Jericho Mountain State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jericho Mountain State Park |
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Jericho Lake, fall 2006
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| Location | Berlin, Coos County, New Hampshire |
| Area | 7,493 acres (3,032 ha) |
| Elevation | 1,509 ft (460 m) |
| Established | 2005 |
| Administered by | New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation |
| Designation | New Hampshire state park |
| Website | Jericho Mountain State Park |
Jericho Mountain State Park, also called Jericho Lake State Park, is a fun place to visit in the White Mountains. You can find it in Berlin, New Hampshire, in the United States. This park is perfect for outdoor adventures!
At Jericho Mountain State Park, you can ride ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles on special trails. It's also a great spot for camping, swimming, fishing, and canoeing in Jericho Lake. You can even have a picnic there!
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Park History
Jericho Mountain State Park was created in 2005. The state of New Hampshire bought two pieces of land to make the park. One was a 230-acre city park around Jericho Lake. The other was a large 7,200-acre private property to the south.
How Jericho Lake Was Made
The city park started in the 1970s when Jericho Lake was built. This lake is a special kind of reservoir called a flood control reservoir. It helps control the water flow of the Dead River. This stops floods in downtown Berlin, which is downstream.
Next to the lake, the city added a small park. It had a beach, changing rooms, picnic areas with grills, and a shelter. People still use this shelter for events today.
ATV Trails Begin
The state park system bought the large private land to create something new. It became the first place in New Hampshire with a network of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trails on state land. The park is named after Jericho Mountain, which is 2,454 feet tall. The mountain is just outside the park to the east.
Early Days in Jericho
Long ago, the Jericho area had many logging camps and sawmills. These were places where trees were cut down and turned into wood. In 1837, a logging camp caught fire. Sadly, three early settlers of Berlin died in that fire: Samuel Phipps, Thomas Wheeler, and his brother Amos.
ATV and Snowmobile Trails
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Jericho Mountain State Park has about 50 to 60 miles of ATV trails. It's the main state-owned area for ATV riding in New Hampshire. Many of these ATV trails also become snowmobile trails in the winter.
Local clubs help take care of the trails. The Androscoggin Valley ATV club and the White Mountain Ridge Runners Snowmobile club, both from Berlin, support the trail system. The ATV club also hosts the Jericho ATV festival every summer near Jericho Lake. They are mostly in charge of keeping the ATV trails in good shape.
Expanding the Trail System
The park's ATV trails first opened in 2005. They were made even bigger in 2010. New trails were added on the Head Pond land, across Route 110.
In 2009, the city of Berlin opened a new trail on city roads. This trail connects the Jericho park trails through downtown Berlin to the Success Pond ATV trail. The Success Pond trail is on the northeastern side of town.
In 2012, the Presidential OHRV Club from Gorham opened two more connecting trails. These trails link Jericho park and downtown Berlin to the Presidential Rail Trail Moose Brook parking area in Gorham. In 2013, Gorham allowed ATVs to ride on parts of Routes 2 and 16 in Gorham village. Thanks to these new connections, riders can easily get to food, gas, and places to stay in Berlin and Gorham.
By 2014, the city of Berlin opened all city streets in its main area for ATV use. This means riders can use city streets to reach trails and businesses.
Ride the Wilds Network
In 2013, as part of the "Ride the Wilds" project, a new ATV club started. The Sunset Riders ATV club from Success opened a new trail system. This system connects Success Pond to the Millsfield trail system in Errol.
Now, riders at Jericho park can ride to many towns without needing a trailer. These towns include Gorham, Berlin, Errol, Millsfield, Colebrook, Stewartstown, Pittsburg, Columbia, Stratford, Groveton, and Lancaster. You can even ride to Maine (with a Maine registration) and Vermont (New Hampshire registration works for the Canaan Commerce Trail).
