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Granite Gorge - Something For Everyone!

Granite Gorge Ski Area, Roxbury/Keene, located just five miles from downtown Keene (along Route 9) is a perfect place to enjoy the outdoors during the winter. They offer something for everyone in your family, including: downhill skiing & snowboarding, cross-country skiing & snowshoeing, and "New England's best" tubing park. They even have a heated "Pacific Yurt" base lodge so you can get out of the cold, and meet up with friends and family.

Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding

Granite Gorge offers 17 trails, all serviced by their Pinnacle Express double chair. There is also a Handle Tow on their "Bunny Buster" trail for new skiers and riders. With seventeen trails to choose from, and a 525-foot vertical drop, skiers and snowboarders have a good selection of difficulty levels. They also offer a terrain park featuring jumps, rails and flat boxes.

If there's not enough natural snow outside your window, there's no need to worry. Granite Gorge offers snowmaking and grooming on its trails, all the way to the top. And, its natural, basin-like shelter, protects trails from the wind, and helps to hold the snow. Add in lights for night skiing and music for entertainment and you've got the recipe for a perfect day!

In addition to their regular skiing/snowboarding offerings, Granite Gorge also sponsors races, clinics and "fun runs," where the skier can pay per run and be timed. There are many other family-related events you'll find on their web site.

Snow Tubing

Racing down the hill on skis or a snowboard a little too active for your lifestyle?

Granite Gorge offers a tubing park with its own carpet lift. It's even lit up for night tubing. Snow tubing is a perfect activity for families because there's virtually no skills or training involved. It's just a fun way to get out and enjoy the winter.

Cross-country Skiing & Snowshoeing

With 12 km of groomed cross-country trails, Granite Gorge offers an experience for all skill levels. The Gorge's trails are groomed for both classical and skating techniques. The River Run Trail, a beautiful 2.5 km trail, connects with Otter Brook Park, a large flood control dam and recreation area. Most of the trails are easy novice terrain made up of loops in and around Otter Lake. Guest are encouraged to pack a picnic lunch to have along the trail on nice days. There are picnic tables in many locations along the trails. On the way back to the lodge, you may choose to ski up and over Camel's Hump, which is a short up and down trail with a quick descent back into the basin area.

For snowshoeing, the backcountry trails range from gentle strolls through the woods along streams and brooks to rugged hikes up the mountain to the Pinnacle. Many trails run along and around the Otter Brook Lake area that is created by the dam. Snowshoe trails primarily follow old wood roads along the Otter Brook River basin, but some wind their way up to the top of the Alpine Area with many great vistas looking west into Vermont. Granite Gorge grooms and maintains a 1km man made XC snow loop in the basin area around the lodge for use when natural snow may be lacking.

Lessons & Rentals

Granite Gorge offers guided tours, moonlit skiing, and night skiing. Their ski school is available with lessons and programs for all ages and skill levels. They also rent skis, helmets and all the equipment you need.

There really is something for everyone at Granite Gorge!

Directions:
Follow Route 9 East out of Keene and look for Granite Gorge. It's only about five miles outside of town.

 
 
   
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