Conserved between 1998 and 2018, the Five Kezar Ponds Reserve consists of 316 acres of forests, wetland, and shoreline at the headwaters of the Kezar River. The first 10 acres were bought in 1980 by 12 families on Back Pond and deeded to the Greater Lovell Land Trust (GLLT) in 1998. Another 306 acres were conserved in 2006, 2010 and 2018 through the generosity of members and friends of the Five Kezar Ponds Watershed Association.

There are two trailheads and four trails on the property.

• Ron’s Loop is a 1 mile loop through the western portion of the property. This is a conventional hiking trail with an earthen surface dotted with roots and rocks. The trail has some wet areas traversed by bog bridges, rewires crossing wooden bridges, and has some moderate inclines. The trail is named in memory of Ron Geswicki, who helped conserve and care for the land.

• The Mountain Trail is a 0.8 mile, steadily rising trail to the summit with a view south through the Kezar River valley and west to the Presidentials and White Mountains. This is a conventional hiking trail with an earthen surface and roots and rocks frequently in the trail. Though not a long trail, it does feature some

• The Orange Trail is a 0.9 mile connector linking the Mountain Trail to Ron’s Loop.

• Tom’s Path is a 0.2 miles spur trail off the Mountain Trail, with several vantage points overlooking Middle Pond. The trail is named in honor of Tom Henderson, who served as GLLT’s Executive Director for many years.

Directions

From the GLLT office at 208 Main Street in Lovell, drive north on Route 5 for about 1 mile. Turn right on Old Waterford Road, which will turn to dirt, and then becomes Five Kezars Road. After 7 miles turn left on Kezars Ridge Drive. At 0.6 miles keep right onto 5 Kezar Ponds Road. Look for a GLLT sign on the right. This is the Mountain Trail. There is a second access 0.5 miles farther west on 5 Kezar Ponds Road for Ron’s Loop.

From North Waterford, begin at P & Kay’s gas station on Route 5. turn right onto Route 35 (Valley Road), then right again onto Five Kezars Rd. At almost 2 miles turn right onto Kezars Ridge Road, and follow this road for about 0.6 miles. Shortly thereafter a sign marks the first GLLT trailhead, with the trailhead for Ron’s Loop being another 0.5 miles down this road.

The Property

Much of the property consists of upland forest located on hillsides and steep slopes. Small streams run down the hillsides, carving small ravines and valleys as the flow towards the ponds below. Vernal pools and small pockets of wetland can be found throughout the forest, but most of the wetlands are found along a short section of frontage on Back Pond that is conserved as part of the Five Kezar Ponds Reserve. The property hosts four trails and two parking areas which help facilitate public access to this land for hiking, picnicking, foraging, and hunting.

Features

Ice Age Boulders — The boulders you see on the property are the result of the last ice age, during which time a massive continental ice sheet covered New England, reaching its southernmost extent around 21,000 years ago. As the ice sheet advanced from the north-northwest to the south-southeast, it forcefully eroded enormous quantities of soil and rock. These forces of erosion scoured and deepened the basin in which the Five Kezar ponds are located. In response to a shift to a warmer climate, the ice sheets rapidly melted and receded northward, leaving significant deposits of jumbled soil and rock material in their wake. Torrential flows of glacial meltwater were responsible for depositing the extensive sands and gravels found in the Five Kezar ponds area. Gigantic boulders seen along many areas of the Back Pond Reserve are distinctive in terms of their size and concentration, suggesting that, together, they define a moraine, a term geologists use to describe materials deposited at the margins of the ice sheet.

Species observed to date