Places to 4x4 off-road

[mattboston]

Anyone know of any open trails in the Lake Winnipesaukee area to go off-roading? Looking for legal places to take my Jeep, mudding, rock crawling or just trail riding, either public land that offroad vehicles are allowed or private property where I could get permission.

I always respect the land and follow Tread Lightly (http://www.treadlightly.org/) guidelines.

[BroadHopper]

You need the NH Gazette to find it. It is at the end of Belknap Mtn Road. You can also find it off Rte 107 in Gilmanton.

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

You need the NH Gazette to find it. It is at the end of Belknap Mtn Road. You can also find it off Rte 107 in Gilmanton.

That trail has been closed off for trucks and gated for at least 6 years. The only way to access that trail is to trespass through the sand pit. That is why the owner of the pit has continually put Goonies at any new entrance point that has been created into the pit.

[mattboston]

Somewhere I read that in NH Class VI roads (ones that are abandoned by city/county/state) anyone is allowed to ride on as long as if there is a gate it's not locked, and you close it when you leave. Anyone know if this is true or not?

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by mattboston

Somewhere I read that in NH Class VI roads (ones that are abandoned by city/county/state) anyone is allowed to ride on as long as if there is a gate it's not locked, and you close it when you leave. Anyone know if this is true or not?

The public is allowed to pass on any Class VI road in NH, it is still a public right of way just not town maintained.

Some Class VI roads are, using old terms, subject to gates and bars. In old times a farmer owning land on both sides of the Class VI road could let livestock graze on and across the road and could have gates and/or bars along the road. The were not to be locked so the public could open a gate, go through and close the gate behind them.

I once noticed the locked gate at the end of Belknap Mt Rd. with a sign stating "closed subject to gates and bars". Now if that really is a section of Class VI road then the Town of Gilford has illegally put a lock on the gate.

231:21-a Uniform Provisions Governing Class VI Highways. – All class VI highways, whether such class VI status resulted from a layout pursuant to RSA 231:21, a discontinuance subject to gates and bars pursuant to RSA 231:45, or by the failure of the town to maintain and repair such highway in suitable condition for travel thereon for 5 successive years or more as set forth in RSA 229:5, VII, shall be subject to the following provisions:
I. All such highways shall be deemed subject to gates and bars; provided, however, that any gates or bars maintained by private land owners shall be erected so as not to prevent or interfere with public use of the highway, and shall be capable of being opened and reclosed by highway users. The selectmen may regulate such structures to assure such public use, and may cause to be removed any gates or bars which fall into disrepair or otherwise interfere with public use of the highway.
II. Even though, as set forth in RSA 231:93, class VI highways are not subject to any municipal duty of care or maintenance, the municipality shall have the same regulatory authority over such highways as is the case with class V highways, including but not limited to the authority to regulate their use pursuant to RSA 41:11 and RSA 47:17, VII, VIII and XVIII, to regulate the excavation or disturbance of such highways pursuant to RSA 236:9 through 236:11, to regulate driveways and other access pursuant to RSA 236:13, and to establish weight limits pursuant to RSA 231:191.

[Belmont Resident]

Durrell Mtn road connects to the snowmobile trails as well as private roads.
Jeeps and trucks are not wanted in many of these areas and we will report you to the fish & game and local police with your license plate number.
We own a posted private road and it doesn’t stop them from removing the sign and going on their way. And this is why you are not welcome.
So you know we are also avid off roaders logging in excess of 1000 miles a year on legal trails on our ATV's.

[Belmont Resident]

any road that has been abandoned reverts back to the landowner and is then considered private peoperty. Only active roads can be considered open to the public. Many of these will change from public to private when they cross from one town into another that is why you need to beware of where you are.

[BroadHopper]

I drove down the Hoyt Road extension to Durrell Mtn Road all the way to Sargent Road. I saw no gates. There were a dozen 4x4 on the road with huge ruts everywhere. I went down Belknap Mt Road from Durrell Mtn and out to Gilford. I guess someone must have taken out the gates and signs. I did not venture from Hoyt Road to 107 by the old vineyards. I was told it is now a private road maintained by someone with a WWII army tank!

