Eastman's Winter Gets Built by Its Neighbors

Eastman Golf Links now lists itself as "Closed for the season." The Cross Country Center's page still says "Page under construction, updated info coming soon!" The weeks between those two notices have no set length, because Eastman relies on natural snow. Last November, a Granite Post guide to New Hampshire ski openings said the opening depends on the weather because Eastman has no snowmaking. In the meantime, much of the work that makes an Eastman winter happen is done by the people who will enjoy it.

The volunteer trail days, the planning meetings and Grantham's new indoor golf room are all examples.

Three Saturdays on the Trails

The Eastman Community Association's winter page lists Annual Fall/Winter Trail Maintenance Days on October 17, October 24 and October 31, 2026. The event details sit behind the member login, so the schedule and tasks are on the Eastman app or website rather than in public listings.

The scale explains why three Saturdays are on the calendar. The Cross Country Center covers 24 miles of groomed trails in two areas, plus a lighted skating rink and a groomed sledding hill. Trail Finder's entry for the Lake Trails Group says the trails are owned by the association and "maintained by the association and dedicated community volunteers."

Planning runs alongside the physical work. The ECA's Winter Sports Subcommittee meets on October 14, November 11 and December 9. By the time the first grooming pass goes out, the season will have been talked over at three meetings and worked on for three weekends.

The Lake Trails, Before They Become Ski Trails

October is the last stretch when the lake loop works mainly as a walking route. Trail Finder lists the Lake Trails Group as a 5.5-mile network around Eastman Lake, with no fee and leashed pets allowed. Its segment-by-segment description reads like a fall walking guide:

• South Cove to West Cove, trail #6. Popular with joggers and lined with ferns. Eastman's flattest, easiest paths circle the West Cove Inlet, and you can continue past Cove Drive to the dam at Mill Pond.
• West Cove to North Cove. Views of the lake and its three islands, several small bridges, and a waterfall about halfway along the west side.
• North Cove to East Cove. Best known for pink lady's-slippers in spring. Just north of East Cove, a spur leads to "The Rock," which has a view up and down the whole lake.
• East Cove to South Cove. Runs under stands of eastern hemlock.
• West Cove Hillside Trail. Starts above the Cove Drive parking area. A longer loop climbs the hill around a stone wall, with three benches along the way.
• Bright Slope Trail, #7. Connects the Lake Trail to Deer Path, trail #8, crossing a rocky outcrop that, per Trail Finder, "requires care if icy."

The fall rules are short. Trails are open dawn to dusk. Dogs are welcome through fall if they're under control. Hunting, fires and motorized vehicles aren't allowed. Free parking permits and restrooms are at The Center on Club House Lane, off Greensward Drive.

Those rules are about to change. Once the snow arrives, trail #6 is groomed for skiing. The ECA asks walkers to stay off groomed trails and points hikers and snowshoers to two ungroomed routes, Heath Forest and Bright Slope. In winter, dogs are allowed only on trails marked dog-friendly: #6 Lake Trail for skiing and Bright Slope for snowshoeing. The fern-lined path you walk this month is the same corridor that will carry ski tracks in a few weeks.

The Simulator an Eastman Golfer Built

Golfers lose the most when the course closes. Until last December, the nearest indoor option meant leaving town. According to the Valley News, John and Leslie Nesbitt moved to Eastman eight years ago with a view of the 18-hole course. Watching players go by got John onto the course himself, and the conversations there led to a business.

"Hanging around golfers I heard a lot of talk about the need for an indoor (golf) simulator."

That's how Nesbitt put it to the Valley News. The paper noted that golfers still talked about a simulator at Grantham Indoor, which closed in 2018 and is now a warehouse.

Another Round Indoor Golf Club opened on Saturday, December 13, 2025, and signed 25 members on its first day. It has two TrackMan simulators that project a course onto a curtain 14 feet wide and 9 feet high. Leslie Nesbitt told the paper that more than 400 courses are available, and every swing comes with data on curve, club speed, ball speed and spin rate. When checked for this post in October 2026, the club's website lists public bookings from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at $75 per hour, plus a $150 annual membership that lowers the hourly rate. Pricing has changed since opening, so check the site before booking.

Another Round follows the same pattern as the trail days. A resident heard what his neighbors were missing and built it in Grantham, about seven years after Grantham Indoor closed.

Forbes After the 19th Hole

The ECA describes Forbes Tavern and Events at The Center as Eastman's full-service, year-round restaurant and bar. It's open to the public as well as members. In season, the deck overlooks the 18th green, and Forbes serves as the "19th Hole." When the course closes, the deck drops off and the indoor rooms take over: the main tavern and the smaller Hearth Room. Forbes runs a schedule of live music, cornhole and trivia, with 12 beers on tap and a menu that changes with the season. The ECA also mentions Thanksgiving take-out, bourbon tastings, and Halloween and New Year's Eve events.

The weekly schedule on Forbes' events page is trivia on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and cornhole tournaments on Thursdays starting at 6. Add the ECA's own programs and Grantham's town events, and the next six weeks look like this:

Forbes lists its music by month and day without a year, so confirm before you go. The town details come from Grantham's event pages. Trunk or Treat has trunk-or-treating from 3 to 4:30 p.m., the dance from 4 to 6, and food trucks. Halloween night includes stops at the Town Building, Fire Station, Library and United Methodist Church. At the Holiday Tree Lighting, snacks and crafts run from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by caroling and the lighting itself.

When the Snow Decides

The work done this fall pays off on a day nobody can predict. When the Cross Country Center opens, its posted hours are Wednesday through Friday, 9 to 4, and Saturday and Sunday, 9 to 5. Trail, rink and sledding conditions are posted on Nordic Pulse. Property owners get skiing, skating and sledding through the Universal Amenity Program. When conditions allow, residents of nearby communities may use the rink and sledding hill during the center's operating hours.

Guests who want the trails can buy a pass. The ECA's posted rates are $20 for an adult full day, $17 for a half day after 12:30 p.m., and $150 for an adult season pass, or $325 for a family season pass. Ski packages rent for $22 a day, and the shop waxes skis for $13 a pair. An Indy Pass option is listed as coming soon. Passes are non-refundable, and the ECA recommends checking the trail report before buying a day pass.

Pamela Perkins tracks the Lake Sunapee region one lake at a time, and that includes the things that set Eastman's calendar apart: the volunteer days, the year-round tavern and the trails that switch from walking to skiing. If you'd like to talk through what your Eastman property offers across all four seasons, Pamela Perkins is glad to hear from you. Get in Touch.