Gilford

Gilford is located in Belknap County near Lake Winnipesaukee and the shores of Ellacoya State Park. Once part of Gilmanton called Gunstock Parish, the town was named for a key battle at the end of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina. Sargent Lemuel B. Mason, who had fought in that battle and had retired in Gunstock Parish, successfully proposed incorporation of a new town to be named Gilford in 1812. North Carolina's Guilford Court House has long since been renamed Martinsville.

Alpine skiing became popular in the 1930’s, and Gilford was the destination of the first famed “snow train” transporting skiers from Boston to what is now the Gunstock Ski Mountain. Some of the first ski trails and the state’s first motorized ski lift, a gasoline powered rope tow erected in 1934, were situated on the western slope of Gunstock Mountain, just off Belknap Mountain Road.

Visitors will enjoy skiing the northern slopes of the Belknap Mountain range at the Gunstock Recreational Area. Visitors will also enjoy many Lakes Region sights and activities, such as: a cruise on the Mount Washington Cruises, a scenic train ride on the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad, or the waterslides at Weirs Beach.