Spruce Hole Bog Conservation Area

Packers Falls Road   |   40 acres

DIRECTIONS: From downtown Durham, take Mill Rd approximately 2.3 miles to Packers Falls Rd. Take a right on Packers Falls Road. Parking for the Oyster River Forest and Spruce Hole Bog Conservation Area is immediately on the right. 

Spruce Hole Bog Conservation Area Trail Map and Property Summary

Spruce Hole Conservation Area Stewardship Plan

ABOUT THE PROPERTY:

Spruce Hole Bog Conservation Area protects the Spruce Hole Bog and the Spruce Hole Aquifer. It is entirely upland woods, except for the 2.5-acre kettle hole bog, which is recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. A trail network leads from the abutting 172-acre Oyster River Forest to the bog. In 2010, a portion of the Spruce Hole Bog Conservation Area was logged under the supervision of forester Charlie Moreno on behalf of the Town of Durham. A water supply line was laid in 2014, extending from Durham’s Packers Falls gravel pit (site of the new Spruce Hole well) through the Spruce Hole Conservation Area to an existing water line on the Oyster River Forest.

In 1974, Norman R. Morgan and his wife Nada B. Morgan donated 7.5 acres of property that included the Spruce Hole Bog to the Town of Durham. Later that year they were persuaded by the Durham Conservation Commission to sell an additional 5 acres to the Town. In 1989 the Town of Durham acquired by eminent domain 27.7 acres of adjoining land to further protect the bog and aquifer, the latter of which was recognized to be a potential future public water supply.

RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:

• Hiking and running
• Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
• Mountain biking
• Dog-walking (dogs on-leash/under control; pick up dog waste)
• Birdwatching/Nature observation

AMENITIES:

• Parking area
• Trails, including a universally accessible trail
• Information kiosk

RESTRICTIONS:

• Open dawn to dusk
• No hunting
• No motorized wheeled vehicles (ATVs, trucks, dirt bikes)
• No campfires or camping
• Carry in, Carry out all trash
• Do not disturb plants, animals, historical or cultural features