The Broadway Wells Trails are part of Hanover's ongoing Greenway project, an ambitious effort to link roughly 1,760 acres of scattered town-owned recreation land into one continuous hiking network. The town estimates that once the remaining connections are finished, there will be about 10 miles of continuous trail running through Hanover -- this section winds through the forest along Broadway, in the historic Four Corners area where the town was first settled.
Chapman's Landing was once the westernmost shipping point in the North River system, where the steamship Mattakeesett once delivered iron ingots for Hanover's forges. Today it is a lovely 50-acre woodland and wetland property with gorgeous views of the Indian Head River, and interpretive signs on site touch on the history of the Mattakeeset themselves. Along the two miles of intersecting trails here, you will find several beautiful views of the river, two crossings of Iron Mine Brook, and a curious pile of stones with historic origins.
Clark Bog Trail has several access points -- you can walk in from King Street, or from Forge Pond Park's Parking Lot C, where there is a large green sign. The trail provides a network of intersecting wooded paths, mostly circling a former cranberry bog, totaling about a mile, with pleasant water views along the way.
Hanover's Colby-Phillips Trails extend for 3 miles through a diverse and inviting 147-acre property, with boardwalks through woods and wetlands, a bridge over Cushing Brook, and an observation deck along the way. It is one of the more varied trail systems in town, worth a visit if you want a mix of terrain in a single walk.
Denham Pond is a 1.2 mile trail off Circuit Street in Hanover. The trail is aptly named for a pond on site that weaves around the property.
The primary feature of Hanover's Ellis Baseball Fields is, unsurprisingly, its four baseball fields, but there is also a short woodland trail tucked along the edge of the property. It doubles as an alternate access point into the wider Hanover trail network nearby, so it is worth a look even if you are not there for the ballgames.
Once cranberry bogs, the Folly Hill and Bog Iron Trails now traverse a quiet expanse of woods and wetlands, with Iron Mine Brook flowing through on its way to the Indian Head River. Access and roadside parking are available via Willow Road, Beechtree Road, Broadway, and the Hanover Police Station.
Forge Pond Park in Hanover, established in 2014, is a well-designed 40-acre athletic complex that hides a network of five intersecting woodland trails along its boundaries and beyond. The Forge Pond Trail near Parking Lot A hugs the water's edge through a forest of pine, beech, oak, and sassafras, while the French's Stream Trail near Parking Lot E leads through similar woods to a footbridge and a canoe/kayak launch on the pond. There is also a launch area for paddling, and the trails here connect further into the Clark Bog Trail and the Old Rockland Fireworks Loop, making it a genuinely good base for a longer exploration.
The French's Stream Trail at Forge Pond Park begins at Parking Lot E, deep in the paved portion of the park, and follows a gravel path down to the water where it meets the Forge Pond Trail, along with a gravel canoe and kayak launch. From there, the trail continues for about half a mile through woods of pine, oak, birch, beech, and maple, crossing a short footbridge over a stream and passing an old stone wall before the trail forks -- follow the red blazes for an up-close view of French's Stream itself.
There are three Hanover Conservation trailheads at this spot: two at Chapman's Landing and Iron Mine Brook, plus the short Mattakeeset Trail, which links over to Ludden's Ford Park. The Hanover Public Launch itself is ideal for canoes and kayaks, though be aware there is a significant tide delay this far upriver -- typically 3 to 3.5 hours behind the ocean high tide.
Accessible right from the Hanover Senior Center, this half-mile loop trail features boardwalks and old stone walls, plus access to Torrey Brook. It is part of a larger, roughly 3-mile network that extends to Tindale Bog, the Nava-Stasiluk Conservation Area, and the Myrtle Street Fields/Ceurvels Park -- four connected properties that together add up to one of the more substantial trail systems in this part of town.
Historic Sylvester Field features a half-mile trail along the edge of a large meadow, leading to a short loop and a scenic spot on Third Herring Brook, with an additional trail continuing up the opposite edge of the property back to the parking area, including a short boardwalk over a wetland. After centuries of agricultural use, this historic property in Hanover Four Corners was preserved in 2021 by the Wildlands Trust and the Town of Hanover, and it is bordered on two sides by old stone walls.
The Indian Head River Trails is a linear property owned by Hanover Conservation, with trails that extend for two miles along the banks of the Indian Head River in South Hanover, following the course of a former railroad bed. Don't miss the narrow footpaths that lead right down to the water's edge, often on rocky outcroppings, and there is a genuinely pleasant bench near the Hanson end of the trail at a secluded spot along the river.
Luddam's Ford Park is a trail located off Water Street in Hanover. It is connected to the Indian Head Trail. The combination of the two trail systems can be around 4 miles of hiking; however, if you stick with just Luddam's Ford Park you can have a very manageable hike. The Luddam's Ford Park trails are centered around the pond. There are several trails that nest together but the two main trails are called out by Red and Green markers. In addition, there is a boat launch for kayaks and other non-motorized watercraft. At the base of the pond is a dam that is a particularly enjoyable sight after significant rainfall. In addition to the dam, there is a herring run that is monitored by the North South River Watershed association.
Melzar Hatch is a 1.9 mile trail off Cedar Street in Hanover. The trail is known for cross-country running and is located near Hanover High School and Middle School. The trail is maintained by the Wildlands Trust.
Ceurvels Park, also known as the Myrtle Street Fields in Hanover, features baseball and soccer/lacrosse fields plus a basketball court. Right behind the park a bridge crosses Torrey Brook, connecting into the roughly 3-mile trail network that also links the Hanover Senior Center, Nava-Stasiluk Conservation Area, and Tindale Bog -- so this is a good jumping-off point if you want to turn a quick visit to the ballfields into a longer walk in the woods.
The Nava-Stasiluk Conservation Area in Hanover offers just under a mile of trails through the woods, across Torrey Brook, and along an old railroad bed. It is part of a roughly 3-mile network linking the Hanover Senior Center, Tindale Bog, and the Myrtle Street Athletic Fields, so it works well as a central connector for a longer loop through this cluster of properties.
The Old Rockland Fireworks Loop Trail is an unmarked, roughly 1-mile loop -- mostly gravel, occasionally paved -- that crosses flat terrain through woods of maple, birch, holly, pine, and hemlock. Along the way you will pass concrete structures that were once part of the National Fireworks Company, many now covered in graffiti, a striking bit of industrial history tucked into an otherwise quiet forest walk.
Phillips Sanctuary and Firehouse Loop offers a beautiful 55-acre glimpse of Hanover's earlier days, back when there were fewer houses and a lot more trees. A 1.6-mile network of loop and spur trails winds through the forest here, with plenty of opportunities for wildlife observation along the way, and access from both Alden Road and the Fire Station Museum on Broadway.
Pine Island Swamp is a small trail located off Old Farm Road in Hanover. Visitors can also access the Plain Street trails while they visit.
Plain Street Trails is a trail located off Plain Street in Hanover. It is located is very close proximity to the Pine Swamp trail.
If you are in the mood for exploring a new corner of Hanover, the Shingle Mill Brook Trail is worth a look. It leads to a gorgeous grove of beech trees set on a drumlin hill, then continues into mixed woods and wetlands surrounding Shingle Mill Brook itself.
Tindale Bog is an 18-acre property with a small pond and an adjacent woodland trail network, bordering a Well Protection Zone. It links directly into the roughly 3-mile trail system connecting the Hanover Senior Center, the Myrtle Street Fields/Ceurvels Park, and the Nava-Stasiluk Conservation Area -- a section of the trail here even follows a former railroad bed.