Parking
Blackwater car park on Ornamental Drive. Reach the loop beneath the first oak arch, across the drive and up a short gravel track. If the car park is full, continue to Whitefield Moor; do not park on verges or block gateways.
Overview
About Blackwater Arboretum Trail
Why go
- A mostly level gravel loop with frequent places to rest
- Seed sculptures among 1850s-planted conifers
Heads up
- The short approach crosses Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and a 1.1 m gate
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the New Forest map
Full mapElevation33–42 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active New Forest alert
- CautionNew Forest outdoor-fire restrictionDo not use BBQs, campfires, stoves, outdoor camping equipment or other naked flames on the open Forest.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
New Forest Tour Guide
Your drive to Blackwater Arboretum Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for New Forest National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Blackwater Arboretum and Tall Trees0:00 / 0:25
“You're approaching Blackwater Arboretum, where conifers planted in the 1850s include towering redwoods and some of Britain's oldest Douglas firs.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- When Giant Trees Were New
- Knightwood Oak
- Anderwood Picnic Area
- Whitefield Moor and Ober Water
- 283 audio storiesacross New Forest’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, White-tailed Eagle, Harbor Seal, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 70 trails, 48 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Blackwater Arboretum Trail
An easy loop through the arboretumBlackwater Arboretum Trail is a 0.
Blackwater Arboretum Trail is a 0.7-mile loop from Blackwater car park through the tree collection and sensory sculptures, then back by a short access track. It suits an easy stop, not a longer woodland hike. Allow about 30 minutes, plus pauses at the benches and sensory boards.
Follow the circleFrom the car park, pass the first oak arch, cross Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and follow the…
From the car park, pass the first oak arch, cross Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and follow the gravel track to the second arch. Walk the circle either way, then retrace the access. The gravel is fairly smooth; one gentle slope leads to a level loop with frequent places to rest. Tactile sculptures depict seeds of sycamore, oak, Douglas fir and redwood. The conifers along the drive were planted in the 1850s; some Douglas firs are among Britain’s oldest.
Access and facilitiesThe single entrance gate has a low, soft catch, and the route narrows to 1.1 m there.
The single entrance gate has a low, soft catch, and the route narrows to 1.1 m there. The car-park approach also crosses the drive. Blackwater car park has accessible toilets, two disabled bays, picnic tables, bike racks and an information point; dogs are allowed at the site. If it’s full, continue to Whitefield Moor rather than parking on the verges. For a longer walk, the separate Tall Trees Trail also starts here; its loop is 1.4 miles.
Wildlife
Wildlife in New Forest
28 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
10 sightingsWhite-tailed EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
14 sightingsHarbor SealMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
176 sightingsEuropean Fallow DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
93 sightingsWestern Roe DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
54 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across New Forest. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
