Major Northern NH ATV trail system grand opening

[peakbagger]

I am not an ATV user and have mixed experience with them over the years but like any other sport there are the folks who follow the rules responsibly and a minority that tend to cause a lot of issues and gather a lot attention. It also didn't help that the industry was pushing the image of irresponsible use previously. The early snow machine users had similar issues and most states approaches to dealing with the problems was to encourage the construction of trail networks and groom them well so that the majority of users stick to the winter trails. NH's approach to ATVs has been to use a similar approach, implementing a surcharge on the license fees to buy land outright and buy rights for major ATV routes. This grand opening is a major indicator of the success of the approach.

http://www.conwaydailysun.com/index...rand-opening-of-atv-trail-planned-for-june-15

I expect some will argue that ATV's should be banned outright and have establish stereotypes of typical users but my observations to date is that the majority of those on the trail networks appear to be responsible folks out to enjoy the woods. The local businesses and economy definitely appreciate the effort as is effectively turns their seasonal snow related businesses into more of a year round effort (the trails are shut down in spring and late fall after hunting season). In the Berlin and Gorham area several businesses have opened specifically to cater to users. Unlike hikers, ATV's tend to make more on an impact to the local economy as they tend to stay in motels or established campgrounds and use the local restaurants. Additionally the new trail network is largely north of RT 2 and outside of the WMNF so it does not impact the majority of the hiking public and runs through an area that has been devastated by the loss of manufacturing and jobs so any economic stimulus to a depressed area is always a plus.

Another thing to note is that somewhat like the snow machine industry, the ATVs are slowly adapting to be more suited for use on trail than off trail with some getting to be the size of small jeeps. I think this is a plus as the bigger they get, the less likely they will fit on hiking rails and be able to sneak past boulders on closed roads.

It will be interesting to see how the ATV industry deals with the one major issue that still seems to plague the snow machine industry which is that aluminum cans, unlike the snow they are thrown in don't melt. My experience is that when hiking to areas serviced by snow machine trails that the ground is littered with cans generally at intersections and logical stopping points usually at vistas. I guess its out of sight and out of mind when there is snow on the round but I hope the ATVers figure out that throwing their empties along the routes make an impact. I expect a few entrepreneurs will figure out if its an issue and go on "can patrols".

It would be interesting to hear of any observations from folks who are involved with the ATV industry (I believe Andrew from Gorham is involved with supporting the efforts).

 

[RoySwkr]

It would be nice to see a map of that 1000 miles of trail, but one state park page is a broken link and the other has 100 miles at most. The RTW website is still just a placeholder.

 

[Vermonster]

There is a pretty good map of the trails in the Colebrook/Dixville area here: http://www.metallakatvclub.com/trails/trail-map

I wish the group luck, but think the challenges presented by the bad-behaved minority will be much more challenging than with snow machines. ATV damage remains apparent for many years. Evidence of snow machine indescretions are typically gone when the snow melts.

Enforcement will be a real challenge. Fish and Game has responsibility and Region One (Lancaster) is currently short several officers.

The trend toward larger machines (side-by-sides, etc.) is real. My concern is they will just build bigger trails into remote areas. This is exactly what just happened at Nathan Pond (Dixville).

 

[TDawg]

How does this all intermingle with the Coos trail? Share any woods roads?

 

[Breeze]

My " guess" is that this is a case of " time will tell". On the one hand, its great that a new seasonal niche market has come into play for a part of Northern NH that ( believes that it) has very few other marketing opportunities.

On another hand, Berlin has opened some city streets to OHRV ( ATV) traffic, and there is a push on to open the lower section of Main Street ( Rt 2) in Gorham and possibly the section of rt 16 from Jim Town RD back to Main Street, to ATV's, so that the motels and restaurants in Gorham can share in this new " tourism opportunity."

ATV's can access the trail system from the Trestle bridge over the Androscoggin in Gorham, that takes them over to Hogan Rd. on the east side of the river, from there they can travel north to the larger trail system.

Not sure I'm liking adding ATV traffic to what are essentially main thoroughfares, but even though I travel the same roads, I don't LIVE there, so I won't be included in that local discussion.

