The Dearborn Forest has two main trails that form a loop by walking a short distance on the Rockingham Rail Trail. There is one small loop trail that goes out to a viewpoint on Onway Lake.
The primary trailhead can be reached by walking down a trail from the end of Jama Road and across a bridge. There is a kisok with trail information.
There are 2 main trails that both start at the Jama Drive trailhead and end at the Rockingham Rail Trail. By using a section of the Rockingham Rail Trail, a loop walk of 2.4 miles can be done in about 1.5 - 2.0 hours. A longer loop walk may be accomplished by utilizing the Rockingham Rail Trail access on Depot Road in East Candia or the Old Manchester Road in Raymond access.
East Trail - .79 miles - The East trail runs from the Jama Drive primary trailhead to the Rockingham Rail Trail and is blazed red. The trail is on fairly level terrain that starts by following the Onway Lake shoreline and turns inland up a small hill. There are a few wet areas that require walking on rocks. There are no bridges or boardwalks over wet areas and streams. There is one additional small hill before the trail reaches the Rockingham Rail Trail. The West Trail can be reached by walking west on the Rockingham Rail Trail towards Candia.
Lake Loop - .05 miles - The Lake Loop is accessible from the East Trail and is a short loop to a view of Onway Lake. Loons and ducks can sometimes been seen from the viewpoint.
West Trail - 1.25 miles - The West trail runs from the Jama Drive primary trailhead to the Rockingham Rail Trail and is blazed yellow. The trail runs on level terrain for a short distance with some walking on rocks over a wet area. The trail then starts climbing up a moderate hill. It levels off for a short distance and takes a left turn up another hill. The trail takes a few turns so watch for the yellow blazes. The trail will go downhill before meeting up with the Rockingham Rail Trail. The East Trail can be reached by walking east on the Rockingham Rail Trail towards Raymond.
Rockingham Rail Trail Loop - .30 miles - The East and West Trail are connected by the Rockingham Rail Trail to form a loop walk.
The Dearborn Forest in Raymond is 305 aces with 3,000 feet of shoreline on Onway Lake. The property is owned by the Town of Raymond and managed by the Conservation Commission with a conservation easement held by Bear-Paw Regional Greenways.
The trails are best suited for for walking, snowshoeing and mountain biking. Snowmobiles are allowed with 6 inches of snow, but the trails are not maintained for snowmobiling. The East trail is best for snowmobiles and cross-country skiing.
The primary trailhead is at the end of Jama Drive in Raymond which is off Langford Road. The area to park is unpaved at the end of a dirt road and there is limited room to turn around when other cars are there. The road is plowed in the winter, however, access to the trail will require climbing over a (sometimes significant) snowbank from the plowed snow. There is a trail that leads to a bridge and a kiosk. The road is used to access private homes so please allow plenty of room for the cars to go by.
Take Route 101, Exit 5. Take a right at the end of the ramp and follow Route 107 North. Take a left at Route 27 at the Hannaford Intersection. Follow Route 27 for 2.2 miles. Langford Road is a left turn across from the Pines restaurant. Follow Langford Road 1.7 miles and look for Jama Drive on the left and a blue street sign "Dearborn Forest". Follow Jama Drive to the end.
There are two additional trailheads that are accessible from the Rockingham Rail Trail. The West Trail trailhead is approximately 1.5 miles from the East Candia, Depot Road Rockingham Rail Trail access. The East Trail trailhead is approximately 1.25 miles from the Raymond, Old Manchester Road Rockingham Rail Trail access.
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