New Hampshire park to welcome ATVs

BERLIN, N.H. — Almost from the moment the state approved buying land for a state park for all-terrain vehicles, the phones began ringing in City Hall.

Some callers wanted to know if the trails were open, others want to know if they could buy land nearby, said town planner Pam Laflamme.

State parks Director Allison McLean found herself peppered with questions at a regional meeting of state park directors — many of whom are struggling with growing demand for ATV trails in their own states.

As city and state officials are learning, you don't even have to build it before they come.

The purchase, which should be final by the end of January, would create a 7,500-acre state park with the potential for 350 miles of trails for ATVs. The first trails, on existing logging roads, could open as early as this spring, officials say.

The park will be the first of its kind in New England. The closest similar park is in West Virginia, though one is planned for a former strip mine in Cambria County in western Pennsylvania.

New Hampshire riders have long complained they have few places to ride, and conflicts between riders and private landowners have risen as ATV popularity has soared.

When the state last raised registration fees, it promised some of the money would go toward trail development. But resistance to adding ATV trails to existing state parks like Bear Brook stymied those efforts.

Then a logging company offered land in Berlin, and the state saw an opportunity to meet the demand in an area that welcomes ATVs. Even groups that have long opposed ATVs figure they're better off in an isolated area of Berlin than elsewhere in the state.

The city is donating 300 acres around Jericho Lake that will come equipped with bathrooms and parking. The state plans to improve the area this spring and open it to swimmers, boaters and other users this summer, according to McLean.

The park will be slightly larger than Crawford Notch State Park and more than twice the size of Monadnock State Park, but smaller than Bear Brook, in Allenstown.

Logging has removed most of the old growth, but many smaller trees remain and the hilly layout gives a sense of privacy as the road rises and falls. Most of the park is west of Route 110, but there are 1,610 acres on the east side, near Head Pond.

Steve Dayton operates a multimillion-dollar business renting ATVs at Pismo Beach, Calif. When he heard from family about the planned park, he saw a business opportunity and flew east to learn more.