The maple’s gift to autumn: crisp color

The springtime gift of the sugar maple tree is the sap used to make maple syrup and sugar. In autumn, the sugar maple offers another gift: crisp color that stretches from golden yellow to brilliant red and paints the hillsides like a calico quilt.

There is, perhaps, no more splendid time to visit The Rocks Estate and the New Hampshire Maple Experience than during the color explosion of autumn. The Maple Museum is open through Columbus Day for self-guided tours that will bring visitors into a landscape of color to the museum and sugar house, contained in one of many carefully restored historic buildings at The Rocks.

Guided maple tours are also available to bus groups and those looking for a personalized experiential tour. 

As always, our trails are open daily, from dawn to dusk, for visitors to meander and explore. Smart phone users may enjoy the Mobile Tour of The Rocks Estate, which uses QR codes to share the property’s history, modern day forest conservation and management efforts, and information about the varieties of Christmas trees grown on the farm.

Speaking of Christmas trees… tag-your-own Christmas tree season runs weekends at The Rocks from September 22^nd - October 22^nd. Take in the fall foliage as you search for and mark your own perfect Christmas tree, which you’ll be able to collect and pay for beginning November 17^th, when The Rocks officially opens for the Christmas tree season. The two holiday shops will also be open at The Rocks during tag-your-own weekends.

So, whether you want to get an early start on your holiday shopping, are interested in learning more about the age-old tradition of maple sugaring, or just want to take in the unbeatable scenery of The Rocks Estate in autumn, we hope you’ll visit us this season!

Bretzfelder Series welcomes Owls of New Hampshire and Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

The Bretzfelder Family Educational Series continues this Wednesday, August 15 at Bretzfelder Park with a program on the Owls of New Hampshire, as the Forest Society welcomes a naturalist and three live owls from Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. 

Who calls in the night? Who glides through the dark on shadowy wings in silent flight? The program will answer these questions and will include a discussion of the habitat needs for the three different owl species exhibited. The Forest Society protects the places where these beautiful nocturnal birds of prey live throughout the state of New Hampshire.

This hands-on, interactive program is designed to engage and educate people of all ages.

Check The Rocks Estate calendar for additional details.

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The summer Bretzfelder Series concludes August 22 with a demonstration of wild lands firefighting. District Forest Ranger Steve Sherman will lead the demonstration, with wardens from the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands and members of the Bethlehem Fire Department assisting. The firefighters will demonstrate how they use special tools, equipment and tactics to fight wildfires.

Weather permitting, the firefighters will conduct a live demonstration with a fire at the park. More information about the demonstration is on our calendar.

Bretzfelder Series continues with tour of Wildlife Habitat Trail

The summer session of the Bretzfelder Park Family Educational Series continues this Wednesday, August 8 at 7 p.m. with a guided tour of the new Wildlife Habitat Trail at Bretzfelder Park.

The 1.5-mil trail, which opened last year, was designed to provide a year-round outdoor educational venue for families and local teachers. The trail traverses several wildlife habitats, including wetland, beaver marsh, spruce-fir forest, and deciduous forest. Interpretive signs along the way describe the various habitats and the animals living there.

The Wildlife Habitat Trail was developed in a collaborative effort between the Forest Society and Bethlehem’s Bretzfelder Park Committee, who work in conjunction to manage the park.

Priscilla Didio will lead the guided tour of the trail. Didio is a local naturalist and a teacher at Bethlehem Elementary School and helped design the trail’s interpretive signs and develop the trail as an interactive learning activity that appeals to all ages. For more information about the trail and the tour, check The Rocks calendar.

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On August 15, the Bretzfelder Series continues with a program on the Owls of New Hampshire, as the Forest Society welcomes a naturalist and live owls from Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. 

The program will cover myths and facts about various owl species, as well as the habitat needs of owls. Check our calendar for additional details.

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The summer Bretzfelder Series concludes August 22 with a demonstration of wild lands firefighting. District Forest Ranger Steve Sherman will lead the demonstration, with wardens from the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands and members of the Bethlehem Fire Department assisting. The firefighters will demonstrate how they use special tools, equipment and tactics to fight wildfires.

Weather permitting, the firefighters will conduct a live demonstration with a fire at the park. More information about the demonstration is on our calendar.

Bretzfelder Series begins with Ms. Barb’s Nature Songs

Ms. Barb and Ms. Woodchuck  - Chris Whiton photo

This week marks the start of August, which means the summer session of the Bretzfelder Park Family Educational Series kicks off Wednesday!

Local naturalist and musician Barb Desroches begins the Bretzfelder series with her wonderfully entertaining and informative performance of Ms.Barb’s Nature Songs. Barb’s original music is packed with fun facts about the wildlife around us. She’ll bring along her animal puppet friends to help her entertain and inform.

Barb’s music is geared toward children aged 3 years and older, who will be encouraged to sing along. The fun starts at 7 p.m. this Wednesday, August1. 

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The explorative learning continues August 8 with a guided tour of the Wildlife Habitat Trail of Bretzfelder Park.

