Snowshoeing the Lincoln Woods, in Lincoln, New Hampshire by Christie

If you're looking for an easy hike or snowshoe trail in the Lincoln, NH area the Lincoln Woods Trailhead is a great option. Last winter a friend and I spent an afternoon snowshoeing the trail. You could also cross country ski their trails or hike as well. Choosing which method you want to use often depends on what type of snow has fallen recently. For us it had recently been fairly icy so we chose snowshoes for our day in the woods.

 

   The trail has quite a few spots that are very scenic so you'll probably want to bring your camera along. This set of trails has a convenient parking area and public restrooms at the start of the trail. Most of the trail is very easy and flat so its a good trail for beginner hikers or those who don't want an extreme or hard hike. This was perfect for my friend and I since we didn't want to overdo it before downhill skiing the following day. Even with the flat trail we still overdid it slightly by doing a total of 8 miles of snowshoeing and I was feeling the muscles in my legs the following day more than normal. The trail is very popular and dog friendly so you will run into other hikers and their furry friends in your travels. I personally like trails like that just because I enjoy the idea that I'm not truly alone in the woods while also not being crowded. Snowshoeing is also a great way to stretch your winter sports budget. Even if you don't own snowshoes renting them is often only $15 to $20 per day. There are many places to rent snow shoes on the drive through the main part of Lincoln on the way to the hiking trails, they are all literally right down the street before you arrive at Lincoln Woods and often have signs in their windows advertising snowshoes or ski rentals. Since ski tickets are often so expensive, especially for a family with multiple children, doing one day of snowshoeing can often be a great way to still get the family outside and active without the high price tags of downhill skiing.

 

     Before heading out to the woods take a look at the White Mountains National Forest website for any information that might be needed. The often update things like if any parts of the trails are closed or weather conditions directly onto their website.

 

The page for information on Lincoln Woods specifically is:

 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whitemountain/recreation/recarea/?recid=74669&actid=50

 

The main page for the White Mountain National Forest is:

 

 http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/whitemountain/home.

 

They have some great information on safety and winter recreation on there that you should read, especially if you are new to winter sports in the woods.