The state has opened the first ATV trails at its newest state park, the start of what’s planned to be the most extensive network of ATV trials in the Northeast when it is completed.

The state Bureau of Trails opened about 15 miles of trails near Jericho Lake in Berlin last week.
“There are a lot of nice views and the trails are very nice,” commented rider Kathy Cardinal, of Farmington, on an unofficial Web site, www.jericholakeatvpark.com. “They were very clean and the riding was good, not rough at all,” she wrote.

The state is touting the park as a regional destination. Within about five years, the Bureau of Trails plans to build a network of up to 200 miles of trails over more than 7,500 acres near the White Mountain National Forest.

The Bureau of Trails is part of the N.H. Division of Parks and Recreation. The office oversees snowmobile, bike, cross-country skiing, equestrian, hiking, mushing and recreational rail trails throughout the state. There are currently 600 miles of ATV trails in the state open to the public in New Hampshire.