southern NH rindge area (Milford, Hollis: RV park, house, to buy)

[freckles888]

hi all,
we might be relocating because my dh is close to a job offer in fitchburg, ma. i know NE because i lived in MA for 30+ years so i have some sense for the place. i don't want to move back to MA for a bunch of reasons, but i want to be close enough to see family. i like the look of rindge and i was wondering what you might be able to tell me about this area. would that be a crazy commute? it says rindge is 33 miles from fitchburg.

from what i've seen, i really like the look of rindge because you can see mt monodnock (is that the name) off in the distance. frankly, i'd love to live really north ---in VT, NH, or ME smack dab in the middle of the mountains but, alas. anyway, any suggestions for pretty areas around rindge? i'd love a town that was heavy on land conservation even if that means my taxes would be high. i love the idea of having trails to walk. i also like the idea of a town that is a real community for instance it truly supports local businesses/farms. hopefully, it would be relatively dog friendly too.

[Valerie C]

Freckles, ahhh, Rindge. Cathedral of the Pines is there (Cathedral of the Pines) such a beautiful and peaceful place... Anyway, I digress. I'm not sure how well-maintained the roads are for a commute, I would add alot of time on to that for any winter or wet-weather travel. The web-based map directions are always figured for beautiful sunny days

I wasn't sure if you were looking for a TOWN that is dog-friendly, or dog-friendly trails, but wanted to make note for you that you that NH doesn't allow dogs into State Parks. Just keep it in mind when doing your location searches. Mass. State Parks and Forests used to allow dogs on leash, not sure if that has changed... If you were to decide to stay in MA, along the NH border, remember that there is Willardbrook, Ashburnham and one other that is literally ON the MA/NH state line.

Other beautiful, rural areas of NH you may consider are Brookline/Mason area. Hopefully someone will come along that can answer your questions about the Rindge area better than I could...

[Draven]

I did some checking on the policies of NH State Parks regarding dogs. From what I read, dogs are allowed at a number of parks. You can check nhstateparks.org for more details but this is the list I found... sorry I don't know where these are relative to Rindge.

Pets are permitted at the following parks:
•Androscoggin Wayside Park
•Annett Wayside Park
•Bear Brook State Park - Pets are permitted in the campground and on the hiking trails but not in the day-use area.
•Beaver Brook Falls Wayside
•Bedell Bridge State Park
•Cardigan State Park
•Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area - Pets are permitted in the designated area only.
•Coleman State Park
•Crawford Notch State Park - Pets are permitted in the campground and in the designated area at the Willey House Site only.
•Deer Mountain Campground
•Dixville Notch State Park
•Ellacoya State Park - Pets are permitted in the RV park but not in the day-use area.
•Franconia Notch State Park - Pets are permitted in the designated areas near the Tramway and Flume parking lots only, not in the campground.
•Gardner Memorial Wayside Park
•Greenfield State Park - Pets are permitted in the designated area of the campground only, not in the day-use area.
•Hannah Duston Memorial
•Lake Francis State Park
•Madison Boulder Natural Area
•Milan Hill State Park
•Miller State Park
•Mollidgewock State Park - Pets are permitted in the campground but not in the day-use area.
•Moose Brook State Park - Pets are permitted in the campground and on the hiking trails.
•Mt. Sunapee State Park - Pets are permitted in the campground and at the park except during the Arts and Crafts Festival. They are not permitted at the beach or at the ski area during ski operating season.
•Mt. Washington State Park - Pets are permitted in the designated areas only.
•Nansen Wayside Park
•Northwood Meadows State Park
•Pillsbury State Park
•Pisgah State Park
•Rhododendron State Park - Pets are permitted only on the trail to Little Monadnock.
•Rollins State Park
•Sculptured Rocks Natural Area
•Taylor Mill State Historic Site
•Umbagog Campground - Pets are permitted at the park but are restricted from the beach.
•Wellington State Park - Pets are only permitted at the access area at the state boat launch.
•Winslow State Park

[buck naked]

•Rhododendron State Park - Pets are permitted only on the trail to Little Monadnock.


I think this park is close to Rindge. I've been there with my dog and it's just beautiful!

