Ahern State Park — Attraction in Laconia

Ahern is LOVELY. Its one of the best places for locals to go swimming in the summer, and one of the only beaches that allow dogs in the Lakes Region! The trails are great for hiking and mountain biking, (as long as you bring some bug spray of course)! This would have been a five star review, but recently the town has roped off a road, effectively closing access to half of the beach areas. We can still park right by this rope and walk down, though; the walk isn't really an issue unless you brought a ton of stuff for a full beach day with a family or something. The real problem this rope causes is it prevents police cars from patrolling the right half of Ahern's beaches... So be careful if you head out that way. Empty beer cans, tons of used needles, and piles of trash decorate the trails and sandy shores. Back when the road was accessible by car, and therefore regularly patrolled, finding a needle or a beer can was rare. Now they are practically a part of the scenery. It is worth a visit on a hot day, just wear your shoes in the water, and keep a close eye...

Great, beautiful, & scenic area for walking, hiking, biking and swimming. The Main beach area was nice, a little bit small. But, you can go nearby to the first trail head on the right and there are many areas that branch off that have small sandy and fantastic swimming areas. I took my 2 daughters (10 & 13) and dog and we ventured a short way off the path and had our very own swimming area. The water was clean and not weedy. Note: Dogs are not allowed in the main beach swimming area. We had excellent time and picked up after ourselves and our pet. We had people to the right of us who did the same. **I hope people continue to be responsible and pick up after themselves and their pets as this was a great find to be able to have the whole family (dog included) enjoy the water...

Absolutely beautiful spot! I was feeling a little bit discouraged about checking this place out because of 1 bad review i saw..but i am so glad i chose to go! The beach area...while it is pretty small...it was super clean with soft sand. The water is crystal clear and the atmosphere is just so relaxing. My kids really enjoyed it and are asking to go back again ! I recommend getting there fairly early as the small beach area can fill up by noon time. Parking fills up pretty quick right at the beach area. Kids loved it so much cause we able to use our pool floats in the...