2023 is the Centennial of the Wapack Trail!

One hundred years ago, two local farmers and former cattle drovers entered the forefront of the long distance trails movement by creating the Wapack Trail. Marion Buck and Frank Robbins were out working on Robbins’ farm when they were approached by Albert Annett with the idea of creating a trail over land they knew well, the ridgeline between North Pack and Mt. Watatic. The trail was soon publicized in the Boston papers, and by the following year, Frank and Marion were building the Wapack Lodge to provide rooms and meals to the many hikers. The AMC soon got involved, improved…

The trail’s popularity grew so quickly that in 1924 Frank Robbins and Marion Buck decided to build the Wapack Lodge to house paying guests. They found a cellar hole near where the trail crossed Turnpike Road in New Ipswich that had once been a house built in 1776, and atop it they built a one-story bungalow. It proved so popular for overnight stays that in 1936 they cut off the roof, raised it with jacks, and built a second story. With the addition, the lodge could accommodate as many as 25 overnight guests and 100 diners. In a presentation prepared…

Celebrating 50 Years of the Wapack National Wildlife Refuge Saturday, October 15thSharon Meeting House, Rte. 123, Sharon, NH Special Guests Elizabeth Thomas and Ramsay Thomas Presentations by Matthew Hillman and Graham Taylor from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service You’re invited! Join us on October 15 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wapack National Wildlife Refuge at the Sharon Meeting House. The Wapack National Wildlife Refuge protects 1,625 acres of forest and wildlife habitat on North Pack, a beautiful section of the Wapack Trail and the Cliff Trail, as well as sections of Ted’s and Caroline’s Trails. Register for…