... cultivating our connection
to the natural world.
Welcome to Distant Hill Gardens and Distant Hill Nature Trail
An Environmental and Horticultural Learning Center
"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life." Rachel Carson
Make a tax deductible
no-fee donation using the 'PayPal Giving Fund'
All funds go to the
COVID-19 Guidelines When Visiting Either
Distant Hill Gardens or Distant Hill Nature Trail:
- Stay home if sick.
- Social distancing of non-household members of at least six feet is to be maintained at all times.
- Masks are required if near other non-household visitors.
- Hand sanitizer is available in the wheelchair-accessible portable restroom on site.
VISIT THE GARDENS BY APPOINTMENT
Groups of up to 20 can visit us any day of the week
BY APPOINTMENT for either a guided or self-guided tour.
Suggested Donations:
Self-Guided Tour: $10/adult
Guided Tour: $125/for up to 20 people
Distant Hill Nature Trail and our Play Area
are open daily, free of charge.
Dogs are welcome on leash.
Inspiring Visitors to Landscape with a Purpose
Distant Hill Gardens and Distant Hill Nature Trail consist of one-hundred and twenty-five acres of biodiverse forest, fields, and wetlands straddling the town-line separating Walpole and Alstead. You will find us in the hills, five miles east of downtown Walpole, New Hampshire.
Distant Hill is an environmental and horticultural learning center dedicated to inspiring and empowering children and adults to cultivate an intimate connection to the natural world through education and observation. We hope to inspire visitors to develop an ecological approach to working their land and to give them the tools to improve their landscape one plant at a time.
Or goal is to have visitors to Distant Hill leave with a better understanding of the vital connections between plants, animals, and humans, and how we can use
Earth’s resources in a way that strengthens and sustains those connections.
THE HIGHLIGHTS OF DISTANT HILL GARDENS
- Cultivated Gardens with over 400 varieties of Labeled Plants
-
Forests, fields & wetlands with a large variety of Native
Plants
- Vernal Pools, swamps, forest seeps, and other wetlands
- A boardwalk over a floating Cranberry Bog
- A large Stone Circle built with stones from the property
- Managed forests supporting over 30 species of Native Trees
- A three-acre ‘Milkweed Meadow’ for monarch butterflies
- An eight-acre sugarbush for producing our own Maple Syrup
- Dozens of Creative Sculptures throughout the gardens
- A small Christmas Tree plantation
- Alternative energy systems powering our Passive Solar Home
- Miles of walking trails including a mile long Accessible Trail
- Wildlife friendly forests
- Many unique geological features, such as large Pegmatite boulders and Stretched-pebble Meta-Conglomerate outcroppings
The cultivated gardens, all of the stonework including the stone circle, the many buildings, and the substantial trail system were designed, built and are maintained by Michael and Kathy (Kate) Nerrie. In addition, many of the whimsical metal sculptures found throughout the gardens were created by Michael.
If you have any questions or comments
please feel free to Contact Us.
