Northfield, New Hampshire — Ski season is over for most, meaning that people are shifting to their other hobbies. For an increasing number of outdoorsy people, that niche is mountain biking. One former ski area-turned-mountain-biking park has played a big part in its rise.
This week, Highland Mountain Bike Park opened up for the 2026 season. The New Hampshire bike park had its season passholders day on Wednesday, and then its public opening came yesterday. A small number of trails are currently open, as trail crews are slowly rolling out the routes into proper form after a long winter.
Highland’s hours until June 28th will be Wednesdays from 3:30 pm-8:30 pm (only for uphill), Thursdays from 10:00 am-5:00 pm, Fridays from 10:00 am-7:00 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 am-5:00 pm. After that, Highland shifts to its summer operations schedule.
Highland plans to have this year’s operations last until late fall, with its projected closing date being November 15th.
History Of Highland Mountain
While it’s now well regarded as a mountain biking mecca, Highland’s history is steeped in skiing.
The Highlands was a medium-sized ski area from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s that never quite got its groove. The early years were marked by a lack of operations due to the absence of a new snowmaking system. The 1980s saw the ski area modernize with a new chairlift and snowmaking equipment, but it struggled to compete in a vast New Hampshire park. Mounting debt, a broken snowmaking system, a lack of snowfall during the terrible 1994-95 winter, and extensive local competition led to its closure in 1995. For years, despite revitalization attempts, it remained abandoned.
In 2003, inspired by Whistler Blackcomb’s impressive mountain biking network, Mark Hayes formed Gravity Mountain, Inc., and purchased the ski area. While skiing operations didn’t return, the mountain would now be used exclusively for bikers. It reopened in the mid-2000s, with the 1987 Borvig triple chairlift, which originally served the ski area, being updated to include bike carriers.
Over the years, many biking trails have been built, and a new surface lift was recently added. The impressive setup has inspired many ski resorts to build mountain biking trails, and other mountain biking parks have popped up across the planet. This year, two major bike parks are set to debut in the U.S.: Argo in Colorado and Oz Trails in Arkansas.
Highland will continue to grow in the years ahead. In August 2024, Highland announced that it had purchased 13.3 acres of land that will become a Camp Village. This area will be used for overnight camp lodging facilities. They also signed a long-term lease for 126 acres of land to build new trails, including a dedicated uphill route.
Highland’s extensive trail network and features have helped grow mountain biking’s popularity in the United States. This is why it’s known as “America’s Bike Park.”
Image/Video Credits: Highland Mountain Bike Park, Visit New Hampshire
