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Hoyt Wildlife Sanctuary

135 Acres
2.4 Miles of Trails
Madison and Eaton, NH

Located on the beautiful southern shore of Purity Lake, the Gertrude Keith Hoyt & Edward Eaton Hoyt, Jr. Wildlife Sanctuary protects 135 acres of wildlife habitat for wildlife and people.

Initially dammed by beaver, Purity Lake was re-dammed in the late 1700’s by European settlers, who also built a mill in the small community called East Madison. Stone walls and foundations on the Sanctuary are homestead remains from this time period. During the post-Civil War years, many homesteaders lost interest in trying to farm the relatively sandy, poor soils, and an enterprising man named Edward Hoyt, Sr., began to buy their holdings. Hoyt eventually acquired the mill and a total of 1,400 acres. Edward, Jr. and Gertrude Keith inherited the family homestead, located very close to where you are standing now, until it burned in 1914. Edward’s daughter, Ellen, ran a girls camp on this location between 1934-1977. She generously bequeathed her land holdings to NH Audubon upon her passing in 1991

Today, the sanctuary features a variety of geological and natural features thanks to glacial deposits from the last ice age. Tall, mature white pines are a dominant tree of the shoreline and wooded trails, especially the Esker Trail. The Heath View Trail features a rich wetland cove that is home to many types of plants and animals. Some of the sanctuary’s northern hardwood and pine forest is managed through forestry to support a wide diversity of birds and other wildlife species.

View a virtual tour of Hoyt Sanctuary from Purity Spring Resort’s Heather McKendry!