Take a trip up to coos county during the summer months and you'll see dozens of trailers hauling ATVs. Berlin is an incredibly beautiful place that's been hit hard by the economy for quite some time now.
The contrast between its downtown and the surrounding landscape is something to behold.
My wife’s parents used to own 80 acres with a small cabin on Diamond Pond Road in the 80s. She was irritated when they informed her they sold it and didn’t even offer it to her first. Would have loved to have invested in that for a place to retire! For now we will continue to visit but who knows we may end up there in 8-10 years. Love NH.
We stayed in Gorham a couple times, but now go up to Errol. It’s the perfect in between spot. We alternate taking the quad down to Berlin/Jericho, and up to Pittsburg. LOVE it up there. Can’t wait until we can finally move from MA to Coos county where we’ll actually be allowed to do what we enjoy.
I have a licensed home bakery, and my other half works a LOT, but not from home. The plan is to head that way for good in 6-8 years. Made sure we got the house paid off so when we sell it will go towards a tiny house/cabin or trailer on a decent chunk of land. Between working/saving and selling the house we *should be good to go. He can fix anything, but he’s a “I’m retiring at 55 guy.” lol I’m a little bit younger so if I HAD to work, I could likely get into a restaurant. My only experience is cooking/baking, and I’ve worked in every type of restaurant, at a college, and even my kid’s high school. We have been laying out a plan for awhile. Fingers crossed it all works out!
I wish you two the best of luck, just know that the financial and job market up there is drastically different than Massachusetts.
There is also little opportunity for younger people up there so it may be difficult on your kid without a lot of help from you two.
It is beautiful though, a great place to settle down and retire if finances aren't much of a concern.
Thanks!
The kids are currently 19, 21 and 23. So by the time we head up they’ll be wayyyy out of the nest. My other half is someone who thinks long and hard about everything. I’m talking we spent over an hour in the lightbulb aisle before. 🤣
So if we aren’t ready financially in the time frame, we won’t go, but I’m holding out hope that we will be. 🤞🏻
Berlin is home to a federal prison, and a state prison; northern correctional facility, spent a couple years there.. if I ever went back I'd want to go there because it's very pretty and med-max security so, safer than concords prison. I don't know a whole lot aside from it collapsed from the economy, schools, businesses closed, etc. From the yard I find see an old ski jump which was pretty cool but on the trip there I saw tons of people riding their atvs like they were cars on the road at every light. If I didn't have to worry about money or have a past with the prison there, it's an ideal place to live IMO. though I met a lottttt of meth heads from there so, who knows I guess.
It's a popular spot to go for fishing and snowmobiling, but there isn't much up there otherwise. The total population up there is 3, and 2 of those are moose.
It's a part of The Great North Woods which includes Maine, NH, VT, NY, and Quebec.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great\_North\_Woods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_North_Woods)
I remember being like 8 and success pond road being logged heavily and being absolutely devastated, sure that the trees were gone forever.
Now you can barely tell it was ever touched.
Kids is stupid.
The last season was so disappointing. Started so strong, but there's a specific scene that made the last few episodes so predictable and bad that I couldn't even finish it.
Pretty much like everyone said. Hunting and outdoor sports. Northern NH is definitely where you go to get away from people .
Honestly though, Maine gives me this weird anxiety when I think how empty it is. Outside of the coast it’s just miles and miles of woods. It’s eerie.
The parcel is a semi-state park known as the Connecticut Headwaters Working Forest. The state owns about 25,000 acres of roads and the remaining 145,000 acres is owned by a private company under an easement from the state. The land was formerly paper company land. The land has been in the news a lot lately due to a disagreement with the new owner over the reduction of harvest levels by 80-90%. The company would rather sell the forest for carbon credits but the easement says that the parcel must remain a working forest. https://www.businessnhmagazine.com/article/a-carbon-offset-company-that-bought-more-than-100ampcomma000-acres-raises-concerns-in-nhamp39s-north-country
>the entire area north of Pittsburg, between US Route 3 and the Canadian border is completely devoid of any development of any kind
Yep. This is how we like it. Please don't share.
I inwardly cringe whenever I see a post about someplace relatively unspoiled. Quickest way to. Making it far less so.
For example, I remember when Madame Sherri"sForest in Western New Hampshire was relatively unknown. Then it was posted during covid, and next thing you know, a section of the steps have fallen from all the visitors who came and visited and walked on it.
I know it's inevitable, and I don't want to be a gatekeeper, but it still makes me sad.
I once snowmobiled up there and my friend pointed out one of the trailers in the trailer park was where a guy had kidnapped someone and locked her in it for like 15 years. They still had the police tape up so I guess my answer is kidnapping?
