New Hampshire is a Playground!

Outdoor Life

At New England College, there is no shortage of ways to enjoy the great outdoors of New Hampshire. From hiking to surfing, disc golf to snow tubing, New Hampshire has something everyone can enjoy!

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Adventure Bound Club

NEC’s Adventure Bound Club is dedicated to providing students, faculty, and staff with the unmatched experience of the outdoors. The club offers different trips throughout the year of varying skills and length—from rock climbing to white water rafting, to just taking a walk in the woods. Participants not only learn useful outdoor skills but also bring diversity to the club experience.

Adventure Bound offers in-house training for wilderness first aid; hard and soft skills; and team-building programs for groups, teams, and surrounding schools. The club specializes in Leave No Trace ethics, sustainability, and wilderness experiences. Adventure Bound provides ways for everyone to become involved and encourages everyone to try new things that enhance curiosity and personal growth within the outdoors.

Free Skiing and Snowboarding at Pats Peak

Whether you’re a skier, snowboarder, or tuber or just want to enjoy the fresh mountain air and beautiful scenery of the great outdoors, qualified undergraduate residential and undergraduate commuter NEC students enjoy free skiing and snowboarding at Pats Peak with their student ID. We also host a variety of events at the ski area, and it’s home to our NCAA alpine skiing team.

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Contoocook River

The Contoocook River flows NEC’s 220-acre Henniker campus. It provides opportunities for recreation, reflection, and application of classroom learning.

Disc Golf Course

Established in 2015, this course is a nine-hole, par 28 beginner–intermediate wooded course that circles around the ropes course. Students who would like to pick up the sport of disc golf can take a seven-week Introduction to Disc Golf class in the fall semesters, led by Cole Buschmann, one of NEC’s athletic trainers and a disc golf aficionado. Use of the disc golf course is free of charge, and students can sign out disc golf sets through Student Engagement. The course is at the end of Grove Street, right of of the West parking lot.

Ropes Course

Our state‐of‐the‐art high and low ropes courses are used for classes in outdoor leadership and education as well as co‐curricular programs which promote team building, leadership development, and communication skills. The course is at the end of Grove Street, right of the West parking lot.

Trails

NEC has five miles of woodland trails for snowshoeing, cross‐country skiing, hiking, and running. The trails are at the end of Grove Street, right of of the West parking lot.

Off-Campus Adventures

Cities | The cities here offer everything: a rising tech hub in Manchester;
delicious food; safety; shopping; and plenty of indoor activities like climbing gyms, fitness classes, museums, and galleries.

Snowsports | Beyond Pats Peak, you will find plenty of other options for winter fun around the state, from skiing and snowboarding to snowshoeing and tubing. Plus, it’s fun to hang out in the lodge.

Seacoast | New Hampshire has the shortest coastline in the country, but it packs in the fun. Enjoy paddleboarding, parasailing, surfing, fishing, and just walking on the beach.

White Mountains | Easy or expert, the “Whites” have hikes for everyone. There’s also rockclimbing, mountain biking, kayaking, charming towns, great food, and a vibe that will make you want to stay forever.

New England College Wilderness Trips

NEWT, short for New England College Wilderness Trips, is the outdoor orientation program for first-year students. The program is ideal for students interested in learning more about NEC through new experiences outdoors. This program is suitable for students of all backgrounds, regions, and experience levels. The outdoor orientation program is an excellent opportunity for students eager to begin their time at NEC in an exciting adventure where they will learn new things hands on and develop friendships that will last throughout their NEC experience.