Planning on enjoying the colder months by hiking, snowshoeing or just forest bathing in the fresh air? Our 195+ forests are open year-round and you don't need to register in advance to use these protected spaces, except for Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves (closed for the season) and Mount Monadnock (reservations recommended).
However, winter access may be limited — visitors must follow roadside parking bans that ensure transportation routes are plowed, which means that if there are no plowed parking spaces, you may need to find somewhere else to explore. Below is a list of 12 Forest Society properties across New Hampshire that have parking spaces plowed regularly during the winter.
(Note that we also hold educational programs for the public year-round! See our upcoming events.)
12 Forests with Plowed Parking
- Bretzfelder Park, Bethlehem
- Creek Farm, Portsmouth
- Dame Forest, New Durham (Longmarsh Road-Route 108 end)
- Hay Forest, Newbury (The Fells parking area)
- Madame Sherri, Chesterfield
- Merrimack River Outdoor Recreation & Conservation Area, Concord
- Monson Village, Hollis/Milford
- Morse Preserve, Alton
- Mount Monadnock, Jaffrey (Monadnock HQ and Old Roll Road parking only)
- Mount Major, Alton
- Forest Society North at The Rocks, Bethlehem
- Weeks Woods, Gilford
Remember to:
- Hike safe and recreate responsibly (pack the 10 Essentials and see the bottom of this page for some universal guidelines);
- Download the Forest Society Mobile App, powered by OuterSpatial, for digital maps of our reservations;
- Follow "The Hiker Responsibility Code" that was developed and is endorsed by The White Mountain National Forest and New Hampshire Fish and Game.
- Check in advance to see whether parking lots are plowed and respect roadside winter parking bans;
- Be prepared for winter conditions and early sunset times!