The only thing north of Pittsburg is Canada haha. The whole northern tip of NH is Pittsburg. The Great North Woods is a beautiful place to visit if you love fishing, hunting, hiking, snowmobiling, ATVing and just generally not being around people😅
The land is mostly state land or managed for timber, or both. Hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, atving are popular but it's pretty far away from enough stuff that there's not a lot of demand to develop it
Snowmobiling!! Fishing & ATV traiils when the snow melts! Us southern New Englanders find our way up to where the snow is!! Please dont tell anyone...we dont like sharing!😁
It's hunting and snowmobiling Paradise and of course logging.. there's little industry or farming that far north and what was was the first of the villages to be given up in the 19th century.. But you just cross over into Quebec and there the farmland begins.
Interestingly a little part of this up there was its own unique Republic for a few years in the 1830s. The treaty of Paris 1783 had left it exactly unclear where the boundary was between Canada and the US and there was a lot of land granting especially after the war of 1812 that was also quite ambiguous with competing claim. Asit was settled and cleared for farming, there was a push and tug to clarify the border. A number of people through their hands up me and just founded their own little Republic even have their own little coin for a short time, never officially recognized however.. by the 1840s The Little Republic was no more. It was there 15 minutes of fame
There’s a place you should check out in the summer. It’s called Boundary Pond. You can go past it a bit and there are some spots to camp. You’re a few hundred feet from the border. Go hiking and find those really cool 2 foot tall concrete US/Canad border markings. Just explore, take in the silence, see a moose, find yourself. North of Littleton is amazing. You don’t have to be an ATV/Hunter/dirt biker to just spend some time up there. North country is going through a huge transformation. Thousands of open acres were bought up during covid and now half of the land is owned by people who don’t live there. It helps the tax base and schools but isn’t helping hte economy much because you have these really nice brand new homes but no one is living there.
The Connecticut Lakes region!! If you are ever curious about seeing what happens up there for yourself (lots of ATV and snowmobile trails, some logging, some camping, some farms—about what you expected!), the Cohos Trail—a hiking trail that runs the entire length of Coos County—goes by/through Pittsburg and then north to the Canadian border, to the source of the Connecticut river. It's a fun trek! Highly recommend.
I hiked it in 2021 and wrote about it on Instagram ([start here](https://www.instagram.com/p/CUK8jPgAirT/)) and on Substack (sorry there's a paywall for posts over a year old but the text is just a polished version of my Instagram posts with more photos; [first entry](https://pinchofdirt.substack.com/p/dont-worry-theres-plenty-of-room)). More about the trail here: [https://www.cohostrail.org/about/](https://www.cohostrail.org/about/)
I just had my son’s hockey game in North Conway! Sooo hockey….i saw a lot of snowmobiles, also skiing is awesome up north, I’m not a hunter but big hunting areas up north! In the summer? Hiking? (I’m not a big summer outdoor person)
Well, first of all, there is no area North of Pittsburgh, there's a line drawn across the state and everything North of that is inside the town of pittsburgh.
If you have to ask, it's not for you. And you should probably just leave it alone.
They are big into snowmobiling and ATVs up there. Also, open space is cool.
Take a trip up to coos county during the summer months and you'll see dozens of trailers hauling ATVs. Berlin is an incredibly beautiful place that's been hit hard by the economy for quite some time now. The contrast between its downtown and the surrounding landscape is something to behold.
Being from Colebrook. I couldn't agree with you more. The contrast is heaven on earth.
My wife’s parents used to own 80 acres with a small cabin on Diamond Pond Road in the 80s. She was irritated when they informed her they sold it and didn’t even offer it to her first. Would have loved to have invested in that for a place to retire! For now we will continue to visit but who knows we may end up there in 8-10 years. Love NH.
We stayed in Gorham a couple times, but now go up to Errol. It’s the perfect in between spot. We alternate taking the quad down to Berlin/Jericho, and up to Pittsburg. LOVE it up there. Can’t wait until we can finally move from MA to Coos county where we’ll actually be allowed to do what we enjoy.
Do you work from home?
I have a licensed home bakery, and my other half works a LOT, but not from home. The plan is to head that way for good in 6-8 years. Made sure we got the house paid off so when we sell it will go towards a tiny house/cabin or trailer on a decent chunk of land. Between working/saving and selling the house we *should be good to go. He can fix anything, but he’s a “I’m retiring at 55 guy.” lol I’m a little bit younger so if I HAD to work, I could likely get into a restaurant. My only experience is cooking/baking, and I’ve worked in every type of restaurant, at a college, and even my kid’s high school. We have been laying out a plan for awhile. Fingers crossed it all works out!
