Photo Courtesy of NH Grand.
The mountains and snowfields of Northern NH are the winter destination for skiers, hikers and snowmobilers. But when the snow doesn’t fall, such as this past winter, many of those outdoor enthusiasts don’t come, dealing an economic blow to the region. It’s one of the many reasons the region has been expanding its tourism offerings well beyond winter.
Coos County has always had pockets of off-season tourism including the grand hotels, hiking in the White Mountains, hunting and fishing, and snowmobiling. But Mark Belanger, manager of the NH Employment Security office in Berlin, says communities like Berlin that once identified as mill towns and didn’t offer much of a tourism component have sought to replace lost jobs with hospitality jobs. (Thousands of jobs were lost due to the closing of the Berlin and Groveton mills as well as other manufacturing facilities and ancillary businesses over the years.)
Among those efforts is Ride the Wilds, 1,000-plus miles of interconnected trails for all-terrain vehicles that wind through the North Country. The trails now attract ATV riders from early spring until late fall and they extend from the northernmost town of Pittsburg south to Gorham and most of the towns in between.
The closest comparable trail system is in West Virginia, says Karl Stone, marketing manager for both Northern Community Investment Corporation and the NH Grand marketing initiative. New Hampshire Grand, formed in 2008 to promote tourism in Coos County, has registered 75,000 visitors on its website during the past 12 months, a 32 percent increase from the previous year.
To draw more tourists, NH Grand is distributing 35,000 to 50,000 copies of a new map and brochure for the North County through the NH welcome centers and at trade shows. Itineraries on the NH Grand website offer a mix of activities including mountain biking, hiking, white water rafting, ATVs dog sleds and state parks.
Guests enjoy dog sledding at Muddy Paws Sled Dog Kennel in Jefferson. Photo Courtesy of NH Grand.
This past winter was the warmest on record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a reminder of how important year round tourism opportunities are for even the coldest parts of the state.
Broad visitor data is not available for Coos County, but Daniel Lee, associate professor of economics at Plymouth State University, says the rooms and meals tax has steadily increased in the county over the last four years from $85.5 million to $103.8 million.
Lee, who serves as economist for the NH Bureau of Travel and Tourism, says rooms and meals revenue for Coos County in fall 2015 was 15 percent higher than winter 2007-2008, just prior to the Great Recession. And he notes the 2015 figures do not include the Balsams Grand Resort, which closed in 2011. “That’s pretty impressive. No other industries in the region can claim that,” says Lee.
An ATV Magnet
Wayne Frizzell, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, says the area is relying more on tourism in the past couple of years, and ATV traffic is the chief attraction for tourists. “This winter was tough,” he says. “We had snow, but it was not a stellar year.”
That may be an understatement. The ski resorts in Coos County along with Wildcat and Bretton Woods, can make snow if night temperatures are low enough. The rest of the region, which primarily relies on snowmobiling for winter tourism dollars, depends on snowfall.
Snowmobile registrations were down about 50 percent, meaning many never even took their snowmobiles out for a ride, says Chris Gamache, head of the NH Bureau of Trails. Coos County had more snow than most areas but riding was still limited, and clubs and businesses reported a very disappointing season.
The Lancaster Grand Prix, a race of vintage snowmobiles revived by the Lancaster Snow Drifters club in 2014, has drawn thousands of spectators and more than 100 snowmobiles in the past two years was canceled this year due to unseasonably warm weather. (The club is already planning next year’s event.)
The good news, says Gamache, is ATV registrations hit 28,000 last year after dropping during the recession. Approximately one-third of registrations are non-residents.
Courtney Major, director of guest relations, marketing and sales for Lopstick Lodge in Pittsburg, says while snowmobiling was the biggest draw for the region, business in the summer season has picked up. The lack of snow statewide led to a dismal winter tourism season in the North Country, she says, and “it is hard to recoup when there is no snow.” But the summer season is starting out “pretty strong.” While the number of visitors coming for hunting, fishing and boating are up, Major says, ATVs are what is making a “huge difference.”
In 2005, the state purchased 7,200 acres of land, and the city of Berlin donated Jericho Lake to create the only state park dedicated to ATVs and other Off Highway Recreational Vehicles. The park has about 85 miles of trails with seven more miles to be added this year. “It’s still one of the major target areas for people in the North Country to ride,” Gamache says.
The White Mountain Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club operates a warming hut at the park that is open year-round. Last summer, 3,497 people signed the guest book. The signatures show a large number of visitors from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont. But there are also signatures from all over the country including 91 from New York and 34 from Pennsylvania as well as a smattering of foreign riders. The club estimates only about 20 percent of the park’s visitors stop and sign the book and the total number of visitors to the park last summer was around 15,000.
What makes the county’s Ride The Wilds ATV trail network so unique is that towns along the trails allow ATVs on town roads, Stone says. This creates many entry points throughout the county so riders can enjoy a multi-day riding adventure and creates more interest in the North Country among riders.
Paula Kinney, executive coordinator for the Androscoggin Valley Chamber of Commerce, says when ATVers call the chamber for information about lodging, most ask if trails are accessible from the hotel or campground. “They all want to unload and ride. They don’t want to trailer,” she says.
ATVers love being able to ride on local streets. Businesses love it as well. ATVs can frequently be seen outside local restaurants and eateries, or fueling at gas stations. And ATV rental companies have sprouted up throughout Coos County. Some entrepreneurs are even converting homes into trailside lodging while local realtors are advertising the region’s affordable housing as second homes.
Kinney says her chamber holds several events designed to draw ATVers to Berlin, confident that once they ride the trails here, they will want to come back. The two most popular chamber events are the Jericho ATV Festival in August and Riverfire in October.