If the GRAND vision of having this massive influx of ATV tourism is going to come to fruition, with folks from ALL OVER THE NORTHEAST coming to play in this new park , then I "think" we are also going to see some continuing evolution concerning registration reciprocity for OHRV's. Currently NH has reciprocity with VT, but there is also a relatively new change that allows an " event permit" purchase , whereby the "event holder" can sell "event tickets " to anyone, regardless of the state registration formality. How that is going to play out in the " GRAND" scheme of things remains to be seen.

More than a few years ago now, the Mt Washington Auto Road changed it's policy concerning ATV's, and stopped allowing them on a daily/individual/anytime rider basis. ATV Clubs may hold Events, but only under stringent and certain circumstances, including an insurance bond carried by the event holder. The reasons for that change were basically 3... first, the aggressive nature of ATV tires was damaging to the gravel sections of the AR, and second, some folks simply could not resist the temptation to take their machines OFF ROAD into the WMNF, and third, that enforcement of the most basic State Laws concerning conditions of use while riding on private property or USFS land was held in huge disrespect.

So here I stand, on the one hand hoping that this goes well, and on the other hand wondering whether this is an " evolution" of a new tourism market, or just an erosion of the North Woods. Conflicted, for sure.

Breeze

 

[erugs]

Forty years ago I was an avid off-road motorcyclist. I never liked scrambles or motocross or riding around in a closed loop course. I competed in Enduros, participated in Turkey runs, and even organized one called The Ammonoosuc River Turkey Run, which started in Bethlehem and looped 90 or so miles down and around as far as Bath and back. I know that even 'way back then organizers of events were concerned about noise and erosion and crowding and safety. We had to wear helmets. Standards were set for noise levels and if you didn't pass the test you couldn't ride. With more and more communities seeing higher development, there are fewer and fewer places for this type of activity. Riding is not just sitting down and speeding. I used to come back bruised, and feeling pretty battered up; just like in hiking it, was hard on the body. Enduros are endurance trials. They run about 100 miles but the rider must maintain a speed average and is docked points if coming into one of a half dozen surprise checkpoints along the way either early or late. I'm glad if there are good and proper places for them to ride given overcoming objections others see. Especially noise.

 

[sdways01]

As someone who visits the top of the state regularly to snowmobile and ATV ride as well as hike, I can't wait to check out the new trails and look forward to being able to link more places together. I admit that there will always be a few bad apples, I have seen ATV riding up north as being pretty well behaved. With the growing number and size of clubs, things are well marked and well monitored by the club (they don't want it shut down after all). Trails have a 25 mph speed limit with can help cut down on noise and dust problems out in the woods. Typically in town, the speed limit is 10 mph. And where you are allowed to ride on the roads, you are only allowed to do so far to the right. Pittsburg has had many roads open to ATVs in the summer for a few years and it has worked quite well for them so far.

From what I have read and seen, much of the trails are built on existing trails, logging roads, and abandoned RR beds. This makes cutting "new" trails minimal hopefully. I do remember also a trade off of sorts in one area that allowed the trail to go into a different path so that the state could then take over the earlier location as it was a more sensitive environment and they wanted to protect it.

I see this new trail system really helping out businesses in town. Like on snowmobiles, ATVs need to fill up on gas, the riders want food and drinks, and they rent cabins or rooms all over town. Being able to ride from the front door is a big selling point up north when it comes to snowmobiling and I figure will be with ATVs too. All riders I have met would much prefer that they don't need to load the machine into the truck/trailer every time they want to ride, stop to eat, or fill up on gas. I know a few people that have bought property or camps up north and specifically looked for trail access from them.

Enjoying the sport, I hope it all goes well for everyone. Only time will tell though.

 

[Andrew]

Speaking solely as a resident of Coos and observations while exploring and recreating and chatting with friends who are motorized in the woods.

