ATVs and Fishing in Coos County, New Hampshire

In Colebrook, NH, you see ATVs riding down the roads all the time.
In Colebrook, NH, you see ATVs riding down the roads all the time.

Coos County, NH: Ride the Wilds

By Jack Dunphy

Riding an ATV on the 1000 miles of trails in Coos County, New Hampshire. Max Hartshorne photos.
Riding an ATV on the 1000 miles of trails in Coos County, New Hampshire. Max Hartshorne photos.

If you build it, they sure will come.

That’s what has happened after New Hampshire opened 17 snowmobile and OHRV clubs along with all four Chambers of Commerce in Coos County connecting and promoting a network of miles of trails in Coos county and called it Ride the Wilds.

Soon, a local entrepreneur opened a center renting ATVs, and today, he sells out most weekends.

Steve and Corine Baillageron started their new All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) business, Bear Rock Adventures after the connected trails opened, sensing a huge need that has happily been well-filled.

Both ATVs and snow machines can be rented at Bear Rock Adventures, along with the newest addition to the company: glamping. You can now tent at night and “ride the wilds” in the day.

The slogan also fits the local ELC Whitewater Rafting business. And it suits the snowmobiling, hiking, cross country skiing, hunting, fly fishing, moose viewing, and so many other outdoor adventures offered in New Hampshire’s Coos County, pronounced “Koh-ass”.

At the Very Tip of New Hampshire

Coos is at the very tip of the state, 90 miles north of the interstate, where the roads are hilly and the scenery can be breathtaking.

“Ride the Wilds” personifies the new optimism in the North Country. The paper mills closed. The furniture manufacturers laid everyone off. The hardscrabble New Englanders needed a redo.

So they took their best asset, the beauty of the nature around them, encouraged and supported each other’s new outdoor businesses, created jobs, and are riding the wild right out of financial troubles. And guess what? It’s working!

Bear Rock Adventures

You the traveler and adventurer benefit from the growing number of fun and family-friendly activities that are now available in this most northern of New Hampshire’s counties. We started our Ride the Wild experience high on a hill in Colebrook at Bear Rock Adventures (whose main location is in Pittsburg, NH). A converted barn housing clean and new ATVs sits beside the trailhead to 1000 miles of riding.

The Balsams was a grand hotel that closed in 2012, greatly hurting the economy in Coos county. It might be re-opening under a new owner, which makes the locals very happy.
The Balsams was a grand hotel that closed in 2012, greatly hurting the economy in Coos County. The resort has plans to reopen to the public.

You can go for an hour ride or you can go and go and go… These two or six-seat vehicles are loads of fun to drive yourself or you can get a competent guide to drive you.

I enjoyed being driven by our guide Casey Hibbard. While bumping and splashing through woods and fields she shared stories of the area, the renovation of Dixville Notch Resort, the Balsams, which we could see through our mud-splattered windshield.

She even drove us into town where we filled up with diesel fuel. Due to a smart change in state law, you can now drive ATVs on the local roads to get gas, lunch, go to your hotel, or onto other trails.

I asked Casey if the 1000 mile trail was restricted to ATVs. “Oh no!” she said “the trails are open to all. Hikers, mountain bikers, cross country skiers, snowmobilers, horseback riders.”

“And grandparents enjoy going for the ride too especially the sunset tour when you can often see a moose,” she said. Another ATV driver told me he saw a bear swimming across the river during his trail ride. I was glad Casey knew the way back. Rates start at $179 for a 1 or 2 seater ATV.

Colebrook, New Hampshire's main drag.
Colebrook, New Hampshire’s main drag

Rafting the Rapid River

Our next wild ride took us whitewater rafting on the Rapid River, the steepest river in Maine. A sleepy-looking group of us assembled In Errol, NH. Soon we would be at full wide-awake attention!

Jim Cochran, the founder of ELC Rafting, put us on his bus for a pleasant ride into Maine to our launching site called “Pond in the River.” We climbed into inflatable rubber rafts and seven people per raft (owner Jim was our boat guide). [Editors note: ELC is no longer in the river rafting business on the Rapid River]

A leisurely half-hour paddle followed. “Where is the whitewater?” I asked Jim.”Just wait.”

Moose are abundant and a big danger if you hit one with a car up in the North Country.
Moose are abundant and a big danger if you hit one with a car up in the North Country.

And suddenly, even oddly, the silence changed to the sound of cascading water as the pond (a lake really) gave way to a roaring river.

We hurtled down past boulders with water splashing onto our faces and Jim yelling “pull right” and “pull left” and “do not fall overboard” and other orders I barely heard over the increasing cacophony of quickening water.

Teamwork on the River

We came to a calmer section and we all congratulated each other on our teamwork. The next set of rapids called Devil’s Hopyard proved even more challenging. Here we learned many rafts flip over.

We hung on but we did go over a boulder with a big splash and get stuck behind it spinning wildly until all of us, pulling together, popped out of the eddy with a jolt. What fun!

During our lunch break, most of us took a swim in the cascading water (all wearing life jackets). It really was not a swim, more like a roller coaster ride. And most surprisingly the water was comfortable, almost warm. Because the headwaters to the Rapid River comes from shallow sunshine absorbing lake the water temperature was very comfortable.

