Snowshoeing In Beaver Brook Conservation Lands in NH
- Steve
- Feb 10, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 10
"When in Rome, do as the Romans" is my motto this winter. Since we'll be staying in New Hampshire and not traveling to the sunny and warm Palm Desert, CA. We're determined to embrace the snow and enjoy the outdoors. The recent snowstorms have given us plenty of ground cover and ideal conditions for snowshoeing. We discovered a nearby spot in Hollis called Beaver Brook.
Hike Distance: 7.31 miles
Elevation Gain: 365 feet
TrailsNH Hiking Difficulty Calculator: 51 – Moderate
Click here to navigate to the TrailsNH website for a description of the hiking difficulty calculator
The conditions were ideal: no crowds, very little foot traffic since it was less than 24 hours after the storm, and temperatures were in the low 30s.
The Beaver Brook Association was founded in 1964 by cousins Hollis Nichols and Jeff Smith as a nonprofit organization focused on land conservation and environmental education.
Today it is one of the largest land trusts and nature-based learning centers in southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
The trek today started on Beaver Brook Trail and proceeded onto Elkins Road Trail. The trails were mostly flat with a few brief uphill sections.
We followed the Eastman Meadow Trail to Spatterdock Pond, located at the end of Elkins Road. It seems there are some frustrated beavers nearby, as this tree trunk, measuring at least 12 inches in diameter, is still standing despite their persistent efforts.
As we gazed across Spatterdock Pond, we had the option to either proceed along East Meadow or take the Beaver Brook trail around the pond to return to the park entrance.
We decided to take the Beaver Brook Trail at the footbridge crossing over Beaver Brook.
We needed to cross multiple small streams in the wetlands area.
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 across the 2,187 acres of protected land.
We covered 3.6 miles of the trails during this outing, and hopefully, with more snow, we'll return to explore 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.