There is another 4x4 road up in Alexandria at the power lines. It's pretty rocky so it doesn't get really muddy with ruts.

There is another 4x4 road near Deerfield Center where the power lines cross over the highway. I didn't try that one but it is listed in the Toyota Magazine as one of the best 4x4 roads in the NE.

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

any road that has been abandoned reverts back to the landowner and is then considered private peoperty. Only active roads can be considered open to the public. Many of these will change from public to private when they cross from one town into another that is why you need to beware of where you are.

There was an abandoned state road through my uncle's property. haven't been used in 50 years. State roads are different, you almost have to have the state legislature vote on it. The state ended up using it as a snowmobile corrider.

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

any road that has been abandoned reverts back to the landowner and is then considered private peoperty. Only active roads can be considered open to the public. Many of these will change from public to private when they cross from one town into another that is why you need to beware of where you are.

The term "abandoned" has no real legal meaning. If a town simply stops maintaining a class V road it may revert to class VI but it is still a public right of way as I already noted by citing the law.

A town road may be totally "discontinued" only by a town meeting vote. If this is passed by majority vote then the public right to pass is extinguished and the the abutting land owners have full control/ownership of the land.

It may take some research to determine the current legal status of any non town maintained old roads. Some may sill be Class VI, some may actually have been legally discontinued (not common), some may have never have been class V or VI public rights of way (like some of the original range roads) and some may have always been private roads.

231:45-a Discontinuance of Highways Subject to Legislative Body Approval. –
I. No class IV or V highway shall be discontinued or discontinued subject to gates and bars without the vote of the local legislative body as required by RSA 231:43 or RSA 231:45.
II. No vote or other action of the governing body shall be effective to reclassify a class IV or V highway as a class VI highway, except for the failure to maintain and repair that highway in suitable condition for travel thereon for 5 or more successive years as provided by RSA 229:5, VII.
III. Any municipality which neglects to maintain and repair a class IV or V highway, without the vote of the legislative body, shall be subject to proceedings under RSA 231:90 or RSA 231:82 at any time prior to the lapse of the 5-year period under RSA 229:5, VII.

[Belmont Resident]

Right of way. By definition allows abutters the right of way over even private property or a private road. Many believe if a landowner having right of way privileges can grant use to others. But right of way privileges cannot be granted to anyone but the landowner, they cannot permit others the same right. All kinds of technical crap but we’ve spent lots of $ to determine legality of our discontinued road which is also a right of way.
Broad hopper if you are coming into Liberty hill road from the Belmont side you are almost guaranteed to be going over posted private roads. I do not believe any of those routes are open to the public. Either way as soon as you turn off Liberty hill onto any of the connecting road/trails you are on private property, many of which are maintained by the local snowmobile clubs. Although they may not be posted it is only because the signs have been removed by those same people they are meant to keep out. This reverts back to why they are not welcome in the first place.
Personally I do not care as long as they avoid our property, but know that as soon as you venture off a class 6 road you are on private property and your vehicle can be impounded by the fish cops. Traffic flow has increased and local police and fish & game are being called.

[BroadHopper]

BR, are you sure the Hoyt Road to Hoagley Road extension is a private road? back in the 70's and before, it was a fairly used road by the Gilford Villagers and Gilmanton folks. Charlie Smith use to haul his apples up to the Big Bannana. One of the towns just stop maintaining it and so did the other.

Durrell Mountain Road had a long history. It was used extensively in the 1800's as the road to haul iron from Gunstock Mth to the Gilmanton Iron Works. Then it was used for logging etc. It was and still appeared to be a popular 4x4 road. Since I didn't go to 107 from Durrell Mtn, I'm guessing there is a gate there?

What's your ride? I had a 1973 Scout with a removable hardtop. Best 4x4 ever made. I had to ditch it when I can no longer find parts in 1998. Bought the next best thing, Ford Bronco. Awesome turning radius. Typical of Fords, it rotted out on me! I now have a 2001 Jeep Cherokee. I rather tread lightly than those jumbo Ford F-350's and Chevy Silverados. I had to hitch many of them out of ruts and bogs.

Old Rte 118 use to be the premier 4x4 road in the past. It is now close and reverted to a State snowmobile corrider. It is gated and properly marked.