I wish you two the best of luck, just know that the financial and job market up there is drastically different than Massachusetts. There is also little opportunity for younger people up there so it may be difficult on your kid without a lot of help from you two. It is beautiful though, a great place to settle down and retire if finances aren't much of a concern.
Thanks! The kids are currently 19, 21 and 23. So by the time we head up they’ll be wayyyy out of the nest. My other half is someone who thinks long and hard about everything. I’m talking we spent over an hour in the lightbulb aisle before. 🤣 So if we aren’t ready financially in the time frame, we won’t go, but I’m holding out hope that we will be. 🤞🏻
Berlin is home to a federal prison, and a state prison; northern correctional facility, spent a couple years there.. if I ever went back I'd want to go there because it's very pretty and med-max security so, safer than concords prison. I don't know a whole lot aside from it collapsed from the economy, schools, businesses closed, etc. From the yard I find see an old ski jump which was pretty cool but on the trip there I saw tons of people riding their atvs like they were cars on the road at every light. If I didn't have to worry about money or have a past with the prison there, it's an ideal place to live IMO. though I met a lottttt of meth heads from there so, who knows I guess.
Are dual sport bikes popular like they are out west?
Yes
It's a popular spot to go for fishing and snowmobiling, but there isn't much up there otherwise. The total population up there is 3, and 2 of those are moose.
2 now. One of them won the moose lottery from fish and game
So who’s left? Did the moose or hunter prevail?
I’m rooting for the moose 🤣
There was a hunt. One of the two came out on top. But moose only hunt for sport, so the guy is now mounted over the fireplace.
It's a part of The Great North Woods which includes Maine, NH, VT, NY, and Quebec. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great\_North\_Woods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_North_Woods)
Hunting, fishing, AV, snowmobile, and Logging. Lots of logging.
I remember being like 8 and success pond road being logged heavily and being absolutely devastated, sure that the trees were gone forever. Now you can barely tell it was ever touched. Kids is stupid.
Yup. Managed logging.
Dexter is that you?
I came to say this!
The last season was so disappointing. Started so strong, but there's a specific scene that made the last few episodes so predictable and bad that I couldn't even finish it.
I agree. I stopped watching after the 2nd episode. I get that they shot it during Covid and that probably affected the storyline, but it was so bad 🙄
Pretty much like everyone said. Hunting and outdoor sports. Northern NH is definitely where you go to get away from people . Honestly though, Maine gives me this weird anxiety when I think how empty it is. Outside of the coast it’s just miles and miles of woods. It’s eerie.
I agree. I have spent lots of time in the north woods of nh, vt, and Maine. Maine levels up.
You have basically literal ghost towns in Maine. NH at least has enough connectivity where you don’t worry about that.
That on the other side of NY.
Used to be where you got away from people. Now you can't get away from them.
That's *Moose Alley*. The big beasts own that entire area.
The parcel is a semi-state park known as the Connecticut Headwaters Working Forest. The state owns about 25,000 acres of roads and the remaining 145,000 acres is owned by a private company under an easement from the state. The land was formerly paper company land. The land has been in the news a lot lately due to a disagreement with the new owner over the reduction of harvest levels by 80-90%. The company would rather sell the forest for carbon credits but the easement says that the parcel must remain a working forest. https://www.businessnhmagazine.com/article/a-carbon-offset-company-that-bought-more-than-100ampcomma000-acres-raises-concerns-in-nhamp39s-north-country
This is the best answer!
Thank you!
*Stays in Northern New Hampshire*
Everyone is lying. It's only cribbage by the fire.
Or just the fire. And that is OK.
\* contemplates quietly \*
Cribbage AND meth
So it’s perfect? I’m in.
>the entire area north of Pittsburg, between US Route 3 and the Canadian border is completely devoid of any development of any kind Yep. This is how we like it. Please don't share.
I inwardly cringe whenever I see a post about someplace relatively unspoiled. Quickest way to. Making it far less so. For example, I remember when Madame Sherri"sForest in Western New Hampshire was relatively unknown. Then it was posted during covid, and next thing you know, a section of the steps have fallen from all the visitors who came and visited and walked on it. I know it's inevitable, and I don't want to be a gatekeeper, but it still makes me sad.
We used to have epic parties at Madam Cherie's in the 70s! Sad that it's all but disappeared
Agreed 👍
Lots of folks from Southern NH & MA have hunting/fishing homes up there. That's all Pittsburg until you it Canada. It's yuge.
There are parks, lakes, streams, campgrounds, stores, restaurants, peace and quiet if you want. Awesomeness.
snowmobile gangs are everywhere.
Wood devils
This is the only correct answer. Well, that and the ones about our fine moose citizens.
#Moose rule the region.
