Summary

Join us at our private beach along the Mad River with a small group of friends for a day of camaraderie, swimming and sunbathing!

We are heading to the Mad River Lodge in Thornton, NH. From the property we cross the shallow Mad River to access a private sandy beach. The water will be refreshing on a hot, hazy and humid day. The sandy beach borders a huge section of sunny river rocks so there is plenty of space to spread out for our small group!  

Arriving at 676 Upper Mad River Road park at either top of the driveway or along the road [mailbox side], walk down the driveway, continue walking to the lawn and look for a small SWIM sign hanging from a tree on the right. Follow the trail down to the beach marked by orange survey tape until you reach the river crossing. Cross the other side and we'll be further up on the left. Keep an eye out for us. NOTE THAT THE TRAIL DOWN TO THE RIVER IS ROUGH AND STEEP. THE RIVER HAS A CURRENT THAT MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR SOME PEOPLE TO CROSS AND THE ROCKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER ARE SLIPPERY WHEN YOU CROSS SO YOU COULD FALL IN!

THIS EVENT IS FOR SUSTAINING MEMBERS ONLY. >>Click here to become a Sustaining Member 

We are keeping this event at 10 people to make it easier to practice the recommended social distancing of keeping at least 6 feet of distance between everyone.  Also, the recommended guidance of hiking local during the pandemic may still be in effect for this event so please be living in New Hampshire or within an hour or so drive of the event in order to sign up.

What to bring? Bring a very small cooler to keep your beverages cold. You'll need sandals or old sneakers to safely cross the river [no flip flops]. We have some beach chairs beside the corner of the house on the lawn for you to borrow but not enough for everyone. The beach has trees if you need a break from the sun.  Sunscreen, sunglasses, water, cold beer/beverages in a small cooler, snacks, lunch, and of course your swim suit.  

Why Mad River? What's nice about the Mad River is you won't have to pay for parking, no crowds and it's relatively easy to get to from I-93. The water is refreshing on a hot summer day and the beach is located near a small eddy so there is a small swimming hole waist high to soak into. With the river rock, we like building cairn sculptures. Because it's private, we'll have our own beach!  

Where?  Arriving at 676 Upper Mad River park at either top of the driveway or along the road [mailbox side], walk down the driveway, continue walking to the lawn and look for a small SWIM sign hanging from a tree on the right. Follow the trail down the beach marked by survey tape until you reach the crossing. Cross the other side and we'll be further up on the left. Keep an eye out for us. NOTE THAT THE TRAIL DOWN TO THE RIVER IS ROUGH AND STEEP. THE RIVER HAS A CURRENT THAT MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR SOME PEOPLE TO CROSS AND THE ROCKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER ARE SLIPPERY SO YOU COULD FALL IN!

BBQ After: Everyone is welcome to join us for an outdoor BBQ after we spend some time down by the River. The cost is $10 person and let us know if you plan on joining us. We'll probably hang out on the deck social distancing around 4PM, start cooking around 5PM and everything should be wrapped up by 6:30PM. It's BYOB and bring your snacks [snacks cannot be shared due to COVID]. 

Lodging Option: Contact us if you would like to reserve one of our 4 bunks for Saturday night at cost of $35 or tent on our property for the weekend at $10 per person [limit of 4 people tenting]. We’ll provide coffee and bagels for breakfast in the morning and have a BBQ Saturday night. We leaving it up to everyone to make their own assessment regarding wearing a face covering inside the lodge or outside on the deck. We'll probably light up our bonfire later in the evening and shoot some fireworks! 

Contact trip leaders if you have any questions. 

Directions To Trailhead Parking Lot

Many people today seem to have some kind of GPS device or use an online maps and directions service: the address is 676 Upper Mad River Road, Thornton, NH. In a nutshell... 

Take I-93 and use Exit 28. At the end of the ramp take right onto Rte 49 East for 3.5 miles and take a left on Burbank Hill Road.

During this 3.5 miles, you'll pass a traffic light where there is a dam on your right, then pass a White Mountain National Forest campground and then the Irish Pub on your left. About a mile after the restaurant, you'll see Burbank Hill Road on the left (Goose Hollow Campground sign). If you cross the Mad River on the bridge, you just missed the left turn.

Take a left onto steep Burbank Hill Road and you’ll quickly reach the top of the hill where you take your first right onto Upper Mad River Road (Hiking Sign). The road will soon turn into gravel, you'll pass two apartments on your right and then a house. Our property begins right after this house and after about 200 yards you’ll see a mailbox with "676" which is our house. The house is not very visible from the road.