Back in the 60's, the Kanc was a fire cut. It was great 4 wheeling but the forestry dept kept the road graded. There were many logging roads that were available in the White Mountains. It was in the late 60's when the govt declared them off limit to 4x4. Mainly because the loggers had trouble keeping them graded.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

Right of way. By definition allows abutters the right of way over even private property or a private road. Many believe if a landowner having right of way privileges can grant use to others.But right of way privileges cannot be granted to anyone but the landowner, they cannot permit others the same right.

I have a right of way through my property in Manchester. If the landowner was the only one to use it then none of his tenants and customers could get to his building.

I'm pretty sure that even in your case the landowner can allow friends, family, and others that need to deliver or work at that address to use the row. Who would have a house through a row if nobody else was allowed to use it?

[Belmont Resident]

Our right of way is to land, all of which is unbuildable. Gilford will not allow improvements to Liberty hill road and Belmont requires a max of 8% grade which leaves our road out of the picture even if we were approached by a builder.
Broad hopper as of either the 30’ or 50’s the town of Belmont discontinued Hoadley Rd extension from the two houses up to the Gilford town line. The road reverted back to all abutters and became private property. The town of Belmont acknowledges this.
One of the problems is that due to the heavy logging there is a severe runoff problem which has washed out the town maintained dirt road many times.
The town was granted permission to install water bars on the road which are being destroyed by the traffic and the runoff is getting worse again. As a result of this we are installing a gate and shutting down the access to even hunting, which I swore I wouldn’t do but we cannot control who comes and goes and fish & game says if we shut it down for travel it gets shut down to all travel. It will however remain open to ATV’s, foot travel, horses and MTN bikers.
I can’t tell you how many times we have been woken up by jeeps coming down the hill at all hours of the night, flying past the house and just being a-holes.

[BroadHopper]

BR. Somebody need to install a gate at the Gilford line. There are no gate at the end of Hoyt Road or Liberty Hill Road. That should prevent access from Gilford.

I remember using the Hoadley Road extension in the late '60's. That was when the Big Bananna was open and Smith use the road to haul his produce. We may be talking about the wrong road?

Lyman Rice had a public road through his property from Parade Road to Hilliard Road at the Weirs. It was a popular road to get to the Weirs from the 106 part of town. Laconia stop maintaining it in the early 70's. It became a class VI road. Some kid almost killed himself on that road so the city placed huge boulders across both entrance. Today it is a popular hiking, biking and ATV trail. Lately the new owners put up a landscaping business on the property and posted no trespassing signs long 106 so folks can't park on his property. At first he tried to block access to the road but could not because it is still a public way.

[Belmont Resident]

We shouldn't have to install a gate. Buckets of sand with a sign indicating it is private should be enough but the jeepers keep moving them out of the way.
As for a gate up top it would be taken down. The snowmobile clubs tried to block entry to the snowmobile trails off Liberty Hill rd and their attempts where met with a torch to all the gates.
Now you see why they are not welcome in this area, a simple sign should be enough but unfortunately it's not.
So our gate will be at the end of the road forcing a turn around. This way the gate will be in sight of two houses and hopefully will not be destroyed by those who insist on trespassing in private land. Also the use of a video camera is being considered in case the gate is tampered with.
Unless something has changed, as soon as you leave Liberty Hill road in any direction you are on private property and if caught you can be fined. I could be wrong but the last I heard the landowners do not want off road vehicles on their land.

[BroadHopper]

Did the town of Gilford voted to rid the public access on Hoyt Road? That's the million dollar question. If so, big boulders like you see across the Hilliard Road extension should do the trick.

Thanks for informing me of Belmont side. Now that I am aware, I will not travel that route past the Belmont line. I will ask fellow 4x4 that the Belmont side is off limit. I despise the young ones with the monster tires and I despised the huge pickups. I tread lightly in a Cherokee and stay on the road. I have a snow machine and my uncle owns almost a thousand acres of land. A lot of sand pits! I know off-road vehicle owners must respect the properties and roads. Unfortunately, there are those who have to spoil it for all.