Returning Every Year

Verlaine, the French baker in Colebrook.
Verlaine, the French baker in Colebrook.

Andrea and her two sons from West Virginia shared my boat. Every year they return to the North Country for a summer adventure. This was their second trip with ELC Rafting. At some point, we crossed back into New Hampshire and our Rapid River spilled into scenic Lake Umbagog.

We climbed into waiting pontoon boats for an hour-long trip across the lake.

I was tired from all the paddling and glad for the rest. I sat next to Andrea a dental assistant from Rhode Island. Her husband and their four children still looked eager for more. “How did you pick this trip?” I asked her. “I have always been afraid of rapids and whitewater,” she said. “And the kids wanted to do it.”

“Did you enjoy it?” “Oh yes, we’ll be back next summer.” Our pontoon pulled into the dock as a black lab leaped 20 feet off the pier in pursuit of a flying stick. A short walk from the pier brought us to our waiting cars. Perfect.

Our Cabin with a View

Fly fishing on the Connecticut river, just below the First Connecticut Lake with Bill Barnardt.
Fly fishing on the Connecticut River, just below the First Connecticut Lake with Bill Barnardt.

We settled in for the night at the Cabins at Lopstick, Pittsburg. The peculiar name comes from what is left when someone has logged a bunch of trees, and just one tree remains…the lopstick.

Our cabin, nestled high on a hill overlooking the First Connecticut Lake, gave us that New Hampshire backwoods feel but with all the creature comforts.

Over a glass of wine on our deck we congratulated ourselves on making reservations as all 58 cabins were sold out, which is a common occurrence we learned. Our cabin had three bedrooms, a full kitchen, an outside grill, and two full baths.

The beds were comfortable; everything was very clean. Management offers kayak and canoe rentals. Canada is just nine miles up the road.

The place to eat in Pittsburg is Murphy’s Steakhouse. On our way to dinner, we saw a sign by the side of the road, “Do Not Stop to Watch Moose.” In front of and in back of the sign 20 cars parked, with us it made 21.

At the edge of the woods, grazing and ignoring all the people, stood a pair of magnificent moose. These moose were our second moose sighting in two days!

An old farmhouse was tastefully converted into Murphy’s Steakhouse. We sat in the former living room. While enjoying our gourmet meal (much more than steaks are offered) the owner, Georgie Lyons, stopped by to chat. We could tell Georgie enjoyed her work. “It is like a dinner party every night,” she said.

While talking with her I got the feeling we were in a special place in the North Country where time slowed down and people relished the time to talk and listen to each other.

Bill Barnhardt, of Lopstick Outfitters, our NH fishing guide.
Bill Barnhardt, of Lopstick Outfitters, our NH fishing guide.

I got the same feeling walking the next morning into “Le Rendez-vous Bakery,” in Colebrook and meeting Verlaine Daeron. Verlaine and her husband Marc Ounis, from Paris, France no less, own and operate this authentic French cafe.

A few years ago on a trip back to Paris Verlaine and Marc found they were denied entry back to the US by the Immigration Bureau.

As beloved members of the Colebrook community outraged citizens besieged their Congressmen to “let our French friends back!” It worked. The Rendez-vous is a unique treasure for locals and for travelers to discover.

Fly Fishing on the Connecticut River

Perhaps my last but favorite “Ride the Wild” North Country adventure was fly fishing. We met Bill Barnhardt of Lopstick Outfitters, a ruggedly handsome licensed New Hampshire Guide, back at the Lopstick Cabin headquarters. He outfitted us with waders and special non-slip waterproof boots.

In order to get our one-day NH fishing license we had to pay $15 and answer a government questionnaire (hair color, DOB, weight, eye color, etc. – do the fish care and what happened to “live free or die”)?

Off we went on a sun-dappled summer day in Bills comfortable truck to fish the headwaters of the Connecticut River. The secret spot Bill chose we found full of other fly fishermen. “No problem,” Bill said, and off we went to another, a more secluded location known to our local expert.

A moose crossing the road in Pittsburg, NH. It's a common sight.
A moose crossing the road in Pittsburg, NH. It’s a common sight.

Glad to have a Guide

That is only one reason we were glad we had a professional guide. He picked the right type of wet flies, he held our hand to make sure we did not fall as we walked across the Connecticut River several times (it was only 10 yards wide), he taught us how to properly cast and he told us of his adventures as a fishing guide in Patagonia, Chile.

Under Bill’s tutelage, we both caught some beautiful rainbow trout which we promptly released. Bill knows his fly fishing and is a delight to spend time with, especially if you’re holding a fish rod.

Getting to Northern New Hampshire

Beautiful and uncrowded interstate 91 goes as far north as Littleton, NH, and from there it’s all two-lane winding roads. It’s 90 miles to Colebrook and about 20 more miles to the Canadian border. There are few large stores up here, so plan ahead. To find out more about this beautiful and mostly undiscovered Coos County, visit NewHampshireGrand.com.

The Cabins at Lopstick and Lopstick Outfitters
45 Stewart Young Rd, Daniel Webster Hwy, Pittsburg, NH 03592
(603) 538-6659

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