Snowmobiles for Rent in NH & Snow Tubing

You can find snowmobiles for rent in NH from guided-tour outfitters in Lincoln, Bartlett and Gorham, and every one of them puts you on a statewide network of about 7,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. Snow tubing in New Hampshire is just as easy to find: Gunstock, Cranmore and Waterville Valley all run dedicated tubing hills, and Ice Castles in North Woodstock has one too. Beyond that, the state's winter is cross-country skiing, ice skating, ice fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee, sleigh rides and snowshoe walks. This guide covers all of it, starting in our own corner of the state (Waterville Valley, Lincoln and Plymouth/Campton) and working out to the Mount Washington Valley and the Lakes Region.

Downhill skiing gets its own guide. For vertical, lifts and 2026/27 pass lineups, see our ski resorts in New Hampshire comparison. This page is for everything else you can do in a New Hampshire winter.

Things to do in NH in winter, at a glance

Activity	Where in our area	Farther afield
Snowmobile rentals and tours	SledVentures and Outback Kayak, Lincoln	Northern Extremes, Bartlett; Northeast Snowmobile & ATV Rentals, Gorham
Snow tubing	Waterville Valley Clubhouse; Ice Castles, North Woodstock	Gunstock, Gilford; Cranmore, North Conway
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing	Waterville Valley Nordic Center; Lincoln Woods Trail	Bretton Woods Nordic Center; Jackson XC
Ice skating	Waterville Valley Ice Arena (indoor)	Nestlenook Farm, Jackson; Ham Arena, Conway; Laconia rinks
Ice fishing	Squam and Newfound lakes	Lake Winnipesaukee and the Meredith Rotary derby
Sleigh rides	Ice Castles, North Woodstock	Nestlenook Farm, Jackson; Farm by the River, North Conway; Bretton Woods

Snowmobiles for rent in NH: where to ride

New Hampshire snowmobiling runs on volunteer muscle. About 100 local clubs groom the trail network under state grant-in-aid agreements with the Bureau of Trails. Most of those miles cross private land, because about 70% of the state is privately owned, so riding is allowed only on approved trails or on land where the owner has given you written permission. The state's own slogan for it is "No respect = no trails."

Rentals are almost always guided. You ride a late-model sled behind a guide, the outfitter supplies the helmet and usually the suit, boots and gloves, and the rental machine is already registered. Book ahead for school-vacation weeks and holiday weekends.

Snowmobiling in Lincoln, NH

Lincoln is the closest place to rent a snowmobile from Campton, Plymouth and Waterville Valley, and it sits on the corridor trails that run through Franconia Notch and up toward the North Country.

SledVentures, 514 US Route 3 in Lincoln (across from Whale's Tale), runs guided snowmobile tours every day that conditions allow. Its most popular route is the Bog Pond / Franconia Notch tour, and it also offers private tours and sled-and-stay packages with local hotels. Drivers must be 16 with a valid license and a parent along, or 18 to rent on their own. Passengers can be as young as 5. Riding gear is included.
Outback Kayak, also in Lincoln, runs guided ATV and snowmobile tours on its own land and on local trails. It has been running tours in the White Mountains since 1995 (White Mountains Attractions).

The White Mountain Snowmobile Club in Lincoln, the Central NH Snowmobile Club in Campton and the Snow Drifters in Rumney maintain the trails closest to us. For what else Lincoln does in winter, including Ice Castles and the Lincoln Woods Trail, see our things to do in Lincoln NH guide.

Bartlett NH snowmobiling and the Mount Washington Valley

Bartlett is the other big rental hub. Northern Extremes Snowmobiling, at 1328 Main Street in Bartlett Village, runs two-hour guided or independent rentals up Bear Notch Road into the White Mountain National Forest, plus half-day and full-day tours. The Bear Notch system is a 50-mile closed loop with views of Mount Washington and Mount Chocorua, which makes it a good first ride for snowmobiling in North Conway and Bartlett. Northern Extremes also lists a Bretton Woods location.

