ahern state park

I visited this park in November to check it as a possible place to kayak, walk along the lake, and just enjoy the summer once it comes around. From what I've read of previous reviews and now factoring in my own time there, I can see why it has remained "off the beaten path" and not as popular as other lake side parks.As many others have mentioned, the roads are not in good shape heading into this park. They are all gravel/dirt and riddled with potholes destine to tear up a compact car like mine. The main parking area is small, as are the spots where you can supposedly "pull up and drop right in" with your boat/kayak/etc. The beaches are also very small and not in the best shape.I will say that there are some nice views along the shore, and I enjoyed the walk between the two "beachy" areas, as you hug the shoreline and have nice views the whole time. However, I would definitely recommend the views and such of Lake Sunapee and Winnipesaukee over this one. My overall reaction to this park was definitely "meh."

The road in is in really bad shape, and there are not clear directions as to where the beach is located. When we finally found it, all you could smell was the horrible odor coming from the port-a-potty. There was trash everywhere. The beach is very isolated, and there was a guy sitting in a pick up truck doing something on a laptop, gave us a really dirty look when we drove up...we didn't stay. I was glad we didn't because on the way out we saw a small sign saying that after a hard rain, no one should swim in the water because of bacteria. yeah...NO. Much better places to swim. Surprised that the state of NH doesn't take better care of this place.

if you like mountain biking and want something close to laconia, then Ahern is the place to go. not a terribly large course but what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality. there are a lot of nonfunctioning old wooded jumps along the trails but the trails them selves are beautifully cut single track with twists/turns small cliff jumps and a host of other variations. there is a trail map somewhere on the web for most of the trails but its not super necessary. if you get lost just keep going. you will eventually find a bordering road or carriage trail which circles a large part of it.

This is a very small, hardly maintained state park. It does offer a couple of small beaches at the end of a hard to find rough dirt road. And it does offer privacy if you're looking to get off the beaten path. The trails are so poorly maintained that they are almost unusable so people tend to walk the dogs on the beach and water - and not everyone cleans up. Some days are better than others, but all days offer peace and quiet.

Undeveloped is correct, which is both good and bad. There are lots of possibilities if you're looking for a secluded spot on the shore, but Achuvak is correct that the beach is tiny (the 2nd beach is almost non-existent - see my photo). And it is hard to find even with a gps. There are virtually no signs - I drove past the entrance twice before actually seeing it. So that means that it remains a secret, except to the locals, and there were lots of locals walking their dogs here, in spite of the "pets not permitted" policy. So I doubt the water is very clean.I would have to disagree strongly that the two beaches are "great for all water activities" and that there are "miles of trails for hiking and biking". There is one hiking trail loop of about a mile and a half and mountain bikers have developed an informal network of more trails within the loop.So if you are a dog walker or a mountain biker, or like me just want to discover a peaceful stretch of undeveloped lakeshore, this park can be a good choice. For a beach experience, try Weirs Beach or Ellacoya State Park nearby.

the place is hard to find on many gps or google maps. we went with 4 little kids (2 and 4 years olds). the beach cant accomodate more than 8 people. the road to beach is quite long and rough with many potholes.

before it was a state park, it was the laconia state school. In the 80s the state closed the state school and intergrated the residents into the community. The waterfront has two beaches great for all water activitys, It also has miles of trails for hiking and biking. this is the real New Hampshire, undevloped lake front. The locals have always called it secret beach because the torist never knew it was there