The Jericho ATV Festival has grown in both attendance and offerings every year since it was established in 2010. Last year, it attracted 6,000 riders, up 2,000 from 2014. Progressive Insurance came on board in 2014 as a title sponsor, paying $12,500, and major ATV manufacturers bring their latest models for riders to demo.
Kinney says all of the local hotels, motels and campgrounds were booked for this year’s festival by March. The chamber last year registered 15,000 hits on its web page in July as the festival neared. This spring, the chamber posted its schedule of events for the year on Facebook and registered 17,000 hits in a 24-hour period.
Both Kinney and Gamache say there is room for growth. But Gamache raises two areas of concern: protection of the trails and staffing. The bulk of the ATV trail system is on private land and his agency urges riders to respect landowner property. He says there is a need for more public ownership of land and easements to protect the system. “All it takes is one landowner to say no and these connections are shut down,” he says.
Gamache also points out that his agency and NH Fish and Game Department, which is in charge of enforcement, have not seen an increase in staffing to maintain and police the trail system. Club volunteers do much of the trail work. He says many are retirees who spend hours on maintenance projects.
Snowmobiles Still Reign Supreme
While ATVs are generating tourism dollars, particularly in areas that have not competed for tourists in the past, Gamache says snowmobiling still reigns supreme with several thousand miles of groomed trails in the county.
In a typical year, there are approximately 48,000 to 50,000 snowmobile registrations in the state or about double the number of ATV registrations. Gamache says snowmobiles have a greater economic impact over a shorter period. He points out that snowmobiling is a different riding experience as it is faster and smoother compared to the slower and rougher terrain of ATVs. Gamache says he believes snowmobiling will endure as a major contributor to the North Country economy, though winters are becoming less predictable.
Snowmobilers at Lopstick Lodge in Pittsburg. Photo Courtesy of NH Grand.
“If I had been relying on snowmobiling alone, I’d be in a world of hurt right now,” says Mark Peabody, co-owner of the Mahoosuc Inn in Milan.
The Nansen Ski Club operates a network of groomed cross-country ski trails at Milan Hill State Park and for six years now the club has hosted a two-day annual winter festival with the town of Milan. The event has grown in popularity and this year attracted several thousand people over the two days. New this year was the Mahoosuc 100 Sled Dog Race, run on local snowmobile trails. Organizer Sally Manikian originally set a limit of 15 teams for the race but increased it when the race was booked within five days.
Peabody says his business was able to survive the winter in part because of the sled dog race, which was centered at his inn. He says some of the teams came three weeks before the race to train and stayed at the inn. Peabody says the race was “fantastic” and fans and spectators loved watching the sled dog teams.
Sled dog racing may be a smaller part of the economy but certainly plays a role in the region’s winter economy. Sled dog teams train at Jericho Park and at least two businesses offer sled dog rides.
“You can pull a sled on three inches of snow,” Peabody says, explaining why the sled dog race was able to be held when snowmobiling was largely shut down.
Making A Splash
With the renewed popularity of the Androscoggin and Connecticut Rivers over the last 35 years, tourism efforts have increasingly focused on water sports.
Kinney says her chamber is actively promoting the Androscoggin River and the water sports it provides. In conjunction with the Androscoggin River Source to the Sea Trek in July, the chamber hosts PaddleBREWmania.
As the Trek winds into downtown Berlin, the chamber celebrates with an evening of entertainment including beer tasting, food, games and music. Admission is free to paddlers.
Kinney says 88 paddlers participated in the Berlin section of the trek last year setting a record for the most paddlers on any section of the 170-mile trip in its 20-year history. While a majority of the paddlers were local, Kinney says the publicity helps highlight the river and the recreational opportunities it provides.
Four whitewater rafting companies offer guided trips down the Androscoggin River from Errol to Berlin and one is looking at doing trips on the stretch of the Connecticut River just below Murphy Dam in Pittsburg.
Tourists take a whitewater rafting trip with ELC Outdoors Adventure Outpost in Berlin. Photo Courtesy of NH Grand.
Peabody owns one of the four rafting companies and says his business is growing about 20 percent annually. He says last summer the four rafting companies attracted more than 10,000 to the Androscoggin River, noting that figure does not include canoe and kayak rentals.
Nor does it count fishing enthusiasts attracted to the river, which contains rainbow, brook, and brown trout as well as landlocked salmon. Peabody attributes that in large part to the closing of the pulp mill in Berlin. He says the mill and the smell associated with it kept tourists at bay. “When the mill closed, Berlin was no longer the industrial roadblock to the north,” he says.
Still Room For Growth
Belanger says that the goal to build a new economy for the region goes beyond tourism. He points out the state and federal prisons in Berlin provide a combined annual payroll of $40 million and more than 300 recession-proof jobs that provide a “tremendous stabilizing factor.” The growth of tourism is helping the region become more diversified, he says.
Lee says that while it is partially true that tourism jobs tend to be lower paying, the industry provides opportunities for local people to succeed. He cites former Balsams CEO Steve Barba as an example of someone who started as a caddy and worked his way up the ladder. Furthermore, Lee says tourism plays an important role in promoting the region’s economy by turning visitors into permanent residents. Historically, he says, these migrants, who tend to be well educated, provide tailwinds for the state’s economy, though he admits that has not happened yet in Coos County.
While tourism grew by 15 percent since the Great Recession, he says the region’s broad economy declined by 12 percent. Lee says he believes tourism can play a greater role in the region’s revitalization as it draws new people to Coos County.
The county may not see the return of the big industrial behemoths of its past that employed thousands of workers, but businesses are learning how to tap into hospitality to draw even more people year round.
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