Agree that this place is tough for beginners, especially kids. Lots of up and downs just to get to the main trails.

Our instructor Jenny was friendly and informative, she helped us learn the basics in under an hour and we felt confident enough to go out on the trails despite it being our first time skiing. The rental service was quick and efficient with no issues. The Jackson ski touring trail system is fantastic for all skill levels from beginner to advanced. I would definitely recommend this spot for lessons, our package for rentals, lessons, and all day access to the trails was affordable and a great value proposition. read more

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Jackson is great overall. They have as massive trail system, good grooming, and reasonable prices. And their is lots of lodging nearby, much of it with direct access to the trails. But as I found out this past weekend, it's not a great place for beginners. I brought my gf and she had only skied once before at bretton woods. For no good reason they gave her advanced skis. After doing really well the weekend before on beginner skis she struggled the whole day and it ruined our trip. When I complained at the end of the day they said it was our fault for not coming back sooner but we thought these were our only option. But even if we had the beginner skis they showed us we're arguably too advanced as well. They don't carry the wide entry level hourglass shaped xc skis that every other place does. Their beginners are really for intermediate skiers. Also their easy terrain is pretty hilly which is tough for new people especially on their skis. So between that and the lack of true beginner skis i think Jackson is great for established skiers but terrible for new ones. Check out great Glen or bretton woods if you are new to the sport. read more

This nonprofit organization maintains an expansive network of Nordic ski and snowshoe trails, but I definitely would have benefited from some insider information before my first ski trip to Jackson. So, here are the key points I wish I had known in advance: *The ski center on Main Street in Jackson is the place to buy trail passes (unless you're staying somewhere that offers them at a discount), rent equipment, and find information from friendly staff and volunteers. Prices are quite reasonable. * There is a full ski shop right in the ski center building that sells ski equipment, clothing, gear, wax and waxing equipment, etc. The employees are VERY knowledgeable. * You need to get away from Jackson Center and all the inns/b&bs in order to ski any significant distance without having to remove your skis to cross streets. The Wave and the international race trails near the Eagle Mountain lodge are my favorite area to ski longer distances, but note that it is UPHILL to get there from Jackson Center. Beginners may struggle. * The best area for beginner to intermediate skiers who have progressed past doing loops on the field behind the ski center building is the Ellis River trail. It's mostly flat with some short and not terribly steep hills, all with a decent runout on the downhills. The trail is long (but you can turn around - much of it is 2-way) and through the woods, mostly on national forest land, so way more scenic than sticking to the golf courses. * Grooming is so-so. After a snowfall, it can take a while before trails are groomed adequately. The groomers seem to get out for one pass pretty quickly. But it takes more than that to adequately pack the snow (especially relevant for skate skiers). Grooming is not as good as at the for-profit Nordic ski resorts like Trapp Family in Vermont, but the trail network is FAR more expansive. And scenic. * There is no way to determine from the trail map which trails are suitable (wide enough) and groomed for skate skiing and which for classic only. You can ask at the ski center and they might know. On some trails where tracks are set on the sides it seems like they tried to leave a wide enough trail in the middle for skating, but utterly failed (and the tracks could have been set farther to the sides to better accommodate skating). Your options as a skater are then limited to being a jerk and skating over the tracks, or double polling your way for a mile or so until the track widens. read more

