Northwood: Water, Trails and Winter

Northwood offers public water access, trails for outdoor activities and seasonal snowmobile routes. If you’re planning a hotel stay, these interests can shape your choice of destination: water, hiking and winter routes appeal to different travel plans. The town also has a historic road connection and the antique browsing highlighted by the Upper Lamprey Scenic Byway along Northwood’s Antique Alley.

Water Access and Seasonal Activities

Eight public water access points are spread across six bodies of water: two are on Bow Lake, two on Northwood Lake, and one each on Meadow Pond, Lucas Pond, Dole Marsh and Harvey Lake. Activities available at these access points include swimming, picnicking, fishing from boats and shore, boating and ice skating. When choosing, consider the season and water quality, since both conditions affect water activities.

Trails at Different Scales

Northwood Meadows State Park is set in a wilderness landscape. The park’s 1.5-mile Meadow Lake Trail is universally accessible and offers recreational opportunities for people with a range of abilities. In addition to this clearly identified trail, more than 1,062 acres of conservation and public land in Northwood are open for hiking, snowshoeing and other low-impact activities. Nearly 30 miles of trails in Northwood are mapped in the state’s recreational trails database.

This gives travel planning a difference in scale: Meadow Lake Trail is a specifically named trail option, while the land and route figures describe the broader outdoor setting. This lets you consider a particular trail separately from the wider range of outdoor activities.

Winter Trails and Park-and-Ride Locations

The snowmobile trail network includes 38 miles of available trails. They are opened and closed by means of 28 gates, depending on adequate snow cover; availability also depends on the season and ground conditions. There are two park-and-ride locations: one at Northwood Meadows State Park and one at Northwoods Brewery. At the Brewery parking lot, the location is at the far left rear. Since parking and trail conditions can change seasonally, it’s a good idea to check local notices before heading out.

Winter planning therefore differs from planning around water: water access points are spread across six bodies of water, while the snowmobile network has two named park-and-ride locations. For winter trails, you can take both snow conditions and the location into account when planning.

History and Other Local Points of Interest

The First New Hampshire Turnpike, also called Route Four, runs the entire length of Northwood. It was built around 1800 to connect Portsmouth and Concord. This road connection adds a historic transportation link to the themes of water and nature.

The Bryant Library – Northwood Historical Society Museum is another point of interest in the town’s history. The institution was nominated for inclusion in the State Register of Historic Places and was deemed eligible. The Upper Lamprey Scenic Byway highlights another kind of outing: browsing Northwood’s Antique Alley. This adds more interests to consider when choosing a destination, alongside trails, water and winter routes.

Discover more destinations: Atkinson, Londonderry, North Hampton, Candia, Exeter, Windham, Hampton Falls, Hampton

For the broader travel overview: Rockingham.