Manchester Cedar Swamp includes 1.8 miles of trails, providing views of globally rare Atlantic white cedar, giant rhododendron, winterberry, cinnamon fern, and a large black gum tree. In addition to traditional hiking trails, Manchester Cedar Swamp also includes the All Persons Trail, a universally accessible trail designed for everyone and intended for use by visitors of all abilities and backgrounds.
Experience thickets of giant rhododendron, which are in full bloom in July. Or walk along the wetlands of Millstone Brook, which is a great place to see wetland birds like great blue herons and common yellowthroat warblers and wildlife like deer, mink, and beaver. The trails are also perfect for snowshoeing in the winter!
This area is open to the public for recreation and education. Please enjoy the preserve responsibly:
• Service dogs only: We love our four-legged friends, but only leashed service animals are permitted on the trails. This ensures the safety of all users and the preservation of wildlife here. Please leave all other pets at home.
• Leave No Trace: Please keep the preserve clean by carrying out your trash (and any that you find).
• No camping or open fires allowed.
• Please, for your safety and the protection of this globally rare ecosystem, stay on marked trails.
• Foot traffic only; horses, bikes and motorized vehicles are prohibited. Wheelchairs, strollers and assistive/adaptive devices are permitted on the All Persons Trail.
• Hunting is allowed on the preserve, except within 300 feet of the trail. Please obey all posted signs and contact NH Fish & Game Department for dates and regulations.
• Respect the natural world around you! Do not remove or destroy plants, wildlife, minerals or cultural items.
The Nature Conservancy is a global non-profit conservation organization. Our mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.
The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has been safeguarding our state's most precious natural resources since 1961, conserving 290,000 acres of forests and files and 680 miles of river and estuary shoreline. Our preserves are open for hiking, fishing, skiing, hunting, and wildlife viewing. Learn more at: www.nature.org/newhampshire.
Visitors to this preserve will encounter 1.8 miles of trails, including the universally accessible Cedar Swamp All Persons Trail, featuring a spacious parking area, inclusive, informational signage, immersive interpretive points of interest, a non-gendered, family-friendly, ADA-compliant portable restroom, and an audio tour available in both English and Spanish. Along the way you'll find shady hemlock groves, giant rhododendron patches and the globally rare Atlantic white cedar swamps that are the preserve’s namesake. Mingling in are black gum, another long-lived tree species that occurs in the Manchester Cedar Swamp wetlands. Some of these trees are over 450 years old.
When you’re down on the accessible boardwalk in the cedar swamp, the stillness and sense of solitude can feel like a remote wilderness. Amazing to think that in 10 minutes’ time you can be off the trails and in downtown Manchester getting ready for your next adventure!
The preserve is in the Hackett Hill section of Manchester, on the west side of the Merrimack River. From Interstate 93, take Exit 10 and head south on West River Road (aka Front Street) for about 1 mile (crossing the town line from Hooksett into Manchester). Turn right (west and north) onto Hackett Hill Road. Continue 0.7 miles, and turn left (west) onto Countryside Boulevard. The parking area is location 0.5 mile down the road on the left.
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