Most problems with this use occur when legitimate opportunities are not provided, thus all the experiences we have all had of trespass and mindless environmental destruction. Often any problems on the legitimate trails and trespass is the same old story of restless kids (I was one once). I am actually surprised that the majority of riders are often more respectful of rules and trail closures than hikers. When I hear of a major closure the riders often just say "it is what it is" and find an alternative route (not exclusive- those restless kids and adult hotheads ignore). Try and temporarily close a hiking trail and it turns into a huge ethical entitlement debate with threats to the land managers.

With that said, as a resident of Coos I am very concerned that the current momentum to open up more and more atv mileage is being done by a very small group without much public input and planning and is basically being crammed down our throats, partly due to economic desperation in the region. For someone who enjoys the North Country often more than the Whites, it's getting harder and harder to avoid the buzz and stench; you too may soon be able to enjoy the racket while trying to enjoy a cup of coffee at the White Mt Café or awaken from your motel snooze as the group is trying to open the streets of Gorham to atv's. This loop is great and the riding park hubs are needed, but it does not need to be everywhere in this county and needs better planning.

 

[sdways01]

it's getting harder and harder to avoid the buzz and stench;

As someone who snowmobiles up north a lot in the winter, I can relate to this fully. There is almost no time of day (even at night) that you can't hear a snowmobile. But one good thing the ATV trails have is that most trail systems won't allow riding after sunset and before sunrise. Granted in June this is still a lot of time where they can ride, but it is at least limited some to help.

I do agree as well that it seems riders are better behaved when there is an established system of trails to ride rather than trying to find random paths through the woods.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Not much to add here since I am not an ATVer. I just wanted to say that up in Pittsburg that they have a well planned and organized trail system for ATVs. There seems to be little problems in the community with it. I've done some hiking in Pittsburg and never encountered an ATV in any of my travels.

 

[peakbagger]

There are some serious abuses of the rules on Success Pond road which is closed to ATVs with the exception of a very short section. It was hiking one day at the Success Trail and the road was constantly abuzz with ATV traffic several miles north of the section that is open. When I drove out the road was a constant cloud of dust from motorcross bikes and ATVs racing.

I am not fan of having them on the main road in Gorham. Gorham is choke point of two major highways and during tourist season traffic is already very slow. The state law is that if the road is one lane, then the ATV is occupying the one lane so vehicular traffic cannot pass. This slows the traffic down as many ATV riders do not drive the posted limit and don't seem to understand basic traffic rules. I have observed this on RT 110 which is currently open to ATVs and the Berlin PD have written tickets to enforce this. A designated ATV lane would be an alternative but would wipe out on street parking which many businesses and residents depend on. There is rather nice "multimodal route" that is extremely underutilized but it was built with federal funds that have strict provisions against its use for motorized vehicles, so the logical access to Gorham is blocked by this route.

In general enforcement of the rules is essential but I don't see the state or a local entity stepping up to enforce, so it ends up as another low level priority for the Fish and Game folks I expect.

 

[sdways01]

The state law is that if the road is one lane, then the ATV is occupying the one lane so vehicular traffic cannot pass. This slows the traffic down as many ATV riders do not drive the posted limit and don't seem to understand basic traffic rules.

In that case, it could also be a confusion of what the speed limit for ATVs is. Most trails in NH have a speed limit of 25 mph and all the roads I have been on where ATVs are allowed are typically posted at 10 mph for ATVs (and typically you ride on the side to be more out of the way). Also remember, that 30 mph, 40mph, or whatever is far different on an ATV than in a car. The ATV tires are low air pressure (6 psi or so typically) and don't handle the same on asphalt since they are designed for dirt. Would you rather see the ATV driving recklessly or have to stop for an accident involving one. Not trying to start anything or be a jerk, but if they aren't going over the speed limit, they aren't really doing anything wrong (just like slow driver in a car).

 

[peakbagger]

I will have to check Rt110, I think the section shared by ATVs appears to be 25 MPH but may be 35 in one section up near where the trail turns out on the highway (after last year they may have changed the speed limit). I agree that forcing an ATV to go at a speed the driver is not comfortable or capable is not the answer. Having all the traffic follow them at 10 MPH is also not practical. Most ATVs I observed rode to the side of the road and it would make sense that a car could pass them if they weren't going the limit, but Berlin PD was ticketing cars who did pass ATVers last year. Thus the potential problem with traffic backup. RT 110 is quite wide until the public works garage then it chokes down and the subsequent city streets are every narrower with on street parking. Most are not major truck routes but some are.