[Valerie C]

Thank you for the info Draven and Buck I stand corrected!

Every time I've tried to camp or hike with my dogs (albeit it's been a few years..) we've been turned away. I'm glad to see that there is some availability. Looks like it'd be a good idea to call ahead to make sure of what's allowed...

[WannaComeHome]

Hi Freckles!
Hey, New Ipswich isn't far either (we used to do our grocery shopping in Fitchberg - back in the day) and is a lot cheaper than Rindge. You can still see Mt Monadnock in the skyline, along with some others (don't know exactly which). If you'd like a little tour around part of NI, I made one up on my website <http://theoldforest.net/NewIpswich/newipswich.html>

Hey, NI is big times: it's got a bank, a couple gas stations, a couple markets, a dentist and I think maybe a dr (if only it had a grocery store and a pharmacy, but that's what Milford is for, I guess).

[freckles888]

wow thanks! this post really illustrates why i'd rather live in NH than MA. so far i got the low-down on dogs in state forests, an internet tour of new ipswich, and a whole lot of other great info. thanks so much. i posted the same thing on the MA forum and got 2 responses one was from a seemingly cantakerous person who greatly dislikes Fitchburg (the other response was positive though). not that i'm ungrateful for their posts they were both kind for helping me out.

wannacomehome,
since you used to buy groceries in Fitchburg, could you tell me how the roads were in the winter? it looks like you would take 31 and 124 and then a little of 123, is that right? and i'm wondering, do you still live in NH? you seem to have such love for NI

you guys seriously rock. thanks.

[WannaComeHome]

Originally Posted by freckles888

since you used to buy groceries in Fitchburg, could you tell me how the roads were in the winter? it looks like you would take 31 and 124 and then a little of 123, is that right? and i'm wondering, do you still live in NH? you seem to have such love for NI

When I lived in NI before, it was back in the early 60s and then we moved to Hollis. But, we'll be living there again in just under 7 years! already bought the land. What my husband likes so much about it is that it has the 'remoteness' feel to it, while still being on the Mass border and not far from my family - and even has some amenities (like the gas station and the bank!) which another town we were considering does not have. I'll be honest though: it is a conservative outlook town (more people voted republican than voted democrat, and they didn't choose either Hillary or McCain), and there's a wierd undercurrent of Finns vs non-Finns in town. I don't understand it, we had plenty of Finnish teachers and friends and neighbors and I don't recall any problems- but there is some of that.

I can't tell you much about Fitchburg itself as about all I remember of it is the name, and that was where we bought groceries. And my mother says it was only about 1/2 hour away.

do you mean the road conditions in NI, or in Fitchburg? Can't say much about the Mass roads - although everyone always complains about them. I can tell you that I was just driving around NI at christmas time (visiting family and showing them our future home) and the roads there were fine. all the main roads were clear to the asphalt, my side road was plowed but sloppy (mind you, there's only 1 house on it at the moment) but still plowed and sanded - we were able to drive up it with all-weather tires. Most other roads I saw were clear except maybe a little slop at some intersections.

but yes, NI is at 123 & 124. Turnpike Rd comes up from Townshend and I believe is the road to Fitchburg (I think it may cross one called Fitchburg rd?). Turnpike Rd heads off into Sharon, it's also next to Jaffrey, Temple and Greenville.

[brightdoglover]

I was leaving a friend's house in NI- three acres and a 3 bed/2 bath house for $250K at the height of the market! and the road was fine and smooth and well maintained. Suddenly all that fineness ended and I saw the sign "Welcome to Massachusetts" and the road was pockmarked and so on, for the five miles south into Townsend.

Said friend used to live in Peterborough, which entails a heart-stopping drive up over the mountain. Gorgeous country, no way to drive regularly in the winter.

[freckles888]

"Welcome to Massachusetts" and the road was pockmarked and so on, for the five miles south into Townsend.

i actually experienced the exact opposite one time driving from northern VT to MA. roads were horrible in both VT and NH then we hit MA and roads were excellent--salted, plowed, and smooth. can't remember what road we came in on though. obviously not around Townsend!