West Newbury Trails

Please find below description of our local trails and horse sense rules. All can be reached from the Pipestave Parking Area for Horse Trailers.  The individual trails links will give descriptions as well as maps. In Case of Emergency call 911 Location West Newbury, MA – Pipestave

Pipestave Hill and Mill Pond

Equestrian Recreation:

Trails

• Trails are cleared by volunteers, some are centuries old others newly cleared
  • Trails are marked with colored diamond markers (blue, red, green, orange, yellow as marked on maps)
• Various natural terrains of hills, flats, fields –
  • These are not groomed bridle paths.
• At times rocky terrain, crossing of streams, muddy areas
• Horse wading area at pond
• Some trails have bridges use your judgement as to ride, lead or retreat

Cross Country Fields

• Non frangible jumps
• Various heights on hills and flat

Enclosed Practice Rings

• No Lunging
• No leaving of horses to graze, the fences are not of field quality

Parking

• Park at top of Pipestave Hill, at Mill Pond lower field, or at Mill Pond.
• Pipestave Equestrian Area Main Parking Lot Directions
  • At the end of the lot an area is reserved for Horse trailers
  • Please clean up any manure, hay or shavings
  • The lot is also used for the ball fields so can be hectic if an event is going on
  • We have a tab for Athletic Field Events Calendar
    • Most activity is after school hours during the school year
• Mill Pond Parking Lot (lower field) is not advised for large trailers due to the narrow road in and out as well as the area being heavily utilized by dog walkers for parking. The area becomes very congested.
• Mill Pond Parking at pond is an area you want to check out before bringing a trailer down. It is very congested and the roads are rough and narrow. There is no turn around space and a steep up hill climb.

Be aware that dogs may be off-leash throughout the area.

Shared Activities of Area:

• Hiking
• Running
• Horseback riding
• Fishing
• Canoeing
• Kayaking
• Organized Interscholastic Athletic Activities (soccer, lacrosse, baseball, cross country running, etc.) during school year (April-June…Aug-Nov)

Notes/Regulations:

• Open dawn to dusk
• Leashed dogs in parking areas, on roads, around Mill Pond.
• Dogs may be off leash but must be on Voice Control in woods and fields. West Newbury has a leash law.  Please review Town Animal By-law, VI. for more information.
• No dogs on athletic fields.
• Designated wading area for horses and dogs in Mill Pond in signed area only.
• Fishing from dock only and non-motorized boats allowed.
• Designated parking for horse trailers at parking lot on Pipestave Hill, next to horse ring.

Park at top of Pipestave Hill, at Mill Pond lower field, or at Mill Pond.

Owner: Town of West Newbury/Mill Pond Committee

Dunn Field:

Dunn Field contains over 70 acres of active farm land and forest. Trails connect to Pipestave Hill athletic fields and to Chase Street with access to the Ocean Meadow development Purchased by the Town of West Newbury for municipal use with help from a State grant in 2002.

You must stay on the trails and not enter the hayfield area during growing and harvesting season. These paths are also used by cross country teams from the local HS. Ocean Meadow trails are currently closed.

Riverbend Trails and Riverbend West Trails:

• Horses are not permitted on all trails so consult your trail map or trail markers
• Three bridges to cross

Acquired in 1997, Riverbend Conservation Area is 68 acres and consists of gently sloping forest, wooded wetlands, a former agricultural field, plus a freshwater tidal marsh extending inland from the Merrimack River and includes a portion of the Indian River. The freshwater tidal marsh is one of the few such places remaining in Massachusetts. This property abuts Riverbend West, also called the Page School property, which contains 129 acres of town-owned municipal land. In 2010, a public trail easement was added to a development on Coffin Street, providing access from Coffin Street to the Indian River Dam Ruins, a very scenic and historical spot in the heart of this forest.

Riverbend Trail: From Mill Pond’s upper parking lot, cross Route 113 to enter the trail. The old cow pasture was part of a dairy farm used by Mingo family, who purchased the land in the 1930s. The property was previously owned by E. Moody Boynton, who was the inventor of the crosscut saw and monorail. The trail crosses several stonewalls built by settlers in the 17th and 18th century. The remains of a former ski tow used from 1960 to 1972, can be found which extends to the summit just below the Page School. The trail travels east and links to a large hay field, ideal for cross-country skiing and horseback riding. The old cellar hole is the former Griffin Home Site built in 1729. Rumors have it rumrunners used the foundation hole during prohibition.

River Road Trail: An ancient trail once used by Native Americans to reach summering grounds on Plum Island. Rare wild rice paddies can be seen growing along the Merrimack River. The bridge spanning over the Indian River was built in 1999 and allows foot, bicycle and equestrian crossings. The bridge and Tupelo Trail provide a beautiful, quick visit to one of the most scenic places in West Newbury any time of year.

Indian River Trail: This footpath begins at the Merrimack River and meanders thru the Riverbend forest over to the Indian River. The trail follows rare freshwater tidal estuaries, first protected in 1686 to “be free as far as the tide flows for the passing and re-passing of boats and canoes.” The trail passes thru virgin stands of oak and beech trees and reaches a scenic point where Native Americans once used this location as a canoe stop and campsite. The trail ends at the remains of a former sawmill and dam, built by Sgt. Joseph Pike in 1706. To help protect sensitive vegetation, no horses are permitted.

Page Trail: From Pipestave Hill’s parking lot, cross Route 113 and enter the trail next to the water tower. The trail is fairly steep as it goes down the hill, where it eventually joins the Riverbend and Indian River Trails.

New Riverbend West Trails: A new trail network was added in 2013 connecting Coffin Street to the Indian River Dam Ruins. This trail features a 50′ boardwalk crossing wetlands thru a newly acquired public trail easement. The Myopia, Cedar Ridge and River’s Edge Trails merge at the bridges crossing the Indian River, where the former dam and dike is located. Named in honor of the high school seniors who carried the bridge materials to the site, the Pentucket Trail provides a direct, albeit steep, route up to the Page School with better access to Route 113. The boardwalks and bridges were built by SCA AmeriCorps in July 2014 using Town CPA funds.