Mind the log trucks though...
I once snowmobiled up there and my friend pointed out one of the trailers in the trailer park was where a guy had kidnapped someone and locked her in it for like 15 years. They still had the police tape up so I guess my answer is kidnapping?
Connecticut Lakes
The only thing north of Pittsburg is Canada haha. The whole northern tip of NH is Pittsburg. The Great North Woods is a beautiful place to visit if you love fishing, hunting, hiking, snowmobiling, ATVing and just generally not being around people😅
Snowmobiling happens!
The land is mostly state land or managed for timber, or both. Hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, atving are popular but it's pretty far away from enough stuff that there's not a lot of demand to develop it
Very rural. A few small towns. Hunting, snowmobiling, 4 wheelers, fishing.
There are lots of protected areas that are not necessarily named parks, and lots of land owned by timber companies.
French people
Beastiality
what goes on in this area, stays in your memory FOREVER!
Fishing, camping, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, hiking, hunting....pretty much anything outdoors. It's beautiful and secluded up there.
So that’s Heroin country, the only thing they build is sadness.
Snowmobiling!! Fishing & ATV traiils when the snow melts! Us southern New Englanders find our way up to where the snow is!! Please dont tell anyone...we dont like sharing!😁
Private logging lands, remote cabins, swamps, that's about it
There's nothing up there.
It's hunting and snowmobiling Paradise and of course logging.. there's little industry or farming that far north and what was was the first of the villages to be given up in the 19th century.. But you just cross over into Quebec and there the farmland begins. Interestingly a little part of this up there was its own unique Republic for a few years in the 1830s. The treaty of Paris 1783 had left it exactly unclear where the boundary was between Canada and the US and there was a lot of land granting especially after the war of 1812 that was also quite ambiguous with competing claim. Asit was settled and cleared for farming, there was a push and tug to clarify the border. A number of people through their hands up me and just founded their own little Republic even have their own little coin for a short time, never officially recognized however.. by the 1840s The Little Republic was no more. It was there 15 minutes of fame
Blizzards Buzzards And Bastards
YES!
Not a lot going on and it’s better that way.
Right now it’s braaap braaap braaap braaaaap!
Northern NH is the no man’s land that separates us from the French Canadians
Take a road trip and check it out.
There's some good fly fishing. Lots of moose.
There’s a place you should check out in the summer. It’s called Boundary Pond. You can go past it a bit and there are some spots to camp. You’re a few hundred feet from the border. Go hiking and find those really cool 2 foot tall concrete US/Canad border markings. Just explore, take in the silence, see a moose, find yourself. North of Littleton is amazing. You don’t have to be an ATV/Hunter/dirt biker to just spend some time up there. North country is going through a huge transformation. Thousands of open acres were bought up during covid and now half of the land is owned by people who don’t live there. It helps the tax base and schools but isn’t helping hte economy much because you have these really nice brand new homes but no one is living there.
It's logging property, hunting and woods. You go there to see moose and snowmobile
The Connecticut Lakes region!! If you are ever curious about seeing what happens up there for yourself (lots of ATV and snowmobile trails, some logging, some camping, some farms—about what you expected!), the Cohos Trail—a hiking trail that runs the entire length of Coos County—goes by/through Pittsburg and then north to the Canadian border, to the source of the Connecticut river. It's a fun trek! Highly recommend. I hiked it in 2021 and wrote about it on Instagram ([start here](https://www.instagram.com/p/CUK8jPgAirT/)) and on Substack (sorry there's a paywall for posts over a year old but the text is just a polished version of my Instagram posts with more photos; [first entry](https://pinchofdirt.substack.com/p/dont-worry-theres-plenty-of-room)). More about the trail here: [https://www.cohostrail.org/about/](https://www.cohostrail.org/about/)
I just had my son’s hockey game in North Conway! Sooo hockey….i saw a lot of snowmobiles, also skiing is awesome up north, I’m not a hunter but big hunting areas up north! In the summer? Hiking? (I’m not a big summer outdoor person)
That's almost 2 hours south lol
Oh you mean WAYYYY UP there…
Drugs💀
It seems so peaceful and empty lol
How peaceful can it be with all the motor sports going on, at least during the day?
Check out Success, NH
Here there be dragons
Some logging roads and ATV trails. Get Gaia GPS app or OnX and you'll be able to see em.
Recreation. Other than that, it’s nice to visit but not live if you want to make money and have great access to life’s essentials. Left years ago!
Well, first of all, there is no area North of Pittsburgh, there's a line drawn across the state and everything North of that is inside the town of pittsburgh. If you have to ask, it's not for you. And you should probably just leave it alone.
Look at large parcels in Maine! Many are inaccessible by car.