Trail Map

The official Harold Parker State Forest trail map is DCR's PDF, linked as "Download a trail map" on the forest's mass.gov page; the current edition is dated 2019. It shows the forest roads, trails, ponds, parking lots and numbered intersection posts. Junction numbers start with A or NA, and the Friends of Harold Parker's trail descriptions use the same numbers.

Getting the Map

Download DCR's PDF from the forest's page on mass.gov before you go; DCR's hiking notes say to bring a map and share your plans, and they warn that some trails are not well marked and not every trail appears on the map. The PDF is a single page. Save it to your phone or print it. DCR's 2013 management plan also includes a trail recommendations map, which shows planned changes rather than the trails as they stand.

How the Intersection Numbers Work

Harold Parker's trail junctions carry numbered posts. The Friends of Harold Parker's directions use them throughout: "turn right at A17", "cross HP Rd at NA30". In the Friends' directions, junctions around Jenkins Road and the western ponds carry A numbers and those near the headquarters on Middleton Road carry NA numbers, so a walk from the Jenkins Road area to the headquarters goes from A numbers to NA numbers. DCR uses the same scheme: its signature bike ride starts from a small lot "between A21 and A22" on Harold Parker Road. If you get turned around, the next post number and the map put you back on route.

Gates and Lots on the Map

The Friends' descriptions name the gates you will see on the ground:

• Gate 3 and Gate 4, at the Park Headquarters on Middleton Road, start of the Stearns Pond and Sudden Pond Trails.
• Gate 5 and Gate 6, along Sudden Pond Road and Middleton Road on the Sudden Pond loop.
• Gate 13, the Jenkins Lot at Jenkins and Harold Parker Roads, start of the Berry Pond and Yellow Diamond Trails.

Named lots include the Chimney Lot and Collins Lot on Harold Parker Road, the Jenkins Lot at Jenkins and Harold Parker Roads, and the Pavilion lot near Middleton Road. DCR's map adds that you must park in designated areas only and display a parking pass in marked lots. Details on parking.

The Marked Trails on the Map

• White: Sudden Pond Trail, 1.6-mile loop.
• Green: Berry Pond Trail, 2-mile loop.
• Red: Friends Loop, 2 miles around Collins and Brackett Ponds.
• Orange: CCC Trail, 3 miles, Chimney Lot to Park HQ.
• Yellow: Yellow Diamond Trail, 3-mile lollipop around Salem Pond.
• Blue: Stearns Pond Trail, 3.1-mile loop.

Lengths come from the Friends of Harold Parker (DCR confirms the Yellow Diamond's 3 miles). Full descriptions on trails and hiking.

Roads and Neighboring Land

Harold Parker Road, Jenkins Road, Middleton Road, Salem Street and Route 114 cross or edge the forest. DCR's map also shows conservation land owned by the towns and by the Andover Village Improvement Society next to the forest, which is how the Bay Circuit Trail continues west into the Skug River Reservation. The Jenkins Mill site, west of Jenkins Road near the Bay Circuit Trail, is marked on DCR's map.

GPS Points From DCR

DCR's suggested-hikes sheet gives two coordinates you can put in a map app:

• Yellow Diamond trailhead (Jenkins and Harold Parker Roads, Andover): 42.612955, -71.091237.
• Signature bike ride lot (about 25 Harold Parker Road): 42.611216, -71.112688.

Map Tips

• The forest spans four towns, so a road name on the map may not match your map app's town.
• In hunting season, stay on marked trails and wear blaze orange. See hunting.