Gorham and snowmobiling in northern NH

North of the notches, Northeast Snowmobile & ATV Rentals at 325 Main Street in Gorham rents sleds with helmets included and clothing available. It has one New Hampshire location and one in Maine. From Gorham, riders head north toward Berlin, Jefferson, Lancaster and eventually Pittsburg and the Great North Woods, where several more rental shops operate. That's the usual route for a multi-day snowmobile trip in New Hampshire.

NH snowmobile trails: maps and conditions

The New Hampshire Snowmobile Association keeps the statewide trail map. It's free online at slednh.com, and the SledNH phone app costs $4.99 a season. NH State Parks publishes trail-condition reports once the season starts, typically from late November or December. To find out whether the snowmobile trails in NH are open, check those reports and the local club's page before you drive up. Trails open only once there's enough snow and frozen ground for the clubs to groom.

If you bring your own sled: NH snowmobile registration

Every snowmobile ridden anywhere other than the owner's own property must be registered in New Hampshire. Registration through NH Fish and Game runs May 1 to April 30, and joining a club affiliated with the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association takes $30 off. For the 2026–27 registration year, Fish and Game lists $121 for residents and $131 for non-residents with an NHSA club membership voucher, and $151 / $161 without one, the same as 2025–26. Each price includes a $2 transaction fee. Operators 12 and older riding off their own land need either a valid driver's license or a completed snowmobile safety education course, and the online course earns a combined New Hampshire OHRV/snowmobile rider certificate. In our area, the White Mountains visitor bureau lists the Campton and Woodstock town clerks among the places that handle registrations.

Snow tubing in New Hampshire

Snow tubing is the easiest winter activity for a mixed group. There's no lesson, and in most places no lift ticket. Here's where to go snow tubing in NH and the White Mountains, from closest to us outward.

Waterville Valley Clubhouse. The Waterville Valley tubing hill has several dedicated lanes, but it's walk-up only, with no lift. It runs Thursday through Sunday plus holidays and vacation weeks, weather permitting, and you don't need a reservation. The Clubhouse serves food and drinks, and there are fire rings outside at night. Hard-shell ski boots aren't allowed on the hill.
Ice Castles, North Woodstock. For snow tubing near Lincoln or near Woodstock, NH, Ice Castles on Clark Farm Road has a groomed tubing hill along with the ice caverns, plus sleigh rides on a separate ticket. Everything there depends on the weather, so check its status page the day you go.
Gunstock, Gilford. Gunstock's snow tubing is a multi-lane hill served by a magic-carpet lift, with lanes shaped by a PistenBully tube-shaper attachment. Sessions last two hours, and the posted price is $40 for all ages. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall, and anyone under 14 must ride with a participating adult. Weekend, holiday and Saturday-evening sessions sell out, so buy ahead.
Cranmore, North Conway. Cranmore's tubing park runs lift-served two-hour sessions, plus Arctic Lights night tubing from dusk to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights and holiday weeks, from late December to mid-March. For 2026–27 it's $49 for ages 6 and up. Ages 3 to 5 pay $15 and ride a double tube with an adult. Children under 3 can't ride.

A note on Loon. Loon Mountain announced that snow tubing would not open for the 2024/25 season, and Loon's current winter-activities page lists skiing, cross-country and Sno-Go but no tubing. If you're staying in Lincoln, Ice Castles is the nearby option.

For the best snow tubing in New Hampshire, it depends on the group. Gunstock and Cranmore have lifts and night sessions, which matter with small children. Waterville Valley is the low-key, no-reservation choice.

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing

New Hampshire cross-country skiing is some of the best in the East. Three centers in or near our area are worth the drive.

Waterville Valley Nordic Center in Town Square grooms 70+ km for classic and skate skiing, out into the national forest. You can snowshoe on any Nordic trail, fat bikes have their own designated trails, and dogs are welcome on the Greeley Path, Deep Woods and The Connector. Lessons and rentals are in Town Square.
Bretton Woods Nordic Center at the Omni Mount Washington Resort has about 100 km of trails, 95 km of them tracked and skate-groomed, below Mount Washington.
Jackson XC in Jackson is a nonprofit network you can ski right out of the village, with about 45 km of designated snowshoe trails on top of its ski trails.

