Cross-Country Skiing in and around the Monadnock Region

It's been a great winter for cross-country skiing. That stretch of six weeks of below freezing weather with dependable snow and no ice was a gift. We skied at the Brattleboro Outing Club, the Shattuck Inn, Prospect Mountain in Woodford, VT, Wild Wings in Peru, VT, the Holderness School trails in Holderness, NH and Notchview in Windsor, MA. But back home, and just around the corner, is the Dublin School Nordic Center. I wrote about the Nordic Center a couple of times back in 2021 and 2022 and it may be one of the few local places you can still ski for the rest of March and into early April this winter. The high elevation of the trails, between 1500 and 1800 feet, and the north and east facing aspect means that the trails hold snow when your yard is soggy and muddy. Over the past four years the Nordic Center has been getting better and better. They've increased the snowmaking, have extended some of the core trails up high and they groom the trails on a remarkably consistent schedule. There are regularly well-set tracks and a wide skate lane. When we just want to dash out for an hour-long ski in the afternoon, we know the conditions will be dependably good there. If you're looking to ski sometime in the next few weeks, the best option will be the core trails at the Nordic Center. The entrance to the parking area is about halfway between Dublin and Harrisville on the Dublin/Harrisville Rd. Your best bet will likely be Sapporo, the trail which has snowmaking on it, so it will have skiable snow the longest. But, if we get some more snow, or to plan ahead for next year, here are some cool, more challenging options to consider. These other two areas--the Perimeter and the Beech Hill trails--are now regularly maintained and you'll often have them to yourself. The Perimeter, (actually a combination of the Perimeter Trail, Caleb's Way and the Bates-King Trail) provides a very different, more scenic and wild skiing experience. Park at a parking area that Yankee Magazine maintains just below Peter Pap's Rugs and just before the Dublin General Store on Rt. 101. There's also a pull-off on Monument Rd. where you can start. You'll ski across open fields, enter the woods and then bear right at Junction 12 on the Perimeter Trail. This trail descends, crosses a brook and then climbs up to connect with Caleb's Way. This trail then skirts along the lower end of the old downhill slopes over to the school athletic fields and then swoops down past a big solar array to re-enter the woods---about a 6 kilometer loop. It's strenuously up and down for the middle third of the route. Catch this just after a new snowfall when it's been groomed that morning and it will feel magical. Another alternative is the Beech Hill Trails. Start at the Nordic Center, head south on Chamonix and just where Chamonix bends sharply and heads uphill (Junction #7), bear left for a connector trail to Beech Hill. This trail junctures with the old road that led up to Beech Hill Hospital, now long gone. This wide road switchbacks comfortably up the hillside and arrives at a very flat, open moonscape of old fields, filled-in wastewater treatment ponds and cell towers cleverly disguised (sort of) as towering conifer trees. There are often a couple of flat loops groomed up here with great views of the Wapack Range and Crotched Mountain and an ungroomed side trail to a view of Dublin Lake and Monadnock. It's a completely different experience from the core trails or the Perimeter. And the descent of the wide, long, sweeping road is downright joyful. Access to all these trails is provided for free by the Dublin School. I appreciate their generosity and, if you ski there, I encourage you to send donations to the school. It supports the snowmaking, grooming equipment and extensive labor that it requires to keep these trails in skiable condition. Consider using the Donate button on the Dublin Nordic Center webpages. Another great thing is that there's a Conditions report almost daily indicating which trails have been groomed and the snow quality you can expect. Don't give up on skiing yet! In past years, when most cross-county places have closed down, you can still ski in Dublin. One year recently we skied untracked soft corduroy here in early April. Remember, April can be the cruelest, or the kindest, month. Apres Nordic Great options for post ski refreshment in all directions. Head north along the Harrisville/ Dublin Rd. to go to the Harrisville General Store or east on 101 to go to the Dublin General Store. In Harrisville get unique sandwiches or an afternoon latte to enjoy on the porch. I love the tuna pasta salad at the Dublin Store and my son really likes the curried chicken salad sandwich here. Good take-out options for dinner at both places. Or drive south down the Upper Jaffrey Road to the Dublin Road Taproom and Grill at the Shattuck Golf Course. It's open seven days a week from 11 to 9. They usually have more than 20 microbrews on tap, the prices are reasonable and the wings and burgers are delish. Sit outside on the west facing deck, on a warm, early spring afternoon and enjoy the mondo view of Monadnock.