Bear Brook XC Ski Lot to Smith Pond Shelter
Today we got snow. It started coming down lightly at about 11:00am and continued throughout the day. We are supposed to get 3 to 6 inches. A perfect day to take out the xc skis.
I’ve been waiting for a snowfall like this to return to Bear Brook State Park. I called my sister to see if she and my niece wanted to join me on snowshoes while I skied.
When we met up the snow was starting to come at a good clip and driving to the park was slow. When we got to the winter lot it was pretty full. Lots of mountain bikers, skiers, snowmobilers and snowshoers.
| Date: | 02-07-2021 |
| Location: | Pembroke, NH |
| Distance: | 3.67 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 156′ |
| Total Time: | 2 hr 28 min |
| Parking: | 10+ cars |
| Difficultly Rating: | Easy |
We stated out the lot and got right on the Pitch Pine Trail. This is a multi use trail and was well packed from snowmobiles. There were a few thin spots but the new snow was filling that in nicely. Soon we came to a sand pit where my niece had a good time sliding down some of the hills.
After about a half mile we reached the Archery Pond. This area has a 2mile archery trail you can use in the summer. We bypassed that today and continued out toward the Smyth Pond Shelter.
The Pitch Pine trail has some good ups and downs that really tested my xc turning skills. Soon we came up to the Broken Boulder Trail that would lead us to the pond.
This was a little more flat. The snow at this point was still very fine but was starting to stick to my skis a bit and making it hard to “glide”.
We got to the shelter and took a break. There is a long stair way down to the pond and my niece went to check it out. However she did have to crawl back up because the stairs were slippery.
After a few pics we started making our way back. This time we decided to take the road back to the parking lot. The road had plenty of snow on it for the skis and the snowshoes.
The road runs parallel to the Pitch Pine Trail but since we were going down the hill now it was much quicker and funner on the new snow.
When we got back to the lot it was almost empty. Everyone must have left for their super bowl parties. It was a pretty awesome day at Bear Brook. Something magical about playing out in the snow when it is snowing.
This week is calling for a couple more snow storms so by the end fo the week all the trails should be great condition. Looking forward to more xc skiing.
