For years, the city of Concord has kept nature trails open to hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking.
And for years, a few mountain bikers have been altering parts of the 31-trail system to make them friendlier to two-wheeled travel, even though it’s not allowed. These alterations have made some trails unfavorable to other forms of travel and upset many of the regulars who enjoy the trails.
Matt Bowser, of the central New Hampshire chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, has been working with city officials to put a stop to that, meeting Tuesday afternoon for a site walk at the Broken Ground Trails to look at a proposed mountain bike-specific trail.
“I was contacted by the city two or three years ago,” said Bowser, who’s been creating trails in different parts of New Hampshire for more than 15 years. “But there’s been rumblings for years.”
The trails snake through a patchwork of city-owned and private land, and any proposed alterations must be approved by the conservation commission and the trails subcommittee. Officials would like to keep the trails open to nonmotorized travel – with the city maintaining them – a point emphasized on the tour Tuesday.
Trails subcommittee member Fran Philippe stressed that anyone is able to propose a trail or propose changes to a trail – they just need to go through the committee first.
The committee hosts meetings once per month, with the next meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday night in the second-floor conference room at City Hall. The meeting will tackle Bowser’s proposed trail. Philippe said she likes the project’s odds of approval.
There is a lengthy process involved, according to Ron Klemarczyk, a contracted forester with the city who has been working with Bowser and the city to build and maintain these trails. He has more than 40 years’ experience with forest trails after getting his start during his time at UNH.
“Forest recreation has become a large part of forest management,” Klemarczyk said as he explained how popular mountain biking and other high-impact activities have become recently.
Bowser and Klemarczyk have already walked the proposed trail and marked trees to map out the path. During the site walk, the two explained every last detail of the trail and why it had to be laid out a certain way.
To make a mountain bike-specific trail, some precautions need to be taken.
Bowser said they are trying to avoid wetlands, thick brush and unsecured rock piles left over from centuries-old agriculture. Private property obviously can’t be touched without the landowner’s approval, and young trees are not old enough to be harvested for lumber.
“We’re staying well out of the wetlands,” Bowser said.
To complicate matters, Bowser said mountain bikers prefer changes in elevation with turns and obstacles. The challenge was to find the right balance while creating a totally separate trail.
As the group was walking, Bowser would point out different parts of the trail that would distinguish it from other trails nearby. Part of the plan also includes new signage to direct mountain bike traffic away from walking traffic, to help prevent biker-versus-hiker run-ins.
Emergency crews are also playing a role in the project. Klemarczyk said the trails need to be wide enough and clear enough for rescue crews on ATVs to access someone who needs help.
If the trails subcommittee approves the project, the rest of the work falls on Bowser and his team of volunteers.
“A core team would go out a number of times and more clearly mark trees for the trail and for cutting,” Bowser said.
This team would walk along the proposed route several times just to make sure the trail is right where they want it. Once the plan is set, a group of 15-35 volunteers will start the work, including pruning, raking and moving rocks around to create a more stable surface as needed.
“We can get a pretty good amount of trail work done in one day,” Bowser explained, emphasizing that many hands make light work. The approximately 1-mile trail might take a only couple days to complete, he said.
Still, all the work on the new trail might not have been necessary if riders played by the rules.
Klemarczyk and Philippe said Broken Ground and Swope trails have been the most-plagued by rogue construction, even when there are proper channels for bike enthusiasts to go through.
Bowser said he will be sending out a PSA to the NEMBA community.
“We get you want to have fun. We understand people want trails, and if they want one they should contact us,” Bowser said. “We can put that process in place.”
(Jacob Dawson can be reached at 272-6414 ext. 8325, jdawson@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @jaked156.)