One of the most popular mountain biking destinations in southeastern New Hampshire is Bear Brook State Park. Comprising 10,000 acres of varied terrain, the heavily forested park spans summits, marshes, and bogs, and offers a 101-site campground on the shores of Beaver Pond.
Featuring mostly trails of low to intermediate difficulty, the park features a fair amount of double track, as well as extensive single track through pine forests. The most popular loop trail starts with a steep drop-off on one side, which means riders should be ready for it. The technical Hemlock also includes a lengthy stretch with a major drop, while the Chipmunk features technical riding that requires navigating a winding trail over rocks and around trees.
The Big Bear trail features an adrenaline-generating bermed descent, with steeply banked corners that allows mountain bikers to shed elevation at speed. The Catamount trail, on the other hand, presents the steepest climb in the park. Extremely fit mountain bikers can make it much of the way to the top via the Catamount shortcut, but ultimately the trail becomes too steep and rocky to ride and it’s necessary to get off to reach the summit, which features large boulders and a panoramic view of the Manchester and Allenstown region. For those combining activities, the park also features archery, fishing, equestrian, and canoeing.
