Gunstock Cooper Mountain Loop and Rock Loop
| Date: | 03-26-2023 |
| Location: | Gilford, NH |
| Distance: | 3.3 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 189′ |
| Total Time: | 2 hr 5 min |
| Parking: | 10+ cars |
| Difficultly Rating: | Green, Blue |
First weekend back in New Hampshire after a nice Caribbean Cruise to the Bahamas. I’m not going to lie, I missed the snow but it was nice to sit back and enjoy cruise life for a few days.
It’s the end of March and there is still a good snow base in most of the Lakes Region and White Mountains, but it is disappearing quickly with warm weather and rain in the forecast.
Before the snow leaves, I wanted to get one more classic track in. I decided I’d visit Gunstock Nordic Center. In Gilford, New Hampshire.
I got a late start and didn’t get to the XC Center until noon time. My planned route was Cobble Mountain Loop and the Rocky Loop. I purchased my $26 pass then started on the Ariel Adventure Path. The trail was thin but skiable. I turned on Lakeside Trail and snow was very thin, lots of mud and water.
I crossed the street the trail merged with Cooper Mountain Loop trail. This was a large mud fest, and the skies came off for about 100 yards.
Cooper Mountain Loop was tracked in most areas. There were some ups and downs that were fun.
I arrived at the Rocky\ Loop noticed it was not tracked. Only a few people had gone down and there was a lot of nice fresh snow.
This trail has a bit of a drop down to the lake and I decided to sidestep down about halfway before skiing the rest down.
I went around the loop and stopped at a few viewpoints for some pictures. Areas that were in the sun were thin and muddy.
I continued around the loop and climbed up the hill back to the CML trail. I was impressed with how well my skis climb up hills even in steeper terrain.
The trail was very pretty and in good condition as I moved down the CML trail. I passed the Cobble Crown trail and a picnic area.
I arrived at the junction to Oliver and Longbow and noticed the CML trail went down a steep and short incline with a 90-degree turn. So again, I side stepped down this section.
I wanted to ski this trail because it went along the Poorfarm Brook. The brook was flowing nicely. This is a scenic section of the trail.
I climbed up to the Oliver trail and headed back toward the lot. On the way there was a warming cabin. I skied out to the road and took the skis off.
I really enjoyed this loop. I’ve wanted to do it for a while, and it did not disappoint. This was the second time I’ve skied Gunstock and have been impressed both times. I’m still amazed that we are still skiing in March, but I fear that it may be gone soon.
