Cohos Trail: Nash Stream Forest (Stark to Gadwah Notch)

Nash Stream Forest and Kauffmann Forest (Stark, Stratford, and Columbia)

The Cohos Trail runs about 170 miles from the White Mountains to the Canadian border, according to SectionHiker, and its middle passes through Nash Stream Forest, a state forest of nearly 40,000 acres in the towns of Stark, Stratford, and Columbia. The Cohos Trail Association, which builds and manages the trails in the forest according to New England Trail Finder, calls it New Hampshire’s largest state forest. SectionHiker quotes the trail’s founder, Kim Robert Nilsen: “In a very real sense, the Nash Stream Forest is the heart of the Cohos Trail.”

The section crosses the twin Percy Peaks, a blueberry barren on North Percy, Pond Brook Falls, the arm of Sugarloaf, and Gadwah Notch, with shelters built by the association along the way.

The hike

Hiking Project’s description starts where the South Pond Link meets Route 110 in Stark, near South Pond, the north end of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. The route follows Bell Hill and Percy Roads, then the Bald Mountain Notch Trail, part of it a winter snowmobile route, to the Rowell Link. Devil’s Rest Shelter is half a mile off the route. The Old Summer Club Trail climbs past the spur to South Percy Peak, and the Percy Peaks Trail leads up North Percy. Trail Finder warns that the exposed granite ledges near the summit are “slippery and potentially dangerous when wet.”

The descent follows the Percy Loop Trail, which Hiking Project says may be technical in places, to the Trio Trail and Percy Loop Camp, a tent platform about a mile from North Percy’s summit. The route then drops to Trio Ponds Road and the Pond Brook Falls Trail, follows Nash Stream Road briefly, and climbs over the Sugarloaf Arm Trail to Old Hermit Shelter. From there it continues on the East Side and Pike Brook Trails to the Nineteen Valley and Gadwah Notch Trails, ending past Bulldozer Flat at the site of the former Baldhead Shelter after 25.2 miles. Hiking Project’s contributor warns that the West Side ATV trail is “swarming with bugs.”

SectionHiker’s 2024 report, by Walt McLaughlin, describes a mix of old woods roads, ATV trails, footpaths, and newly cut trail, with puncheon over the mud at Gadwah Notch. He took a zero day at Old Hermit Shelter to dry out gear, walked 11 miles from there to Baldhead, saw Pond Brook Falls “a torrent of whitewater” in steady rain, and found few hikers past Mt. Cabot. “Rugged and remote in places, this isn’t a good trail for novices,” he wrote.

North of here, the Cohos Trail continues toward Dixville Notch and the Connecticut Lakes. The association’s updates page warns that ATV traffic shares the Kelsey Notch Road and the wind-turbine lane on Dixville Peak.

Tips

Carry an updated map. Watch for the yellow blazes; some junctions are unsigned.
Check the Nash Stream Road gate before planning a car spot inside the forest.
Bring bug protection in early summer.
Use the latrines properly. The association asks hikers to close the lid and pack out wipes, hygiene products, trash, and food.
Expect to share some miles with ATVs and, in winter, snowmobiles.

Camping

The Cohos Trail Association lists two shelters in Nash Stream Forest, Devil’s Rest (off the Bald Mountain Notch Trail) and Old Hermit (on the Sugarloaf Arm Trail), plus the Percy Loop Camp tentsite on the north flank of North Percy Peak. In a VFTT forum thread, a poster relayed an email from Nilsen saying Percy Loop Camp is open to everyone, first come, first served. The association’s pages give no capacities or fees, and no state camping rules for Nash Stream were found; plan to use only these sites. Since the Baldhead Shelter’s removal in 2025, the association says hikers may tent at a signed spot about a mile north, with a bench and water a tenth of a mile farther on; it’s private property, and fires are not allowed.

Inside Intel: A VFTT poster described Percy Loop Camp as one tent platform that fits two two-person tents, with room on the ground for a few more and a stream that was flowing well. A 2016 association post called Old Hermit “the beautiful Old Hermit Shelter,” and SectionHiker’s 2024 writer chose it for a rest day.

Trail facts

Distance: 25.2 miles (Hiking Project)
Route type: Point to point, Route 110 (Stark) to Gadwah Notch
Difficulty: Strenuous; about 6,200 ft of climbing (Hiking Project)
Campsites: Devil’s Rest Shelter (0.5 mi off route), Percy Loop Camp, Old Hermit Shelter, Baldhead tenting spot
Water: Brooks and Pond Brook Falls; carry enough between sources
Permits: None found
Dogs: Leashed on the Percy Peaks trails (Trail Finder)
Trail manager: Cohos Trail Association
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Steady rain at Pond Brook Falls:

One hiker saw Pond Brook Falls as a torrent in steady rain and took a zero day at Old Hermit Shelter to dry out gear. Here's how three rain shells compare.

Compare the shells →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.