10 Activities for Outdoor Lovers in Manchester, NH
Residents can experience year-round outside fun in Manchester.
For Manchester, NH, residents, an outdoor playground can be found as soon as you swing open your front door. Awaiting is an extensive network of trails that provide opportunities for hiking, biking and snowmobiling as well as various parks, a ski area and a major river. Plus, thanks to the city’s four distinct seasons, the fun changes depending on the time of year.
“Manchester is perfectly situated where you have access to a lot of different activities all year long,” says Elyza Agosta, an outdoors enthusiast who is involved with the Queen City Bike Collective, a bicycle repair shop. “You have the Merrimack River coming through on one side and mountains nearby on the other. There are parks and some amazing trails. And you can access many of these things without a car, so it’s the outdoors for everyone.”
Ahead, discover 10 activities for outdoor lovers in Manchester, NH.
In This Article
1. Play pickleball at Prout Park in Manchester, NH.
Manchester is home to 47 parks, offering all manner of sports facilities and other outdoor rec options. This includes the 5.7-acre Prout Park, which has a baseball field, a playground and a picnic area. Recently, Prout Park joined the pickleball passion that’s sweeping the country by adding six outdoor asphalt courts that are free to use.
2. Visit The Hollows Disc Golf Courses in Manchester, NH.
Eric McCabe, former Professional Disc Golf Association world champion, has designed not one but two 18-hole disc golf courses in Manchester – The Hollows North and The Hollows South. Most holes have two tee locations and two pin placements to accommodate a variety of skill levels. The South course is considered more challenging, with longer holes, more significant elevation changes and tighter fairways.
3. Play golf at Derryfield Country Club in Manchester, NH.
You can get into the swing of golf the old-fashioned way at Derryfield Country Club, an 18-hole regulation public course fitted snugly onto 115 acres near downtown. Established in 1932, Derryfield is one of just three municipally owned golf courses in New Hampshire. The course underwent a major renovation in 2015 that included the addition of an expansive drainage and irrigation system.
4. Go cross-country skiing at Derryfield Park in Manchester, NH.
Just across the street from the golf course sits the 76-acre Derryfield Park, a popular community gathering place with a new playground as well as fields for baseball, softball and football. The park also contains one of New England’s best cross-country skiing courses, offering three different routes.
5. Go downhill skiing at McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester, NH.
Located barely a mile from Derryfield Park, the McIntyre Ski Area has provided snow sports to Manchester for over 50 years. The complex includes two ski lifts, 11 trails, an eight-lane snowtubing hill and a 9,000-square-foot lodge. With a vertical drop of a modest 200 feet, McIntyre is ideal for children and beginners, which is why more than 8,000 kids and adults attend its snow-sports program each year.
6. Go for a run along the Piscataquog Trail in Manchester, NH.
This 10-foot-wide paved recreation trail on the west side of Manchester follows its namesake Piscataquog River for more than 2 miles. The trail is used regularly by walkers, joggers and cyclists and provides a convenient link between several area recreational facilities. More trails – as well as kayaking and other water activities – can be found at Piscataquog River Park, which covers 112 acres on both sides of the river.
7. Sail and fish on Lake Massabesic in Manchester, NH.
On the eastern edge of Manchester sits the appropriately named Lake Massabesic, a Native American word meaning “the place of much water.” Lake Massabesic certainly is that, stretching more than 2,500 acres between Manchester and Auburn. There are three public boat launches along the lake, and much of the surrounding 42-square-mile watershed is open for recreational use. This includes approximately 50 miles of fire road accessible for running, hiking and biking.
8. Kayak on the Merrimack River in Manchester, NH.
Looking for a blend of city and nature? Grab a kayak or canoe and set out on the Merrimack River. While the 5.3-mile stretch that cuts between downtown and Interstate 293 includes a few Class II+ rapids, most of the route is calm, allowing for plenty of leisure time to check out the historic mill buildings and other city structures along the shoreline.
9. Hike the trails surrounding Crystal Lake in Manchester, NH.
This natural pond in South Manchester has been a popular swimming spot for area residents for over a century. Lately, an increasing number of hikers have discovered the enjoyment of traversing through the woods on the unpaved trails surrounding the lake. As part of the Crystal Lake Master Plan, more comprehensive, better defined walking trails are being added to connect Crystal Lake Park with adjacent neighborhoods.
10. Bike along South Manchester Trail in Manchester, NH.
Bikers (and walkers and joggers) can avoid the traffic along South Willow Street by taking this paved rail-trail route, which runs alongside Nutt’s Pond and connects to Precourt Park. Soon, locals will be able to go much farther, as work is underway to connect South Manchester Trail with other existing trails, eventually creating a path that will extend all the way to the Massachusetts state line.
“Me and my friends are very excited about that. We’ve been waiting for it to open,” Agosta says. “It’s going to be just another trail in this amazing network that is all around Manchester.”
This article was sponsored by the Manchester Economic Development Office.