The 1.5-mil trail, which opened last year, was designed to provide a year-round outdoor educational venue for families and local teachers. The trail traverses several wildlife habitats, including wetland, beaver marsh, spruce-fir forest, and deciduous forest. Interpretive signs along the way describe the various habitats and the animals living there.

The Wildlife Habitat Trail was developed in a collaborative effort between the Forest Society and Bethlehem’s Bretzfelder Park Committee, who work in conjunction to manage the park.

Priscilla Didio will lead the guided tour of the trail. Didio is a local naturalist and a teacher at Bethlehem Elementary School and helped design the trail’s interpretive signs and develop the trail as an interactive learning activity that appeals to all ages. For more information about the trail and the tour, check The Rocks calendar.  

***

On August 15, the Bretzfelder Series continues with a program on the Owls of New Hampshire, as the Forest Society welcomes a naturalist and live owls from Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. 

The program will cover myths and facts about various owl species, as well as the habitat needs of owls. Check our calendar for additional details.

***

The summer Bretzfelder Series concludes August 22 with a demonstration of wild lands firefighting. District Forest Ranger Steve Sherman will lead the demonstration, with wardens from the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands and members of the Bethlehem Fire Department assisting. The firefighters will demonstrate how they use special tools, equipment and tactics to fight wildfires.

Weather permitting, the firefighters will conduct a live demonstration with a fire at the park. More information about the demonstration is on our calendar.

Oh, Christmas Tree – Shearing & Pruning at The Rocks

Chances are your thoughts are far from the chilly days of winter as you enjoy summer… but at The Rocks Estate, Christmas and Christmas trees are always on our minds!

Trimming the top...

In July and August our staff is busy in the field, basal pruning and shearing our thousands of fir trees by hand. Pruning and shearing help ensure that our trees grow into the lovely symmetrical Christmas trees our customers look for come the holidays.

We start shearing – shaping each tree by trimming its sides, and cutting buds from the top whorl to prevent multiple top branches – the first week of July. With more than 50,000 trees growing in our fields, it takes us all summer, right through to September, to complete this job.  

...and the bottom.

When a tree has been in the field for three years, we also basal prune, cutting the lower branches to a height of 6- to 10-inches from the ground. This allows better air flow around the tree, which helps prevent disease. It also ensures that the lower branches are not broken or twisted and the trees are not shaken when we mow between rows. And, of course, it allows a smooth “handle” for the customer to place the Christmas tree stand come tree trimming time!

With a weather cycle of rain followed by high heat this summer, we’ve also been doing extra mowing around our trees. So, rest assured, we’re looking out year-round for your future Christmas trees and making sure they grow up fragrant and beautiful!

The Rocks Estate ~ A fun & unique place for group tours and parties

Looking for a great place to host a party, or a fun and unique group outing? Well, The Rocks Estate can help you entertain in style!

The Rocks is a beautiful, versatile venue for events and parties large and small. Whether you’re looking for a fun place to bring your youth group for hands-on learning about the local environment and agriculture or a picture-perfect setting for your wedding, we aim to please!

We welcome groups to The Rocks year-round and offer a variety of experiential tours and natural history programs customized to your party’s interests. This year we’ve already played host to a Maple Experience birthday party, a Girl Scout Troop visiting the area from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and a group touring the North Country in their antique cars.

The Rocks is also a popular venue for weddings. With unbeatable mountain scenery, beautiful formal gardens, and a versatile space to host large and small parties, we cater to brides and grooms to help make their wedding day one-of-a-kind special.

We invite you to call us (603-444-6228) or email to find out how we can help you create a wonderful party or group visit. Or just stop by The Rocks – the grounds and trails of the Estate are open year-round, dawn to dusk, and exploration is encouraged!

Wildlife Habitat Trail tour this weekend!

The natural world around us is bustling with activity this time of year. If you’d like to learn more about the myriad wildlife habitats in northern New Hampshire, the animals who live there, and what they’re doing as we approach summer, join us this Saturday at Bretzfelder Park in Bethlehem for a guided tour of the new Wildlife Habitat Trail.

The 1.5-mile trail traverses several habitats, including wetland, beaver marsh, spruce-fir forest, and deciduous forest. Colorful and descriptive signs along the way explain the habitats and the wildlife living there. The trail was created through collaboration between the town Bretzfelder Park Committee and the Society forthe Protection of New Hampshire Forests, which owns and manages both Bretzfelder Park and the nearby Rocks Estate.

"My children had so much fun learning about the different animals and trees in the habitats along the trail, looking for signs of the animals who live there, and just exploring the woods," said one recent visitor to the Wildlife Habitat Trail. "And the adults in our group were just as enthralled with the trail and the information we found there as the kids were."

The Wildlife Habitat Trail is one of several trails included in the 77-acre Bretzfelder Memorial Park, which serves as a year-round outdoor classroom.

“The trail is a fun way for children and adults to discover and explore the natural world in our area,” says Priscilla Didio, a local naturalist and teacher who helped to design the trail and the interpretive signs along the way. Didio will lead the tour of the Wildlife Habitat Trail this Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m.

For more information about the guided tour of the Wildlife Habitat Trail, please visit The Rocks Estate’s online calendar.