The Sunset Hill Trail in Newbury NH is aptly named after this wonderful trail that has an almost…read moreunobstructed view of the West, Lake Sunapee and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Sunset here is a moment of glory. The trail is an easy to moderate 2.4-mile out and back with only a 500-foot ascent. The trail has a steady climb so once you start past the gate, it continues almost at the same grade - considering this used to be a stage coach route to an 1800s farm. Once on top, there are magnificent views. On a dry day in the beginning of September, we didn't see a bug nor a mosquito.... The trail is part of the John Hay Estate, the property of one of America's most consequential Secretaries of State. Hay was the director of our foreign policy in the Spanish American War under President McKinley, the manager of President Teddy Roosevelt's Open Door Policy with China, and led the diplomatic efforts to building the Panama. Canal. The Hay Estate has many acres and besides the trail, visitors can see The Fells, the home of the late State Secretary. A piece of history, a wonderful hike and a great visit.

The Morgan Pond Trail is an easy, 6.6 mile out-and-back hike in New London and Springfield. It's…read morean excellent trail for dog walking, cross country skiing and trail running. No bushwhacking needed; It follows old access roads and cart roads from Twin Lake Villa Road, same initial point as the Kidder Brook Trail or you may commence at the road itself. It rises almost 621 feet before ending at the beautiful and picturesque Morgan Pond, one of the sources of water for the New London/Springfield Water District. The trail crosses several other trails and old cart roads as it climbs, with beautiful scenic vistas along the hike. It connects with the Kidder Brook Trail, the Sunapee, Ragged and Kearsarge Greenway, and the Kidder Trail itself. The only modern intrusion along the trail, aside from the road itself, is crossing a wide path for power lines. Besides that, the hike abounds with nature and wildlife. The trail itself is lightly traveled, but the trail is kept clear by the passing of water maintenance and power line equipment. Bring bug repellent. A beautiful way to spend an afternoon...

The Esther Currier Wildlife Management Area and the Davis Path within it are amazing conservation…read moreareas that contribute in great part, to the immense quality of life in New London. It is a superb area for admiring wildlife, beaver dams, bog vegetation and contemplation. It is also a superb 2.2 mile flat hike, suitable for families with children, pets and elderly. It is a postcard scenic area during Fall's Foliage. And a great area for hiking, snowshoeing and Nordic skiing in the Winter. The Esther Currier Wildlife Management Area at Low Plain is preserved through the efforts of a diverse group of citizen councils and nonprofit organizations. The New London Conservation Commission, and elected body, manages the area in conjunction with the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, the Elkins Fish & Game Club, and the NH Fish & Game Department. A self guided trail map with notes is available at the Route 11 entrance and also through their website. The trails can be accessed from the parking area off Route 11 or from a parking area on Mountain Road. Most of this material is taken from the New London Conservation Commission's trail description. The main trail is named the Davis Path. It is a gated gravel road running between Route 11 and Mountain Road. Hikers can also take side trails that lead to several overlook spots and observation blinds along the edge of an active Beaver Pond. In addition, there is a quaking bog that may be viewed from a boardwalk on the trail to the Marsh Point blind. A high water bridge, built by Elkins Fish and Game Club, takes visitors over the waters that flood a portion of Davis Path during Spring thaw (bridge is shown at the right). A geological exhibit (boulder collection) and a salamander pool are visible from the Davis Path. The Davis Path is 1.13 miles in length (one way). A half mile loop trail to Shepard Spring is also shown across Mountain Road from the Davis Path. Parking is available along Mountain Road. The trail is only marked for a clockwise trip around the loop. The Conservation Commission has also developed a Forestry Management Cover Map and Forestry Plan for the Low Plain area. An unbeatable location to enjoy a couple of hours with family or simply, to admire nature in its very best.

We love this small, scenic campground! Very quiet beautiful water. Great trails for hiking. Will be…read moreback this year.

