N.H. acquires land for ATV trail park

CONCORD, N.H. – State parks officials took ownership Friday of 7,200 acres in Berlin for a new state park expected to provide hundreds of miles of trails for all terrain vehicles.

“We’re very excited about the prospects,” said Amy Bassett, a spokeswoman for the state parks division. “We have been talking about it for a year or more.” Signing the paperwork came as a relief, she said.

Within the next few weeks, the state expects to acquire an additional 300 acres around Jericho Lake that the city of Berlin has agreed to donate to add to the new park.

Once that transfer is complete, the parks division can begin planning trails.

The park will be the first of its kind in New England.

The property already has about 60 miles of logging roads that could be opened as early as late May to ATVs. The Jericho Lake parcel includes parking and bathrooms for visitors.

“We’d probably use as many of the existing trails as we can,” Bassett said.

The department will assemble a committee of state, federal and local officials, along with ATV riders and other potential park users to decide how to lay out the trails, picnic areas and other uses.

“Our goal is to have a tentative recreational plan within the next few months,” Bassett said. The parks division also plans to seek public input on the design.

The deal calls for the state to pay loggers Tom and Scott Dillon $2.16 million for the property. The agreement allows the loggers to finish logging and to remove gravel in a few remaining areas. The state will pay the purchase price over the next five years with funds collected from ATV registration fees and some federal money.

Eventually, the state hopes to develop about 350 miles of off-road trails. Skiing, snowmobiling, camping, hiking, boating and swimming also will be incorporated in the park.

Berlin city officials championed the project and hope the ATV park will boost the local economy by drawing ATV riders from all over the northeast.