... cultivating our connection
to the natural world.
COVID-19 Update:
No Open Garden Weekends in May, June, or July
All workshops and talks scheduled have been cancelled.
We will reassess the situation for August Open Gardens.
Click Here to 'View Our Calendar of Events' for updates.
NOTE: Distant Hill Nature Trail and our
Nature Play Area are
still open daily, free of charge,
with a newly expanded parking area.
Dogs are welcome on leash.
VISIT US BY APPOINTMENT ANYTIME
Groups of up to 10 can visit us any day of the week
BY APPOINTMENT for either a guided or self-guided tour.
Suggested Donations:
Guided Tour: $125 / for up to 10 people
Self-Guided Tour: $10 / adult
Guidelines When Visiting:
- Stay home if sick.
- We encourage touchless payments.
- Social distancing of non-household members of at least six feet is to be maintained at all times.
- Masks are required if near other people.
- The bathroom will be open, and we will be wiping down surfaces every two hours.
- Bring your own disinfectant, drinking water, and masks.
Make a tax deductible
no-fee donation using the 'PayPal Giving Fund'
All funds go to the
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
Inspiring Visitors to Landscape with a Purpose
Distant Hill Gardens and Distant Hill Nature Trail consist of one-hundred and twenty-eight 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.
Distant Hill Nature Trail is Open Daily
Distant Hill Nature Trail is a mile-long network of wheelchair and stroller accessible gravel trails that
wind through the 21 acres of Distant Hill that is located in Alstead, NH. While Distant Hill Gardens is only open to the public on select weekends from May through October, for private tours,
visits by appointment, and for special events and educational workshops, Distant Hill Nature Trail is open daily,
year-round, from dawn to dusk. Learn More...
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.