Folks are forgetting that the traffic in Berlin is at low point currently, the new biomass plant is going to have 50 plus chip trucks a day heading into town mostly during daylight hours and RT 110 is one of the two major routes they will take to get there. RT 110 is being rebuilt but the choke point will remain.

 

[Breeze]

I am not a fan of having ATV traffic on Maine St in Gorham , either. If the T and C is left out of the allowance because it is actually just over the Shelburne line, the concentration/ pinch of ATV's will be from the Royalty to the trestle bridge. If the T And C is included in the allowance, than the ATV's will also be riding over the Peabody River bridge. As you say, Peakbagger, Maine Street on Gorham is one lane each way except at the intersection of 16 south, and again at the Rt 2 traffic light, but through traffic on Main Street will be impacted in both directions.

The proposal I read stated that ATV traffic would be limited to the signed 30 mph speed limit area, which is in effect from the Easterly Gorham line to just past the trestle.

I totally understand Andrews comment about the economic desperation in the area driving this consideration. I know nobody wants to be left out of an opportunity to increase their bottom line. I do live in Maine ( Gilead West Bethel line ) , but I work in Pinkham Notch, so I do patronize businesses and services in Gorham simply because I am already there even though I am not a resident, so I am concerned.

Breeze

 

[sdways01]

I don't spend much time in Gorham since I normally come up from the south and don't have a lot of need to go through town. I can fully see how the streets you are describing could get choked down with more traffic or slower moving ATVs. Most of the places I have been able to ride on the roads with my ATV either have area off the pavement to ride, a sidewalk the ATVs are allowed on (Groveton) while avoiding people, or on side roads or roads that see very little use. It sounds like it would be nice to have an area along the side, but that isn't feasible. Providing access to businesses downtown certainly makes sense though from the business owner and ATV rider perspective though. Maybe they can find a better route for the ATVs, or if this takes off well enough their own bridge or path like many snowmobile trails have in the north country.

 

[Chip]

, it's getting harder and harder to avoid the buzz and stench;

Smells like money. I've said before I appreciate efforts to improve economic activity. The alternative is raising taxes and watching towns die.

I like the idea of trails for ATVs; there are certainly plenty for sleds. Has anyone been in Jericho Mtn SP during the summer ? I don't know if that's well utilized. It doesn't seem to be in the winter,

 

[sdways01]

I like the idea of trails for ATVs; there are certainly plenty for sleds. Has anyone been in Jericho Mtn SP during the summer ? I don't know if that's well utilized. It doesn't seem to be in the winter,

I have never been myself, but know of multiple clubs and groups that have gone. They also host yearly events there too in the summer. I imagine it gets much less use in winter due to the shear number of miles of trails for snowmobiles. There are so many other places to ride, they don't need to go there. ATVs are currently more limited on permitted riding areas, so they are more likely to visit each of the clusters of existing trail systems. This interconnected system might change that though.

 

[peakbagger]

Jericho is usually busy every weekend. The cabins and campsites are in demand. The parking lot on RT 2 in Gorham is full most nice weekends. with at lease one rental company doing guided runs.

The crowd is similar to the winter snow machine crowd. Large newer model trucks and SUVs with trailer that hold multiple ATVs

 

[Andrew]

My biggest concern regarding the Gorham proposal is safety and congestion; as a resident it is already very difficult to get around to conduct daily business with the traffic congestion. 3-4 years into Berlin roads being open very few riders and highway vehicle drivers seem to know the rules for what the heck your supposed to do; I observe this on an almost daily basis. I spend a lot of time up in Jericho during the summer and it is difficult to hear myself think.

 

[Chip]

I spend a lot of time up in Jericho during the summer and it is difficult to hear myself think.

Andrew, what do you do there in the summer ? I can imagine it sounds like a NASCAR event in there.