'When in Rome do as the Romans' is my moto this winter. Since we will be staying in NH this winter and not traveling to sunny and warm Palm Desert, CA we are committed to getting outside and enjoying the snow. The recent snowstorms provided plenty of ground cover and perfect conditions for snowshoeing. We found a place close by located in Hollis called Beaver Brook.
The conditions were perfect: no crowds, vert little foot traffic since it was >24 hours after the storm and temperature in the low 30s.
Beaver Brook Association was established by cousins Hollis Nichols and Jeff Smith in 1964 as a nonprofit land conservation and environmental education organization.
Today it is one of the largest land trusts and nature based learning centers in southern New Hampshire and neighboring Massachusetts.
For today's trek we started out by following Beaver Brook Trail to Elkins Road Trail. The trails were mostly flat with occasional short uphill sections.
At the end of Elkins Road we followed the Eastman Meadow Trail toward Spatterdock Pond. There must be a few frustrated beavers around here. This tree trunk was at least 12 inches in diameter and despite their best efforts it was still standing.
Looking across Spatterdock Pond where we had the option to continue on East Meadow or follow Beaver Brook trail around the pond and head back to the park entrance.
At the footbridge over the Beaver Brook we chose to follow Beaver Brook Trail.
In the wetlands area we had to cross several small streams.
A few brave souls trusted the ice and took a shortcut across the pond.
More water crossings.
The conservation group does a great job managing the over 35 miles of trails on the 2,187 acres of protected land.
We completed 3.6 miles of the trails for this outing so with any luck we'll get more snow and head back to check out the other areas.
That's a HUGE place for snowshoeing and no crowds to beat. I love the fact that there's a sign posted on what activities are restricted in some areas.