4 Great Places for Cross-Country Skiing in New Hampshire's White Mountains

Want to Try Cross-Country Skiing? Here's some of the Best Places to Strap on Your Nordic Skis and Enjoy the Winter Scenery in NH

Cross Country skiing in New Hampshire's White Mountains at Bear Notch.
Suzie Laskin enjoys a day of cross-country skiing in Bear Notch Ski Touring Center, one of four excellent places to Nordic ski in NH.

Although I’m fully vaccinated and boostered, I’m not ready to recreate indoors yet. But no worries! Mount Washington Valley has a multitude of superb outdoor activities for everyone to enjoy in winter. My favorite is cross-country skiing! 

Luckily, we have an abundance of places to cross-country ski in NH with trails for beginners to advanced. Here’s some of the best places to go this winter:

Mount Washington Valley Ski Touring & Snowshoe Foundation has trails that connect Intervale, Kearsarge, and North Conway Village offering outstanding scenery with views of the Saco River and magnificent Mt. Washington. MWV Ski Touring offers a diverse selection of cross-country ski trails for all abilities from easy rolling hills to more challenging intermediate and back country trails. They offer guided snowshoe walks, snowshoe yoga, and you can even ride your Fat Tire bike in Whitaker Woods! Well behaved dogs are welcome in the Whitaker Woods trails.

Jackson Ski Touring Foundation is celebrating their 50th anniversary! JSTF presents state-of-the-art grooming on trails designed to suit every taste and ability – whether you prefer quiet striding through old growth New England forest or all out skate skiing on an international race course. All this is contained within a charming New England village that takes pride in its long established tradition of great skiing and warm hospitality. Foundation trails also connect with A.M.C. trails in Pinkham Notch and White Mountain National Forest backcountry adventure trails. They offer several dog-friendly trails.

Bear Notch Ski Touring Center in Bartlett Village offers over 65 km of cross-country ski trails with spectacular riverside views, pristine waterfalls, picturesque flat meadows and challenging hills. They pride themselves on the quality of their skiing, all natural snow and well behaved dogs (and their people) are welcomed on the entire network! Their warming hut offers hot chocolate, tea, coffee, soups and snacks too!

Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center in Pinkham Notch sits at the base of Mount Washington, It was voted one of America’s Top Ten Resorts by USA Today! With 45km of trails, groomed and ungroomed, beginner to advanced, they have something for everyone. In addition to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing they offer exciting snow coach tours to sightsee on Mount Washington for a glimpse into a sub-arctic world for a truly unforgettable adventure.

All of these fine Ski Touring Centers offer lessons and cross-country ski rentals. So, even if you don’t have your own set of skis, you can rent a pair for the day.

In addition to these fine ski touring centers with beautifully tracked and skate-groomed Nordic ski trails, you can always put on your snowshoes and head out to any one of the thousands of hiking trails in and around Mount Washington Valley. There’s always something fun and interesting to do in the mountains of NH!

Contact Information:

Mt. Washington Valley Ski Touring & Snowshoe Foundation
PO Box 646
Intervale, NH 03845
(603) 356-9920 (seasonal)
E-mail: [email protected]

Jackson Ski Touring Foundation
153 Main Street
Jackson, NH 03846
(603) 383-9355
[email protected]

Bear Notch Ski Touring Center
1573 US-302
Bartlett, NH 03812
(603) 374-2277

Great Glenn Trails Outdoor Area
1 Mount Washington Auto Road
Route 16, Pinkham Notch
Gorham, NH 03581
(603) 466-3988