Cross country skiing at New Hampshire’s Bretton Woods Nordic Center
Bretton Woods Nordic Center, located in the beautiful White Mountains National Forest, is one of the largest Nordic centers in the East. The center is located on the grounds of the gorgeous Omni Mt. Washington Hotel. Other winter resort activities include tubing, alpine skiing, and snowshoeing. While we did not stay at this beautiful resort – we did enjoy cross country skiing while on our vacation at Bear Mountain Lodge in Bethlehem NH (highly recommended).
Cross country skiing – an amazing workout!
There are 49 trails ranging in difficulty from easy to moderate. The trails are all groomed which is much easier for beginning skiers. Also, there are also 20km of back country trails available for experienced skiers. If you haven’t ever been cross country skiing before it is a pretty intense workout!
Skiing is definitely a full body workout and a great way to get out and enjoy nature and take in gorgeous views while also burning tons of calories! Bring some snacks and water with you! We brought one of those hydration water backpacks, unfortunately, it froze along the way! I recommend coming prepared with some type of insulated water bottles.
We stuck mostly to the easy trails (still an intense workout but no major hills). The views were amazing and this was the perfect day as the snow was falling down while we were skiing, providing a picturesque winter setting. We tried out an intermediate trail as well which was pretty difficult. There were at least 4 moderate hills which are as difficult to climb up as they are to go down! The small hills will let you practice a bit on your downhill skiing skills. If you are not a fan of hills I would recommend sticking solely with the easy trails!
Overall, we had a blast skiing for several hours at the Nordic Center. Yes, we were completely exhausted afterwards and sore for a few days afterward. I would definitely go back and again and possibly challenge myself to a few more intermediate trails.
Pricing Details
Trail passes are $24 per adult ($15 seniors and kids) and rentals were $25 per adult ($19 senior/kids). For under 100 bucks for the both of us, we got to enjoy the beauty of the White Mountains for the entire afternoon. Really, it’s not a bad price to pay since it includes all the ski rental equipment. There is a small cafe inside the center and a fireplace for warming up. Various discounts for military, locals, and resort guests – check the website for further details.
Additional Info
Location: Mount Washington Road Route 302 Bretton Woods, New Hampshire 03575
Season: mid-November to early-April
Hours: 8:00am-4:00pm
