About the Property
The Forest Society primarily manages this property for sustainable forestry, productive wildlife habitat, and other conservation benefits in support of the greater Stoddard community. While all of our reservations are open to the public, this property may be difficult to access due to a lack of developed recreation features and resources such as signage, parking, established trails, and a detailed Forest Reservation Guide map.
Please see our Visitor Use Guidelines page for a complete list of rules and regulations for Forest Society reservations.
If you are looking to explore a unique forest in this area that offers a wider array of recreational opportunities, we encourage you to visit any of our “recommended properties nearby” featured below.
Fishing Guide
Pickerel Cove is aptly named. This is a shallow water cove off the eastern shoreline of Highland Lake. Its shallow, warm waters are ideal pickerel habitat. It can be accessed by canoe or kayak from a put-in spot just north of the Highland Lake Marina (Shedd Road) on the eastern shore of Highland Lake. Near the marina is a foot path to Pickerel Cove that you can carry a kayak or canoe over to get to the water. To find the path walk up Powerline Road a bit and look for the trail on the right, just beyond the second house.
Pickerel Cove was once slated for a major condominium development, including dredging of the cove. Local opposition and an economic recession doomed the development plan, and the Forest Society and local citizens raised sufficient funds to acquire the property and add it to the adjoining 3,400 acre Peirce Reservation. We suspect the pickerel are pretty thankful.
Recommended Properties Nearby
Two miles of hiking trails wind through upland pine-oak-hemlock forests, fields, old orchards, and silver maple floodplain forest along the Contoocook River. The terrain is relatively flat. Because of the wide variety of habitats, wildlife observation opportunities are excellent at McCabe Forest.
