The West entrance to the Great Brook Trail is on Harvey Road. From the NH-43/NH-107/Parade Road intersection north of Deerfield, go east on Parade Road 0.7 miles to its merge with Nottingham Road. Continue east on Nottingham Road for 0.2 miles. Turn left on Harvey Road and go 0.6 miles to just south of a big red house with a modern barn. Great Brook Trail is on the right. The only sign is about 15 feet back from the road and thus easy to miss. It is behind a gap in a low stone wall and reads “Land Protected by Land Conservation Investment Program and Trust for NH Lands.” The trail has small circular lavender blazes on trees, but some of these have weathered off.

The East entrance is on Coffeetown Road north of Nottingham Road and south of NH-43.

Year-round birding. Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Pileated Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadees.
Warm-weather months: waterfowl on the large pond, Tree Swallow, Eastern Phoebe, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Solitary Sandpiper.

A 5-minute walk through the woods (predominantly Hemlock, Birch, Beech, and Oak) from the west entrance brings you to Great Brook, where the trail then follows past a couple of overlooks called The Perch and Twin Rocks, marked by very small light blue signs. 10 minutes brings you to the first Hemlock-fringed overlook of the large beaver pond. Another 5 minutes brings you to the overlook at the beaver dam responsible for the pond. 5 minutes more brings you to the first crossing of the brook. The trail then follows the brook, crossing back and forth several times on small bridges (twice) and by rock-hopping (twice). It passes a logged-over area, then a large marsh near the Coffeetown Road end. It takes about 45 minutes to traverse the entire trail non-stop.

An easy hike through scenic wildlife habitat near Pawtuckaway State Park. The Great Brook Trail in Deerfield is a perfect example of how local residents can use creative means to protect wild places. The trail passes through 750 acres of forests and wetlands called the Great Brook Conservation Lands, which is actually composed of nine different parcels of land that are privately owned. The Deerfield Conservation Commission negotiated conservation easements with the owners of this land, protecting it from development and keeping it open to the public for recreation. The commission’s hard work should be appreciated because now we can all enjoy a hike through a diverse wildlife habitat that is home to beavers, moose, otters, fishers, and a large variety of bird life.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike using the Great Brook Trail.

Great Brook Trail is a 4-mile lightly trafficked out-and-back trail located near Deerfield, New Hampshire that features a river and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.

This is a foot-traffic-only trail across private property via easements. Wooded, along a brook for over half its distance and passes a couple of beaver ponds, one is quite large with an overlook. Wildlife and bird viewing.