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UNITED STATES | Merrimack Valley, New Hampshire Travel Guide
Saturday, May 18, 2024
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Bear Brook State Park & Pawtuckaway State Park
Bear Brook State Park
It’s incredible that a state park of 10,000 acres with 40 miles of trails is less than 10 miles from downtown Concord. Probably the easiest way to navigate from the state’s capital is to take Route 9 east out of town and catch the right turn onto Route 3 south; when you reach Suncook (five miles), turn left on Route 28 and you’ll be at the entrance to Bear Brook State Park in another three miles; it’s on the right, well marked. A ranger or assistant at the toll booth will charge you a modest day fee and provide trail maps (or get them in advance: 485-9874 for maps and information). From the western entrance, where you drive in first, trails lead to the Hayes Marsh and to Catamount Hill. The eastern half of the park is a wildlife refuge and includes an outdoor archery range, and there’s another entrance here, off Deerfield Road. Bear Hill Pond and the Old Reservoir offer are two additional hiking destinations. At the far eastern end of the park are two more ponds. A campground and three museums (family camping, snowmobiles, and the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC add to the attractions. Come early in the mornings on weekdays to avoid a crowd.
Pawtuckaway State Park
Pawtuckaway State Park (5,600 acres; 895-3031 for maps and information) is about 20 miles from Concord as the crow flies, but the routes are a bit indirect. Simplest is to take Route 9 east out of Concord all the way to Northwood (about 21 miles), go through the village, and take the right turn onto Route 152 south. In five miles drive through the village of Nottingham and, rather than bear left with 152, go straight ahead onto Route 156, which leads to the park entrance. Most people you meet in the parking lot will be headed to the beach and boating to your right; hikers park near the tollbooth and get maps, then head left toward South, Middle, and North Mountains.
Mountain Biking in the Parks
Both Pawtuckaway and Bear Brook state parks allow biking, including mountain bikes, and provide miles of trail. There’s serious mountain biking (on trails shared with pedestrians and trail bikes) at Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir. From Concord, take Clinton Street out of town past the turn for the Audubon Society Silk Farm Sanctuary, and stay on Route 13 to Pages Corner, where you turn left (south) with Route 13. Look for the Dunbarton Store and the right turn onto Winslow Road; parking is available here, by Stark Pond, and this is the bike access. The trail map that applies is the New Hampshire ATV and Trail Bike Guide, which may be obtained from the Department of Resources & Economic Development, Division of Parks and Recreation, Bureau of Trails, PO Box 1856, Concord, NH 03302-1856.
Last updated November 16, 2010
Posted in United States | Merrimack Valley
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