 acre parcel is located on New Boston Road in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Town of Bedford, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Hiking trails, gorge, ledge, waterfalls, old mill, forest land
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road take turn right onto Ministerial Road. Continue for 1.3 miles. Then take a right onto Wallace Road. After .8 miles take a left onto New Boston Road. In 3.7 miles Pulpit Rock will be on your left.
Parking:
1. Kennard Trailhead: On the south side of New Boston Road, about .2 mile west of Esther Drive, at approx. 596 New Boston Road
2. Gage's Mill Trailhead: Turn onto Pulpit Road from New Boston Road and drive .72 miles, on the right just after 144 Pulpit Road
Map:
Click here for more information and a trail map.

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
 
Description:
This 11.4 acre parcel is located on Nashua Road and County in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Bedford School District, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Hiking trails and wetlands
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road continue onto Meetinghouse Road. Take a right onto NH-101 W for .5 miles and then take a left onto Nashua Road.
Parking:
Off North Amherst Road

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
 
Description:
This 7.6 acre parcel is located on County Road in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Bedford School District, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Hiking trails and wetlands
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road continue onto Meetinghouse Road. Take a left onto Liberty Hill Rd in .8 mile take a left on County Road.
Parking:
Behind the SAU building at 103 County Road

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
 
Description:
This 23.4 acre parcel is located on Sebbins Pond Drive in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Town of Bedford, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Wetlands, pond, forestland
Directions:
From Bedford Center Road continue onto Meetinghouse Road. At the traffic circle take the 2nd exit and stay on Meetinghouse Road. Turn right onto Patten Road and after .5 take a slight left onto Country Rd. In .5 a mile turn right onto Sebbins Pond Drive and the property will be on your right.
Parking:
There is on-street parking on Sebbins Pond Drive, near the intersection of Heather Drive.

Originally protected by the Bedford Land Trust and conveyed to PLC on January 1, 2020.
 
Description:
This 68 acre parcel is located on Wallace Road and North Amherst Road in Bedford, NH.
The property is owned by the Town of Bedford, subject to a conservation easement held by PLC.
Key Features:
Wetlands, an old dam, forestland
Directions:
Trailhead 1: 340 Wallace Road Bedford, NH (access directly across from Benedictine Park entrance)
Trailhead 2: 87 North Amherst Road Bedford, NH (parking diagonally across the road, at Muller Park entrance)
Parking:
There is off-street parking for trailhead 1 at Benedictine Park; for trailhead 2, use the off-street parking area for Muller Park.
Map:
Click here for more information and a trail map.