[mattboston]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

We shouldn't have to install a gate. Buckets of sand with a sign indicating it is private should be enough but the jeepers keep moving them out of the way.
As for a gate up top it would be taken down. The snowmobile clubs tried to block entry to the snowmobile trails off Liberty Hill rd and their attempts where met with a torch to all the gates.
Now you see why they are not welcome in this area, a simple sign should be enough but unfortunately it's not.
So our gate will be at the end of the road forcing a turn around. This way the gate will be in sight of two houses and hopefully will not be destroyed by those who insist on trespassing in private land. Also the use of a video camera is being considered in case the gate is tampered with.
Unless something has changed, as soon as you leave Liberty Hill road in any direction you are on private property and if caught you can be fined. I could be wrong but the last I heard the landowners do not want off road vehicles on their land.

BR,
First let me apologize for every Jeep or any other offroad vehicle out there that's trespassed on your (or other's) private land. There are a lot of people out there that do not care who owns the land and they do not seem to respect the land, in fact some of them really destroy it. I know that one bad apple spoils the bunch, but please do not lump all Jeepers in with all the rest. Keep in mind that these trespassers that tear up the land are also not just Jeepers, but other offroad vehicles, hikers, campers, boaters or anyone outdoors that doesn't respect the land.

That said, there are a lot of us who are responsible people and that do not trespass and only go on authorized trails. By that I mean either public land which is been authorized for offroad use or private land which we've been given permission to use. And we also take care of the land that we use and abide by Tread Lightly guidelines. You should read this page http://treadlightly.org/page.php/tread-principles/ which explains more about Tread Lightly.

[GM doc]

Try Plesant Valley rd in Wolfeboro. just the "paved" part may make you happy. Travel through to Wakefield and you should have a nice ride.

[Belmont Resident]

Unfortunately Matt it is the actions of the select few who ruin it for everyone. Same with loud pipes on ATV’s and snowmobiles.
I think we have finally put up large enough rocks to block all but the biggest vehicles from getting thru. Also working with Fish & Game to increase patrols has helped.
I’ve not seen any traffic in a couple of weeks.
Sometime next year it will be gated but for now rocks seem to be working.

[BroadHopper]

Check out this website. We have an outlet for your hobby!

www.toyfarm.org

[Bubs]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I drove down the Hoyt Road extension to Durrell Mtn Road all the way to Sargent Road. I saw no gates. There were a dozen 4x4 on the road with huge ruts everywhere. I went down Belknap Mt Road from Durrell Mtn and out to Gilford. I guess someone must have taken out the gates and signs. I did not venture from Hoyt Road to 107 by the old vineyards. I was told it is now a private road maintained by someone with a WWII army tank!

Strangely enough, I took that same trail from the opposite end - starting from Liberty Hill and ending at Hoadly/Durrell Mountain on my old bike a few months back and encountered not a single soul the entire way, nor any signage or gates. If it is indeed now considered a private road, I suppose I won't be doing it again! Shame because it's a really nice trail with some really neat scenery, and some old relics like the remains of an abandoned farm tractor as well.

[BroadHopper]

It is too bad we couldn't use the roads for hiking and mountain biking. It is a snowmobile corrider and I can't see harm in hiking the trails.

[Winnisquamguy]

Originally Posted by Bubs

Strangely enough, I took that same trail from the opposite end - starting from Liberty Hill and ending at Hoadly/Durrell Mountain on my old bike a few months back and encountered not a single soul the entire way, nor any signage or gates. If it is indeed now considered a private road, I suppose I won't be doing it again! Shame because it's a really nice trail with some really neat scenery, and some old relics like the remains of an abandoned farm tractor as well.

This was in the news yesterday from Liberty Hill Rd, I hope he has a full recovery.
http://www.wmur.com/news/29295574/detail.html

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by Bubs

Strangely enough, I took that same trail from the opposite end - starting from Liberty Hill and ending at Hoadly/Durrell Mountain on my old bike a few months back and encountered not a single soul the entire way, nor any signage or gates. If it is indeed now considered a private road, I suppose I won't be doing it again! Shame because it's a really nice trail with some really neat scenery, and some old relics like the remains of an abandoned farm tractor as well.

There is no way you came down to Hoadley and didn't see the rocks or signs.
As for the private end of Hoadley it is open to MTN bikes, horses, ATV's just not automobiles.