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Beaver Brook Spring Cross-Country Skiing

By Mike Boisvert.

Beaver Brook Cross-Country Ski Trails cannot disappoint! It’s just the way with that place.

Jon and I went out for some cross-country skiing at Beaver Brook between Twin Mountain and Franconia Notch, NH. It was our second time there this winter. We took the most difficult loop called Moose Watch. Overall we were happily surprised how good the conditions were for spring. It turned out to be a fabulous day for cross-country skiing!

The Beaver Brook Cross-Country Ski Trails have three loops to choose from: Beaver Loop (easy), Badger (more difficult) and Moose Watch (most difficult. sports a variety of terrain, from meadows to swamps, and some of it can be challenging for X-C skiers.  They do plow the parking lot, and there's plenty of parking even at this time of year.  Saturday we were the only car in the parking lot when we pulled in. We didn't see anybody on the trails.

Moose Watch round trip distance is 5.3 miles. Clear cut areas provide several vistas, offering spectacular views of the Franconia Ridge, Mt. Garfield, Mt. Hale, North Twin Mountain, Haystack Mountain, Scarface Mountain, Flat Top, and the Sugarloaf Mountains. The highest point along the trail is 615 feet above the parking lot. The area has a resident moose population. Moose browse on the twigs, bark and stems of many woody plants in winter. The likelihood of seeing these animals is best along the edge of the clear cuts. Moose are unpredictable and best observed from a safe distance. For more information click here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/winter_activities/skiing/BeaverBrook.php

Weather:  Sunny, a breeze now and then, temps in the high 40s; clouding up in the afternoon
Snow conditions:  Snow was a bit hard due to the thawing/freezing taking place, not groomed, and packed down by snowshoers, skiers, and hikers.  Snow was melting in the bright sunshine and we had to walk in some spots due to lack of snow.

It was sooooo good to get out there on our X-C skis and the weather, conditions, and the beauty of the woods really made our X-C adventure worthwhile.  And, oh yes, the company (Jon) was great, too!

With the warmth and rain, sigh, X-C skiing is done for the year.

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