For a free snowshoe hike, the Lincoln Woods Trail off the Kancamagus Highway, 5 miles east of I-93 Exit 32, follows an old logging-railroad grade beside the East Branch of the Pemigewasset. It's flat and wide, so it works for first-time snowshoers and for skiers. Our hiking near Waterville Valley guide covers the trails around the valley, many of which make good snowshoe outings once there's a base.

Ice skating

Waterville Valley Ice Arena. Next to Town Square, the indoor arena runs public skating and stick-and-puck sessions year-round, with rental skates and sharpening. Session times change through the season.
Ice skating in Jackson, NH. Nestlenook Farm on Dinsmore Road has about three acres of lit outdoor ice on Emerald Lake, the largest outdoor skating area in the White Mountains.
North Conway ice skating. The outdoor rink at Schouler Park in North Conway Village didn't open for 2025/26 because of staffing, budget and warm winters. The indoor Ham Arena in Conway Village runs public skating, and King Pine's covered Tohko Dome in East Madison is another option.
Ice skating in Laconia, NH. The indoor Merrill Fay Arena is on Route 107. Laconia also has outdoor rinks at Memorial Park and Leavitt Park, plus one on Opechee Cove that opens only when the lake ice is at least 12 inches thick (Weirs Beach visitor guide).

Ice fishing in NH

Ice fishing in New Hampshire takes a fishing license (required from age 16) and some knowledge of the rules on the lake you choose. NH Fish and Game allows up to six devices (tip-ups or jig lines) per angler on most waters. Lakes managed for lake trout are limited to two, and that list includes Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, Newfound and Big and Little Squam. The lake-trout ice season runs January 1 to March 31, and NH-Maine border waters have a five-line limit. By state law, bob houses must be off the ice by the end of the day on April 1. Check the current Fish and Game digest for the rules on any lake before you drill.

Ice fishing Winnipesaukee and the Meredith Rotary fishing derby

The biggest NH ice fishing derby is the Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby, headquartered on Meredith Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. The 47th derby ran February 7–8, 2026 (derby site, December 2025), and the Meredith Rotary Club has set the 48th for February 13–14, 2027, with more than $80,000 in prizes and a $15,000 first prize. Proceeds go to Meredith, Sandwich, Center Harbor and Moultonborough. Entrants can fish any public fresh water in New Hampshire and bring the catch to the Meredith weigh-in, so the derby runs even when Winnipesaukee's ice is poor.

Winnipesaukee winters have other sights too. At Alton Bay, the only FAA-approved ice runway in the lower 48 opens when the ice reaches 12 inches thick. In 2026 it opened January 31.

Sleigh rides

Nestlenook Farm, Jackson. It offers group rides in custom Austrian sleighs, semi-private rumble-seat rides and private sleighs for two, on a mile-and-a-half route partly along the Ellis River. It runs into mid-March (North Conway sleigh ride guide).
Farm by the River, North Conway. These rides cross the valley floor with views of Cathedral and White Horse ledges and Cranmore.
Bretton Woods. Because of the elevation, sleigh rides here run into mid-April.
Ice Castles, North Woodstock. Sleigh rides are an add-on ticket and the closest option to Lincoln.

Winter events worth planning around

Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby, February 13–14, 2027 (see above).
Waterville Valley Winter Lights. Town Square is lit up through the winter, and the tubing hill and ice arena are open at night, so an evening there is easy (Waterville Valley night guide).
Ice Castles, North Woodstock, usually from late December or early January while the cold holds.
The Alton Bay ice runway, when the ice allows, usually from late January.

What winter means if you own here

If a winter weekend has you looking at listings, check these things before you buy. They're different in winter.