Jackson has an extensive network of trails that run through a lovely village with several nice places to stay. We are avid cross country skiers and we have come here many times, always staying at the phenomenal Windy Hill Bed & Breakfast, which is right on the East Pasture Loop trail. When everything is going right, Jackson XC is wonderful. Unfortunately, Jackson frequently fails to live up to its promise, for several reasons. While Windy Hill's spectacular location, affable host and affordable rates keep us coming back, the XC center often frustrates us. One reason is not actually the XC center's fault. Jackson, relatively speaking, does not get that much snow. New Hampshire gets less snow than Vermont, and Jackson in particular seems to get the short end of the stick, perhaps because it sits on the east side of the Presidential Range. But the XC does a lousy job with the snow that it does get. The Jackson XC center is a non-profit foundation, and seems to run an amateurish, disorganized operation compared to the for-profit resorts in New England that we love like Trapp Family Lodge, Waterville Valley, etc. First, the Jackson trails are not well constructed and are plagued with drainage problems. Places like Trapp dig drainage ditches all along the trail, so that when it snows, the snow immediately sticks to the trail and there is no running water in the way. Jackson, however, has trouble opening a lot of its best trails, even after several snow falls, because of running water. Having walked on some of the trails in the summer, it is easy to see why. Instead of having drainage ditches all along the trails, they merely dig the occasional channel across the trail for water to run out. Presumably the issue is cost. The grooming operation and shop are also disorganized and have caused us much frustration. For one thing, they just don't groom as often and as consistently as, say, Trapp. But okay, no big deal. But two incidents in particular stand out. There is one epic loop 25k loop (the Ellis River and Hall trails) that we love to do, but for the reasons discussed above is rarely skiable. On one occasion, the website appeared to report that the trails were all groomed. So we set out to ski it. When we were about 75% done with the loop, with just a big downhill cruise left, we hit a stretch that was completely ungroomed. And steep. And with possible running water. And we were stuck. We did not have the equipment or skiils to deal with the conditions. And we were too exhausted to ski the entire 75% back the way we came. Fortunately, there was a parking lot that we had passed where someone graciously gave us a ride back to our car. As it turned out, there was a way it was theoretically possible to glean from the Jackson website that the grooming was incomplete. The website listed the kilometers groomed, and if you checked that distance against the total distance of the trail, you would see that the two distances did not match. That was THE ONLY WAY TO TELL and avoid getting completely stranded in the middle of the woods late in the day. It was the height of negligence by the center, and completely typical of the way they operate. We were hopping mad, as was our host at the Windy Hill, who gave them an earful. Since that time, I believe they have been SLIGHTLY clearer in their grooming reports -- but not much. Another incident. We now have a baby. We called right before our trip to reserve a pulk to rent for two days. We came the first day and used the pulk. It was great. We returned it (because it would not fit in our car). We came back the next day, and we were told that the pulks were all reserved -- but not for us! He told us that other folks had not only reserved the pulks ahead of time, but already paid for them, and there was nothing he could do. He told us we could wait around for an hour or two and MAYBE if others had not shown up, or if another pulk came back, he could give us one. But that was simply not an option with a baby who was getting tired and cranky and who would not nap in the lodge. So we were forced to go back to our B&B and just take turns skiing. If the pulks were already reserved before I called, why was I told that I could have the pulk for two days? The "employee" (volunteer?) was impatient and unapologetic with me. Other than having me wait around, he offered nothing. In sum, if there is a ton of snow, and you have a great place to stay, Jackson is worth a visit. If you are a serious cross country skier looking to make one trip to New England or to purchase a vacation home near good cross country skiing, look elsewhere, like Stowe, VT. read more

We love to cross country ski here. Nice staff - amazing groomed trails and you can ski right to local inns and pubs. Beautiful trails along the river, very scenic. Very affordable rentals and trail pass. Nice facilities to shower and warm up. We will be back! read more

These guys are awesome and the skiing is great. The team is knowledgable and apres ski coffees and ambiance is excellent.

What a great experience.. We took the class with Sally. She is awesome so patient and helpful for us beginners.. Totally recommended

As a relative novice to cross-country skiing, I was very pleasantly surprised by the trails at Jackson. We had a broad choice of trail difficulties, and the Ellis River Trail was a gorgeous, but not overly rigorous/stressful trail through woods and (as its name suggests) running alongside the Ellis River. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I can't wait to return next winter. read more

We did the snowshoe trails as well as the XC and had two wonderful days outside on the trails. The trail network is quite extensive and we were only out for a few hours each day so we saw only a very small fraction of what is available but what we saw was fantastic. Just a great, low key place to spend a few hours or more in the out-of-doors in winter. read more