Gorham’s Jericho Mountain State Park and Coös Trail Connection

The town of Gorham has emerged as a gateway community for northern New Hampshire's outdoor recreation through connecting two major trail systems: the Coös Cycling Club network and Jericho Mountain State Park. Together, these destinations offer hundreds of miles of multi-use trails that support mountain biking, hiking, ATV riding, snowmobiling, and more. Jericho is a premier ATV and motorized destination, while Coös caters more to mountain biking and hiking, yet Gorham has worked to position itself as a hub where these systems connect. With support from Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) grants, the town has advanced planning, wayfinding, and partnerships to better integrate trail systems into its downtown economy. Gorham also has an ongoing effort to maintain and improve recreational resources, including:

Coordinating with the United States Forest Service on the Peabody West Project
Working with the Appalachian Mountain Club to expand and relate a trail and trailhead parking for Mount Moriah
Pursuing a CDS project to make Main Street more pedestrian-friendly and safe

These efforts highlight Gorham’s commitment to balancing diverse trail uses while strengthening local businesses and community identity.

The Problem

For much of the 20th century, Gorham’s economy was anchored by logging and paper mills. As those industries declined over the past several decades, the community faced job losses, population decline, and a struggling downtown economy. While Gorham was located near outdoor recreation assets, including Jericho Mountain State Park and Moose Brook State Park (which Coös Cycling Club would eventually come to steward), these resources were not fully leveraged to offset the economic downturn. Trail systems operated in silos, with motorized and non-motorized communities often disconnected from one another and from Gorham’s business district. Without a coordinated strategy, the town risked missing the opportunity to reinvent itself as a recreation hub and to channel trail use into meaningful economic revitalization.

The Solution

The town embraced a strategy of integration, seeking to enhance and connect trail systems, improve wayfinding, and create common ground between motorized and non-motorized recreation. With the help of two RERC grants (one for Jericho Mountain State Park and one for Coös Cycling Club) the community developed coordinated planning processes that brought together diverse stakeholders. These efforts supported new signage and mapping, trailhead improvements, and business engagement strategies that tied trail-based visitors more directly into Gorham’s downtown economy. By promoting shared stewardship and complementary uses, Gorham positioned itself as a model for how different trail communities can thrive side by side.

Aerial view of hiking trails winding through forested landscape

Person walking on a balance beam feature along a trail

How They Did It

Wayfinding investments: Improved trailheads, signage, kiosks, and maps to better connect trail users to both systems and to Gorham’s downtown.
Strategic planning with federal support: Secured RERC grants for both Jericho Mountain State Park and Coös Cycling Club, aligning recreational planning with economic development.
Stakeholder collaboration: Brought together ATV clubs, mountain bike groups, the town, state agencies, and local businesses to reduce conflicts and build common goals.
Downtown integration: Created routes and signage that direct trail visitors into Gorham’s business district for dining, lodging, and services.
Year-round trail synergy: Coordinated winter and summer uses across the systems to diversify offerings and extend the visitor season.
Community engagement: Hosted workshops and forums to ensure residents supported and helped shape the shared trail vision.

The Goal

To create a balanced, integrated trail-based recreation economy that supports both motorized and non-motorized users, strengthens Gorham’s role as a recreation hub, and channels visitor spending into the local economy.

What Makes It Work

RERC-supported planning: Federal investment provided the resources and legitimacy to coordinate large-scale trail planning and downtown integration.
Multi-use synergy: Recognizing the value of both motorized and non-motorized uses—and building systems that support both—expanded Gorham’s appeal.
Collaborative governance: Clubs, state agencies, and the town worked together to share responsibilities and resolve conflicts.
Business partnerships: Downtown visibility and engagement strategies ensured that trails and local commerce worked hand in hand.
Seasonal balance: Coordinated trail offerings supported four-season recreation and diversified the visitor economy.

The Bigger Message

Gorham demonstrates how a community can successfully transition from a declining mill town to a thriving trail town by embracing diverse forms of outdoor recreation. After decades of economic hardship tied to the collapse of the logging and paper industries, Gorham looked to its trails as engines for renewal. With the support of RERC grants, the town built partnerships across motorized and non-motorized user groups, connected trail systems to its downtown, and linked recreation directly to local businesses. The result is a model for how effective partnerships and inclusive planning can transform natural landscapes into shared community assets, diversifying economies and reinventing community identity.