Access and plowing. In winter, Waterville Valley is reached by NH Route 49 from I-93 Exit 28 in Campton, a plowed state highway. Many homes in the hills around Campton, Thornton and Lincoln sit on private roads, which town crews don't plow. On those, a road association or a private contract handles it. Before you buy, ask who plows the road and the driveway, what it costs, and how steep the driveway is in February. With a condo, plowing is usually part of the association fee, so ask what the fee covers. Our page on Waterville Valley condos lists the complexes in the valley.

Ski-season rentals. Winter weekends and February vacation week bring the highest rental demand in Lincoln and Waterville Valley. If you want a place that pays part of its own way, check that the property and any HOA allow short-term rentals, then run the numbers with our short-term rental analysis. The Lincoln NH Airbnb investment guide covers that market in detail.

Where the trails are. If snowmobiling is the point, look at properties near a corridor trail or a club trail you can legally reach. Remember that the trails cross private land by permission, which can change. If Nordic skiing or skating is the point, Waterville Valley's Town Square puts the Nordic Center, ice arena and tubing hill within a short walk of homes in Waterville Valley.

Lincoln puts SledVentures, Ice Castles and the Lincoln Woods Trail within a few miles of each other. Browse homes for sale in Lincoln and Woodstock, or our guide to Lincoln condos near Loon Mountain. Our home base, Campton, sits between the two at Exit 28, with Plymouth and Thornton right alongside.

For the whole year, our Waterville Valley four-seasons guide and things to do in New Hampshire cover the other three seasons. When you're ready to look at a winter place, talk to our team.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find snowmobiles for rent in NH?

The main rental and tour outfitters are SledVentures and Outback Kayak in Lincoln, Northern Extremes Snowmobiling in Bartlett (with a Bretton Woods location), and Northeast Snowmobile & ATV Rentals in Gorham. More operate in Littleton and Pittsburg. Most rentals are guided, include a helmet and registration, and offer suits and boots. Book ahead for holiday weekends and February vacation week.

How many miles of snowmobile trails are in New Hampshire?

About 7,000 miles, groomed by roughly 100 volunteer snowmobile clubs under state grant-in-aid agreements with the Bureau of Trails. Most of the trails cross private land, so you can ride only on approved trails or with a landowner's written permission.

Do you need to register a snowmobile in New Hampshire?

Yes. Any snowmobile ridden somewhere other than the owner's property must be registered with NH Fish and Game. For the 2026–27 registration year the fee is $121 for residents and $131 for non-residents with an NHSA club membership voucher, or $151 / $161 without one, unchanged from 2025–26. Rental sleds are already registered by the outfitter.

Where is the best snow tubing in New Hampshire?

Gunstock in Gilford and Cranmore in North Conway both have lift-served, multi-lane tubing parks with two-hour sessions, and Cranmore also runs night tubing. Waterville Valley's Clubhouse hill is walk-up and needs no reservation, and Ice Castles in North Woodstock has a tubing hill near Lincoln. Loon Mountain closed its tubing hill for 2024/25 and no longer lists tubing, so don't plan on it.

When is the Meredith ice fishing derby?

The 48th Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby is set for February 13–14, 2027. The 47th ran February 7–8, 2026. Entrants can fish any public fresh water in New Hampshire and weigh in at Meredith, with more than $80,000 in prizes.

How many lines can you use ice fishing in NH?

Most New Hampshire waters allow six devices per angler. Lakes managed for lake trout, including Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, Newfound and Squam, allow two, and NH-Maine border waters allow five. Bob houses must be off the ice by the end of the day on April 1. Check the current Fish and Game digest for the lake you plan to fish.

What are the best things to do in New Hampshire in the winter besides skiing?

Snowmobiling, snow tubing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, ice skating, ice fishing and sleigh rides. In our area, Waterville Valley has a Nordic center, tubing hill and indoor ice arena around one town square, and Lincoln adds snowmobile tours, Ice Castles and the flat Lincoln Woods Trail.

New Hampshire Winter Activities: Snowmobiles for Rent, Snow Tubing, Skating & Ice Fishing