It is a good place for relaxed camping plus kayaking or canoeing. We stayed for a night right by…read morethe lake and kayaked 1-2 hours on Sat and Sun. Was hoping to see moose but didn't see. According to outdoor book there are moose here and sometime at lake. Campsites are clean and spacious and lakes are calm and good for kayaking, but 1-2 hours is enough to kayak all the lake. Good for relaxed weekend but not for intense outdoor activity.

We had a fun day on Lake Winnesquam! Although still busy on a beautiful summer day, it's calmer…read morethan it's more famous, much larger, similarly named lake neighbor. NH fish and wild life have two boat launches onto a short river, right near the mouth of the lake. The ramps and a staging area to wait your turn are down a short drive, past parking. On the weekend, a 'lake host' is on hand to see that everything runs smoothly. There is no large sign telling you where the ramp is. On our visit, a small, wooden, hand painted 'Boat launch' sign had been nailed to a fence post. The entrance is two way traffic. A large NH Fish and Wildlife information board is in the staging area of the parking lot. If you are fishing, be sure to go onto the NH fish and wildlife website to get your license. Parking is for trailered vehicles only. A couple of spot, nearest the ramp are reserved for handicapped vehicles towing a trailer plus one for a handicapped van without trailer. Parking over flow for vehicles with trailers and all of those without, is on either side of Water Street. When we departed around 4pm, there were parking spots available in the lot. If you want to be sure you can park in the lot I recommend either an early arrival or after the early birds leave, later in the day. There are three porta-a-johns in the parking area, nearby the ramps, including one handicapped accessible model. On either side of the ramps is a dock where you can load and unload passengers and supplies. Head east (south?) on the river to access the lake. This is a 'no wake' area. Once out on the lake there are a couple of sandbars where boaters had anchored and were playing games. There are shallow area of the lake and a couple of public beaches where you can anchor and swim in. A few boaters had floating mats and were anchored out in the lake. Besides boats, there are a number of personal watercraft. Many boaters were waterskiing and tubing, so keep an eye out for fallen swimmers! There are also a fair number of fishermen (fisherpeople?) all around the lake in 'no wake' areas or close to shore. Definitely large enough to enjoy a day on the lake. The boats here are smaller than on other, larger lakes, so a smaller wake to deal with. There are rental properties around the lake if you want to stay nearby and watercraft rentals are available in the area. There is one marina on the lake for your fuel needs.

OK, I'm a Lionel train kid from the 1950's! I grew up in a town that had a commuter rail line. I…read moreused to love traveling by train, so this ride was a no-brainer for me. You may pre-order sandwiches to eat on the train. We elected to bring our own sandwiches & drinks on the train. What we didn't expect was how wonderful the young workers were! They also brought along free packs of cookies & soda, if you wanted. I didn't expect that. As for the ride, it was fun, there was a young man tell us about the history as we enjoyed scenes of the lake. I would recommend this train ride to anyone, even if you didn't have a set as a kit.

Gorgeous trail! Beautiful views of the lake and very well maintained. A regular walking spot for…read moremorning walks with my dog. Getting good use from cyclists and walkers/joggers.

Fox State Forest contains a quiet trail network just a mile up the street from downtown Hillsboro…read more Good for walking, hiking, mountain biking. Great for trail running. Mostly single track with some old, abandoned roads. Probably a good twenty-five miles of trails in all. Lots of possibilities for short or long loops. Hilly, but not extremely challenging. Features include: beautiful pine groves, a swamp with ancient black gum trees, peaceful brooks, a bog with carnivorous plants. The tower on Monroe Hill is a little underwhelming -- it's about ten feet high. I wouldn't say there is tons of wildlife but in the past year I've come across moose, deer, foxes, owls, and lots of squirrels. Some of the trails are not used much and need a little maintenance but they are well marked. Maps are available at the kiosk by the HQ on Center Road.

