Moose Brook State Park: An absolute gem in New Hampshire's White Mountains (Van Camping #6)
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Our summer of camping weekends is shaping up nicely, with COVID-19 providing us the opportunity to stay local and explore places that we haven’t been before. Moose Brook State Park in Gorham, New Hampshire, is one of those places. And guess what? This park might have catapulted itself to the top of our camping list!
Located in Coos County, within the White Mountains region and what we refer to as “The North Country” (not to be confused with the “Great North Woods” of New Hampshire), Gorham, NH, is just north of the imposing and beautiful mountains that make up the Presidential Range (among them, mounts Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, and Monroe). Even as a non-hiker, I appreciate the breathtaking beauty of those mountains—and can’t imagine being atop any one of them, though the views must be spectacular.
We took Route 16 up to the park (the most direct route from home), heading past gateway towns that lead to the mountains: Ossippee, Tamworth, and Conway, and then North Conway, Bartlett, and Jackson. From mountains to campgrounds, nordic and alpine ski areas, restaurants and B&Bs, this region has it all. And darn if those mountains don’t loom large! We passed the entrance to the Mount Washington Auto Road (on our bucket list, but unfortunately not doable in our 2002 VW Eurovan MV Weekender (ugh—that “This car climbed Mount Washington” bumper sticker would look so cool on the van!), and soon we were at the park. As often as we’ve visited parts of this region over the years, we’re really not at all familiar with Gorham (and parts north)—wow, we’ve been missing out!
Moose Brook State Park has 59 campsites, 3 of which feature lean-to shelters. There are no hook-ups at the park, but we saw a fair number of RVs over the weekend (and even another Eurovan camper!). Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the park was not at capacity in terms of each campsite being taken, but the park was full for reservations, with several campsites closed. We had reserved site 14, located at the end of a dead end, and while the site next to us (12) was vacant, the noise from a few sites further down definitely carried. Perhaps that’s the one downside to having campgrounds not fully booked because of the pandemic; noise seems to carry a bit more. Or, without neighbors in adjacent sites, maybe folks don’t realize just how loud they are? Who knows?
Our site, #14, was incredible—we fell in love just as soon as we pulled into the long driveway and into the spot. We thought we had a great site, which we definitely did, but when we took a walk around the campground the next morning, we couldn’t believe how many really great sites there were. As I’ve written in previous posts, we’re a little picky when it comes to campsites. We like quiet and secluded sites, with plenty of trees for relaxing in the hammocks. Moose Brook has plenty to fit the bill, and we’re already looking forward to returning here. For what it’s worth, we like #3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 37, and 26 the best, with 11, 26, and 37 as particular stand-outs. We didn’t care for any of the sites on the interior loops, as we don’t like the open field area, but we could definitely see how RVs or families with young kids might like the extra space to spread out and play.
After our go-to meal of grilled cheese in the pie irons and pasta salad that I made ahead of time at home, we were ready to settle in to a few games of cribbage. I just learned how to play—”just,” as in last week—and while I’m still getting the hang of scoring, I love it already. I tend to love just about every card game I play; card playing might be in my blood, as my grandmother and great-aunt, who lived next door to us growing up, hosted their sister and brother-in-law each Saturday night for hours of pinochle playing. So, give me a deck of cards, and I’m typically happy. Years ago, G, a native Michigander, and his family taught me to play Euchre, and now we just have to figure out how to play a two-handed game for when we’re camping! We played a few rounds of cribbage this weekend, and while I only won one (to G’s three), I’m definitely enjoying it. We have this set from Outside Inside, which is super portable, lightweight, and still pretty sturdy. While the set includes a deck of cards, we subbed it out for this one, mainly because my eyesight is horrible.
Saturday was a perfect camping day. After breakfast (iced coffee and a slice of homemade strawberry bread for me), we decided to walk around the campground and check out the sites and the grounds. Wow, wow, wow. First, a cool fact: Moose Brook State Park is one of 28 parks in the state that was developed in large part by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided work to young men between 1933 and 1942 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program. The work of those men is evident throughout the park, as this article notes. The crews built the park office building (unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the building and store are closed to visitors, and all check-ins and transactions are done at the window); the bathhouse by the swimming area (both also closed); the fireplace campsite; and the stonework lining the waterway of Moose Brook.
The park, which encompasses 87 acres (and is surrounded by 668 acres of state forest), is both gorgeous and impressive. There are a ton of places to relax, picnic, walk, bike (there are plenty of single-track and double-track trails throughout the park), and simply be. Two bodies of water run through the park—Perkins Brook and Moose Brook—and while we had hoped to fish, both looked to be pretty low. The park also features a warming pool and swimming area, but both were nearly bone dry and closed; however, I’m not sure if those were COVID-related closures or due to our recent lack of rain. I can imagine how incredible both would be during a “normal” summer. We took our time exploring the campground; we passed one other couple and one cyclist. Oddly enough, no one else seemed to be out and about the campground. The only sounds we heard were the sounds of the water rushing over rocks.
While we missed out on being able to fish, we took advantage of having the day to ourselves at our quiet campsite (the nearby groups must have been out for the day!) to spend relaxing in the hammocks and reading. I completed a fantastic book, which I highly recommend called How To Stop Time by Matt Haig. It’s SO, SO good. I started reading the book on Friday night after we headed into the van for the night and finished it on Saturday. Now that’s what I call a good day! By the time I had finished the book, it was time to make dinner: an easy-peasy dinner of turkey hot dogs, chips, and pasta salad. And after that, more cribbage—and my first-ever win!
Back when the pandemic started, we weren’t sure which state parks would open for camping and when. We took a chance on exploring Moose Brook State Park, and I’m so glad we did; it’s an absolute gem of a park, with plenty of places for solitude-seekers and nature-lovers. We can’t to return. Next up: a three-day camping weekend in Maine, featuring not one but two state parks (Bradbury Mountain State Park and Cobscook Bay State Park). Stay tuned—and in the meantime, stay well, be kind, and remember to wear a mask!
Notes:
Website: https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/moose-brook-state-park
Camping Reservations: $23-$25/night; $35 for lean-to sites. Reserve through Reserve America. Reservations may be made up to 11 months in advance. Peak season is mid-May through mid-October, with walk-in availability in early May and through the end of October.
Firewood is available for purchase at the park office; as with all NH State Parks, bundles are $6/each.