Recreation

The public boat access at the south end of Conway Lake is on private land in Eaton, but is grandfathered access documented by the Public Water Access Advisory Board of NH Fish and Game (NH F&G) despite landowner requests to have it removed from their website. Managing parking around this access along Potter Road is an ongoing issue for Eaton town boards in an effort to keep this area from being overrun. It is also of interest to the Conway Lake Conservation Association due to its high risk for introducing invasive aquatic species to the lake.

Trails are an aspect of this category that is most relevant to Eaton. The Bureau of Trails, Division of Parks, offers advice and assistance on local trails, and administers grants to clubs and municipalities for construction and maintenance of motorized, nonmotorized, and multiple use recreational trails. Foss Mountain Trail is the only official trail in Eaton though there are many good walks along the gravel roads in town.

Foss Mountain is a highly regarded day hike due to its fully exposed peak which allows for 360° views for miles around. Informational kiosks are placed at three locations on the Foss trail to inform visitors about the history, forestry, farming and wildlife of our area. Managing increased use of Foss Mountain will be a continuing challenge due to its impact on the environment.

Ice fishing and hunting are other recreational activities that may have an impact on natural resources, as well as cross country skiing, snowmobiling, ATVs, and mountain bikes.

The NH Fish and Game Department was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assess the impacts of recreational trails on wildlife in New Hampshire. The approach was to review current published research, establish parameters, and develop a geospatial analysis tool to help with trail planning. The GIS process was used to assess the impact of existing trails and will provide information to help plan new trails (or relocations) that minimize disturbance to wildlife. The initial work was done in 2017 and updated in 2020. The map below uses the color spectrum to show which areas for new trails would have the most impact on the environment at the red end of the spectrum to potential trail areas with the least impact at the blue end. The yellow and green areas have medium impact.