After figuring out that I’d only skied on the edge of the huge Green Woodlands property (Dorchester, NH) when I visited in December, I obviously wanted to return to explore further. This morning, the temps were in the high 20s when I woke up (heat wave!) and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! I left the house just after sunrise, drove through Etna and Lyme and soon found myself on the icy Dorchester Road. My goal, the parking lot on the west end of the trail complex, turned out to be easy to find because the road ended for all car traffic (just over five miles from the Dartmouth Ski-way). From there, all the dirt roads (which looked like they were mainly used for fish camp traffic in the warmer weather) were all carefully groomed for skiing. There was plenty of ice and lots of rolling hills but I was able to easily navigate deep into the woods. The complex had great signage, some privies and several awesome views (including some of pretty powder-covered Smarts Mountain). I also located the warming house, a “borrow skis” barn and some pleasant sitting spots (with Adirondack chairs). There were some really long stretches where I was able to speed along the tracks, using a combination of my normal diagonal stride and some fun roller coaster hills. Even after braving some really long downhills with tricky turns, I managed to complete my whole ski day without falling (although I did take off my skis in some “intermediate” areas). The parking lot was empty when I arrived just before 0800; other than two or three other people that I encountered, I was alone most of the ski. Just as I wrapped up at around 1000, however, a huge crowd of people showed up, filling the lot - glad I was leaving! My decision to return to Green Woodlands this morning (before work) was the best idea I’ve had in a while - although I spent almost two hours (4ish miles) skiing around on the trails closest to my car, I’ve still barely scratched the surface of fully exploring this massive ski area. G-W is a definite “must visit” for anyone who loves X-C skiing!