This is a very controversial memorial for reasons…read more In 1697, Hannah Duston was a puritan woman who was abducted by Abenaki during King Williams war. The abductors first killed many settlers, including children, as they raided Haverhill, MA. They burned down Hannah's home after taking her, her infant and the infants nurse captive. In the retelling of her tale, it is recorded that the Abenaki murdered her days old infant, in front of Hannah, during their two week march toward Canada. Brutal. She and the nurse were left with another native American family miles from their home, where this memorial stands. This family had adopted a 14 year old English boy who had their trust. With his help, Hannah was able to kill her captors, including six children and make her way down the Merrimack river along with the two other captives. They reached Boston where she presented the MA general assembly with ten scalps she had taken from those she killed and shared her story. Without a doubt, life in 1690's America (when this event happened) was very much a life of struggle. Disputes between English settlers, French Canadians and Native Indians resulted in years of war in this region. The previous King Philips war, which ended in 1657, decimated between 60 and 80 percent of the local, indigenous people. Some of the survivors were sold into slavery. Those who remained banded together with the Abenaki. In the late 1680's the Abenaki joined with the French Canadians during King Williams War to fight the continued expansion of English settlers. As part of raids conducted, they kidnapped English settlers who were then either sold back to their families, or adopted by the tribe to replace members who had been lost to the conflicts. Unfortunately for history, Hannah never wrote about her experience. Her story was retold three times between 1697 and 1702 by Cotton Mathers who believed all Natives were 'instruments of the devil' and savages. You may remember Cotton Mathers as the minister who persecuted residents of Salem, MA resulting in many of them being hanged for witchcraft. So yeah. History only has his version of her story. One hundred years after these events the U.S. is expanding westward and her story is published again as an example of how savage all native people were. The story was used to justify the acts being taken to remove indigenous people from lands settlers wanted. It was at this time that three monuments to Hannah Duston were created, two of which stand to this day. I have many thoughts about these memorials, the life Hannah lived and this experience she survived. I also have many thoughts about the way indigenous people assisted the English when they first arrived, teaching them how to survive. The indigenous peoples were trying to maintain their life and lands. The settlers were seeking a new life. A struggle between those who have what others want. A too common historical story. The hero's depend on which side you are on. We parked in the Boscawen Park 'n ride. The trail head is at one end of the lot and a roadside marker at the other end. Parking is also available at The Northern Rail Trailhead on Commercial Street. Both are about the same distance from the memorial.

Wow - what a crazy story! This is a monument honoring Hannah Duston and her escape from the Abenaki…read moretribe holding her hostage all the way back in 1697! She killed and scalped 10 people geez! It's believed that this is what started the "scalping" trend way back AND that she's the first American woman to be honored with a statue (according to wiki)! Kinda cool! There isn't much to this memorial and it's kinda hard to find...but I'm glad I came - was a fun little adventure! And a very interesting bit of history to learn about. I still can't get over that there are stories this old right here in America! If you're using the Apple Maps app, be aware it doesn't get you here - it takes you to some random field out in the middle of nowhere lol! But google maps got me here (and it used the address 60 Commercial St, Boscawen NH but apple didn't!!) - so be aware! It's right off a main road with plenty of paved parking. The entrance to the trail is well marked, but once you get down a little hill closer to the railroad tracks, it gets confusing. There's a dirt hiking path off to the left (DON'T take this one - it goes nowhere and is super sketchy!) and a paved one off to the right that looks like it dead ends into the railroad tracks - but that is actually the correct trail! And if you look off into the distance you'll actually see the tall statue so you'll know you're going the right way. You'll cross a bridge on a walking path next to the railroad tracks to get to the memorial statue overlooking the river. The area seemed a tad sketchy to me...I would've been a little scared except that there were lots of cyclists around and other hikers, as well as a tour group taking one of those pedaling tours on the railroad tracks (looked really fun)! There isn't much to it - just a statue with some cool info on it - unfortunately it was vandalized by some red paint but it kinda added to the aesthetic, given the nature of the story lol. A fun little side trip if you have time - I felt compelled to see it bc of how old the story is and the crazy nature of the story AND I just so happen to share her name lol!