Ride The Wilds: Where to ride

For years you have heard us tout how expansive the Paiute Trail System in Utah is and how extensive the Hatfield-McCoy trails in West Virginia are. More recently, we brought you a story talking about the hundreds of miles of trails in eastern Tennessee that shouldn’t be missed. Well, the latest massive trail system to catch our eye is the Ride the Wilds Trail System found in Coos County, New Hampshire. Geographically, Ride the Wilds is just south of the U.S./Canada border; south of Quebec and east of Montreal in rural New Hampshire. The system has five portals, each offering different riding opportunities, but all connected by the Ride the Wilds corridor system. They are the southeastern portal, Gorham/ Berlin; the mideastern portal, Errol; the midwestern portal, Stewartstown/ Colebrook/Stratford; the northern portal, Pittsburg; and the southwestern portal, Lancaster/Groveton. One major event takes place in the region once a year, which is the Jericho ATV Jamboree in Berlin on August 1st. Several small ATV-related festivals take place in the region throughout the summer, including the popular Moose Festival in Colebrook. This year marks the fifth annual jamboree, and rumor has it you will be able to demo the latest Polaris RZR or ACE here, which they will release in July.

RIDE THE WILDS
Unlike the Hatfield-McCoy trails and the Paiute system, which are largely designed, marked and maintained by one government agency within their respective states, Ride the Wilds is a collective grassroots effort between dozens of not-for-profit riding clubs. These groups, along with a majority of the local businesses that these trails pass through, did the legwork on their own, setting up the initial trail system and then more recently starting a plan to connect them all. Harry Brown, president of the New Hampshire Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle Association, told us, “The process began in September 2011. At that time the local lumber economy was pretty much dead around here, so getting help from local businesses to help keep the economy flowing was less difficult than it would have been if we had a healthy economy. The hard part was modifying laws, such as allowing ATVs on rural public roadways and doing land swaps to make sure we could use the interconnecting roads between the trail systems and get access on state highways so the ATV riders could reach the services in towns along the system.” Along with great ATVing, this area also hosts whitewater rafting, the Cog Railway up Mount Washington, ziplines, mountain biking and horseback riding.

TEAMWORK
The list of ATV clubs directly involved with the project includes Androscoggin Valley ATV Club, Canaan Border Riders, Colebrook Ski-Bees Snowmobile Club, Great North Woods Riders ATV Club, Kilkenny Trail Riders, Metallak ATV Club, Millsfield ATV Club, North Country ATV Club, Pittsburg Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club, Presidential OHRV Club, Stratford Nighthawks, Sunset Riders ATV Club, Swift Diamond Riders Snowmobile Club, Umbagog ATV Club, and the Umbagog Snowmobile Association.

While the clubs build, expand and maintain the system, all four of the chambers of commerce have the primary responsibility of marketing the system. They include Androscoggin Valley Chamber of Commerce, the North Country Chamber of Commerce, the North Gateway Regional Chamber and the Twin Mountain Bretton Woods Chamber of Commerce.

All of the towns along the trail system welcome OHVs (or ORHVs as they call it) and are completely user-friendly, allowing direct access via machines to services such as fuel stations, restaurants, lodging, garages, etc., and have plenty of parking for trucks and trailers. That list includes starting at the North Portal, Pittsburg, Stewartstown, Colebrook, Columbia, Stratford, Groveton, Lancaster, Gorham, Berlin, Milan and Errol.

TRAILS
The system consists of old and current logging roads, designated ATV routes and shared snowmobile trails. The trails meander next to everything from rolling countrysides to dense woods. In the connecting towns that utilize town roads for access to their communities, there is a 10-mph speed limit. For the most part, speeds are kept moderate on the trails, with a maximum allowable speed of 35 mph or what is posted, and the difficulty level is rated from easy to moderate. This is not a place to race test a RZR or train for the GNCC season. It’s a place to cover a lot of ground, view tons of wildlife and experience this part of the county at a leisurely pace. According to Buddy Dion, who is president of the New Hampshire ATV Club, one of the 20 clubs in the state of New Hampshire that belong to the NHOHRVA, he says, “The trails are as good as they are anywhere in the county. The trails run through mountainous terrain, but don’t have the big drop-offs or switchbacks like you see in Utah or West Virginia.” Buddy and several members of the NHATV Club were the first riders to make the four-day trek from the southernmost part of the system in Berlin up to the top at Pittsburg and back just after the system officially opened in June 2013. Any time of year, chances are good that you will see moose, deer or possibly bears and other large animals in this part of the country. The trails typically open around Memorial Day after the snow melts, and stays open throughout the summer into early fall. Some trails do have year-round access.

ARRIVE AND RIDE
If you don’t live in the Northeast but still want to experience this massive ride area, you are only an airplane ticket away. Coos County is situated right between Portland, Maine, and Burlington, Vermont, which both have major airports. However, the easiest drive from an airport is Boston/Manchester Regional. From there it is an easy trip up 1-93. Most towns have ATV-friendly hotels or bed-and-breakfast lodging. Just in time for the fall color change, you could fly in, grab a rental car, pick your destination, and rent an ATV or take a guided ride through the wilds. Our contact section has a list of rental outfits and guides to choose from. Plus, there is a list of local clubs that offer detailed maps of their particular trail systems. For lodging help, contact the local chamber of commerce, which is also listed. If you do go, please send us a postcard. If you need more info to plan your trip, visit www.ridethewilds.org or www.face book/northcountryorhv.

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