Constitution Trail

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Lake · Views · Wildlife

Starting from the parking area at Constitution Park, there are two directions you can go. There are the lowlands and Welch Top.

For the Lowlands: Follow the path behind the baseball field southwest down a small hill. The path stays right on Conservation Way (signed). Turn right at the Conservation Parking (signed). Follow a small esker(?) ridge to a small road. Here at the road, you can go left to Ossipee Lake or you can stay right. Staying right on the trail will bring you through a cranberry bog. The trail crosses over Pequawket Trail (road), then continues straight to Broad Bay. The trail can continue, but only when there is enough ice present.

For Welch Top: Head towards the open field and follow the snowmobile tracks right. The trail crosses Route 25, hits a signed junction, then turns right. The trail follows the outskirts of the Red Brook Bog, then turns left at the south end of the bog. The trail travels through some cattails at the end of a field, then enters the woods. Pay close attention to the snowmobile signs, as there are many wood roads.

The trail crosses Green Mountain Road and begins to climb coming to an abrupt switchback left. The trail crosses Jack Russell Road and becomes much steeper, continuing to climb past some stone walls and other unmarked forest roads to just northwest of Welch Top. For the summit, bushwhack right.

While the trail technically ends here, there is another small summit that offers better views than Welch Top. From just below the summit of Welch Top, continue straight down a steep little hill until it levels out. When you come to the fork, take it left (which is still signed with orange trail information placards), then right (uphill). There is a steep little climb here with excellent views of Ossipee Lake. The summit is a large pile of rocks with a dead pine tree in the center. I wouldn't continue any further past this point since the trail begins to disappear.

Despite the fact that the main trail actually continues all the way to Town House Road, the OVSC only has landowner permissions to Welch Top. They are currently trying to get permissions to allow access to the whole trail.

Flora: White Pine, Beech, Large Cranberries, Pitcher Plants, Leatherleaf, Blueberries, Cattails, Eastern Hemlock.
Fauna: Ducks.