The Hiroshi Land is a 128-acre tract of protected woodland that includes a lovely old field, as well as 9 acres of open wetland and 0.6 miles of shoreline along Nubanusit Brook. It’s contiguous with 1,384 acres of conserved land in Peterborough and with a 7,142-acre conservation corridor between Nubanusit Lake and MacDowell Reservoir.

Local historical records trace this property back to 1874 when the land was farmed by Nathan Holt. At the turn of the 20th century, the Holt farmhouse was also used as a summer boarding house for tourists. In 1905, room and board at “Rock Farm” would have cost you $1/night! The house and barn were dismantled in 2014 after many years of disrepair, and the barn timbers were saved, restored, and reassembled in nearby Marlborough.

The property was most recently owned by Hiroshi Hayashi, the well-known chef, and restaurateur, who long sought to conserve the land. In 2014, the Harris Center purchased the land for conservation – a project made possible by friends of the SuperSanctuary and by the Town of Peterborough, through its land conservation capital reserve fund.

The Hiroshi Loop Trail is 1.9 miles long and features relatively easy hiking over flat terrain marked by orange rectangles. The trail begins at the former site of Hiroshi’s Monadnock School for Natural Cooking and Philosophy, the foundations of which are on your left as you enter the parking area.

To access the trail, walk through the field to a set of parallel stone walls, just left of the trail kiosk. Walk down the slope, then bear left on the old woods road for 0.3 miles until the trail splits. A right turn at the fork takes you for a meander along scenic Nubanusit Brook. The river frontage is a flood protection zone associated with the MacDowell Dam and owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. Across the brook, you can see the Sargent Center, a 700-acre outdoor education center operated by Nature’s Classroom.

After 0.8 miles, you’ll arrive at Dinsmore Pond, with views north of Skatutakee and Thumb Mountains. This slow-moving section of the river is a great place to watch for otters, wood ducks, kingfishers, beavers, osprey, and other wildlife. Continue for another 0.8 miles, past a small section of early successional forest, to return to the parking

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike on the Hiroshi Loop Trail.