Discover Merrimack County: Trails, Lakes, and Culture

Merrimack County offers many opportunities for a varied trip among long trails, lakes, woodland areas, and a vibrant history. Those who enjoy alternating between activity, nature, and culture during shared days will find a wide range of options here. When choosing your vacation rental, it is therefore worth first organizing the experiences you want: Should the focus be on cycling and hiking trails, on the water, on historic sites, or on special excursions?

Trails for Active Days and Expansive Landscapes

The Northern Rail Trail is a notable route for anyone who would like to include a longer distance in their travel plans. The trail runs 57 miles from Boscawen to Lebanon, New Hampshire, passing through Danbury, Wilmot, Andover, Franklin, and Boscawen in Merrimack County. Activities on the trail include hiking, cycling, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and dog sledding. This makes it possible to adapt use of the trail to different interests and seasons without prescribing a specific itinerary.

Another major route is the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway. The 75-mile loop connects the four state parks of Sunapee, Winslow, Rollins, and Wadleigh in New Hampshire. Bear Brook State Park is also worth considering when planning your days. At more than 10,000 acres, it is the largest developed state park in New Hampshire. Its trail network covers 40 miles and passes through densely forested areas, bogs, swamps, summits, and ponds. Those who want to experience nature beyond a single short loop can take these different landscapes into account when choosing their excursions.

Lakes, Beaches, and Viewpoints

Clough State Park is home to 150-acre Everett Lake. It has a 900-foot-long sandy beach and opportunities for boating. The beach at Mt. Sunapee State Park lies on a 4,085-acre lake. A boat launch with certain restrictions and boat rentals are among the amenities available there. These locations offer different ways to enjoy a stay by the water: in one case, the beach and lake are the main attractions; in the other, they are combined with boating opportunities.

Mt. Kearsarge also offers a specific viewpoint experience. A picnic area sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1,820 feet and provides wide views of the White Mountains to the north as well as the higher peaks to the south and in central Vermont. A 1-mile footpath leads from a picnic area to the summit of Mt. Kearsarge. This information helps distinguish an outing with views from a shorter section of trail and plan the day to suit your own pace.

History, Museums, and Regional Discoveries

The Muster Field Farm Museum showcases a historic farm with restored farm buildings and offers self-guided tours. In winter, the museum maintains marked trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing through its woods and fields. This place thus combines agricultural history with seasonal activities without requiring both offerings to be part of a single visit itinerary.

The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum displays artifacts and provides information about Indigenous peoples in North America from prehistoric times to the present. In the Medicine Woods, visitors can also learn about the natural environment and the historic use of plants by Indigenous peoples for food, medicine, dyes, shelter, and tools. Canterbury Shaker Village is a National Historic Landmark and a museum. The Hannah Duston Memorial offers another historical connection: it was erected in 1874 and is the first publicly funded statue in New Hampshire.

Regional highlights also include Richardson’s Farm in Boscawen. Its ice cream is made entirely on site using cream and milk from cows in New Hampshire. Discoveries like these complement days in nature with a taste of the local culinary scene.

Choose the Right Base

When searching for a vacation rental in Merrimack County, it can be helpful to determine the preferred mix of long trails, lake experiences, museums, and regional history. Those who want to combine several themes should compare the planned locations and activities before booking. The region offers a variety of options for this: active hours on the Northern Rail Trail, nature experiences in Bear Brook State Park, time by the water at Everett Lake or the lake at Mt. Sunapee State Park, as well as culture at the museums and historic sites.

For further orientation, you can also explore the towns of Bow, Hooksett, Newbury, Warner, Andover, Bradford, Pembroke, Loudon, Boscawen, Sutton, Henniker, and Wilmot.

For the broader travel overview: New Hampshire.