(Photo: Chris Whiton)
(Photo: Chris Whiton)
The newly renovated 1884 Carriage Barn at The Rocks is now open to visitors. (Photo: Ryan Smith)
About the Property
The Rocks' trails are OPEN again to the public. Please be mindful of ongoing construction traffic and equipment, however, as we work to complete the Carriage Barn renovations. Check our events calendar for upcoming programs in Bethlehem! Visit the full Rocks website here.
Featuring a dozen buildings on the National Historic Register, The Rocks' Heritage Trail evokes the gilded era of a century ago of long vacations in the refreshing summer air of the White Mountains.
Take a maple tour in the spring and cut your own Christmas tree in the winter. Plus, you can walk the interpretive trails, learn about the historic buildings, and enjoy an educational event no matter the season!
Once a self-sustaining farm, The Rocks is now home to the Forest Society's sustainable Christmas tree farm. Each year trees are carefully hand-shaped and wreaths are meticulously decorated to raise money for land conservation in New Hampshire.
Visitors to The Rocks in picturesque Bethlehem, New Hampshire, can ramble along scenic trails seeking wildlife such as moose, coyote, bear, kestrels and bobolink, enjoy a picnic in our terraced gardens with butterflies and hummingbirds, attend one of our educational programs, or just visit and enjoy the incredible views of the Presidential Range.
Forest Society North is a multi-year restoration and renovation project that started in 2020. Click here for details on the project, or to make a contribution.
Property Details
The heritage of The Rocks reaches from the pastoral beauty of the 1800s through the property's modern day role as a conservation and education center for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
The rambling stone walls and carefully restored historic buildings at The Rocks evoke the pastoral beauty of the turn of the 20th Century in New Hampshire. Now home to the 1,400-acre North Country Conservation & Education Center for the Forest Society, The Rocks was for many years the summer home of Chicago businessman and International Harvester cofounder John Jacob Glessner and his family.
In 1978, two of John and Frances Glessner's grandchildren donated the 1,400-acre Rocks, including 22 buildings, to the Forest Society, with the requirement that there always be a crop in the field. For more than three decades, that crop has been Christmas trees, and people come to The Rocks from near and far each year to find their perfect tree.
Trail Information
Christmas Tree Trail
*The trail is closed on weekdays from April 1 through November 17 to ensure our staff can care for the Christmas trees in the field.* The Christmas Tree Trail leads visitors through The Rocks Christmas tree plantation, with 15 numbered stops noting information about the property's past and present. The trail leads past wetland habitat, rows of Christmas trees, and artfully crafted stone walls, with panoramic views of the White Mountains along the way.
Michael A. Gozzo Trail
This varied trail is named for the late Michael A. Gozzo, who loved hiking and the White Mountains. The trail meanders through The Rocks, crossing managed woodland and overgrown apple orchards, and skirting beaver ponds and wetland habitat. Hikers may explore this trail as one long loop or by selecting one or more of the various spurs- see this map for a better look at this trail.
- Gozzo Rocks Loop - 1.8 mi, moderate - begin and end at The Rocks, includes the Beaver Pond Loop.
- Gozzo Trail to South Road - 0.67 mi, difficult - this spur of the trail leads steeply from the beaver pond to South Road.
- Gozzo South Road Loop - 1.5 mi, moderate - this loop begins and ends at the South Road parking area.
Recommended Properties Nearby
The central focus of Bretzfelder Park is a giant white pine tree, estimated to be more than 200 years old. In the late 1800s, when Bethlehem was a haven for city folks seeking the clean air of the mountains, the tree became a popular place for visitors, who would wander down the quiet road and relax beneath the tree's branches, enjoying picnics in the quiet beauty of the forest.
With its rough boardwalks and lantern-lit caves, Lost River Gorge attracts thousands of people each year who admire the beauty of the area and take on the challenge of the tight ins and outs of the majestic boulder caves.
