What White Mountains NEMBA is all about:

White Mountains NEMBA (WM-NEMBA) was originally formed to provide a liaison between local land managers and the mountain biking community in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire. We now perform regular trail maintenance and work closely with land managers to help preserve and expand our riding opportunities in the area. Our members are active in the riding community, and include industry members, racers, race promoters, coaches, and the media.

AREA: Although the White Mountain National Forest encompasses nearly 800,000 acres, our geographical area is centered in what's locally known as the Mount Washington Valley. Our valley includes the hub of Conway/North Conway; Bartlett and Jackson to the north; Albany, Madison, and Tamworth to the south and west; and Fryeburg, Maine to the east.

We are blessed with not only the National Forest to ride in, but numerous other public lands including The Nature Conservancy's Green Hills Preserve, Echo Lake/Cathedral Ledge State Park, as well as other state and town conservation lands.

OUR GOALS: WM-NEMBA's primary goals are to maintain and preserve the trails we ride, as well as to create more riding opportunities through building and designating more multi-use trails.

Because open space and land access issues are complex in our area, WM-NEMBA represents the voice of mountain bikers on many key concerns. We work with land managers on an ongoing basis to resolve conflicts and provide input on critical issues such as the National Forest Plan Revision and access to public lands over private property. WM-NEMBA works with the local news media to educate the community about mountain biking, and to educate mountain bikers about responsible riding.

We actively do trail maintenance, participating in the annual National Trails Day, Cathedral Ledge clean-up days, and the National Forest maintenance program. In addition, we do informal trail clean-up throughout the year.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In the few years that we've been around, WM-NEMBA has already had several key accomplishments:

- We have worked closely with the National Forest Service to provide input to the National Forest Plan Revision and signed a volunteer services agreement to do trail maintenance on 18 trails in the Mt. Washington Valley, including a network of popular trails that were previously not recognized by the Forest Service.

- Red Tail Trail – We negotiated agreements with the Town of Conway and Cranmore Mountain Resort and built a new trail in the Conway Common Lands near Hurricane Mountain Road. The popular 2.9-mile trail climbs steep, technical terrain and joins the Mt. Cranmore Trail near its intersection with the Black Cap Trail.

- Shingle Pond Trail – A big effort by just a handful of people reopened this very challenging trail that leads to a scenic mountain pond.

- Shedd Woods Trail – We built a new trail in the Conway’s Shedd Woods conservation land. This short trail is a textbook example of an IMBA-style bench cut and connects the Saco River’s 1st bridge swimming holes with the Memorial Hospital and Whitaker Woods trail networks.

- Nanamocomuck Bog Bridge Project – This successful project created over 450’ of bog bridges using Recreational Trail Program funds during our 2002 annual trail building weekend and the 2003 IMBA Epic.

- Moat Mountains Mineral Site Trail – Working with the U.S. Forest Service and IMBA Trail Care Crew, we laid out and built a new mile long winding trail to replace an eroded jeep road through a clearcut.

- Pedros/Harpoon Adventure Rides – We organized two highly successful self-guided Adventure Rides in the Rob Brook area of the Kancamagus Highway.

- IMBA Epic – The White Mountains was selected as an IMBA Epic site in 2003. The chapter put on an outstanding event, completing an impressive amount of trail work, leading epic rides, and hosting meals and highly entertaining bonfires.

- Conway Recreational Path Bridge – White Mountains NEMBA and the Town of Conway jointly procured an $11,000 Recreational Trail Program (RTP) grant to replace the condemned Rec. Path bridge. We designed and built a new 50’ span steel structure to maintain access to this beautiful trail along the Saco River.

- Pudding Pond Trail Railroad Crossing – Another joint venture with the Town of Conway, we constructed a timber RR crossing where the Pudding Pond Trail crosses the Mountain Division Railroad line.

- Locust Lane/Pudding Pond Trail – NEMBA members constructed a switchback trail to replace a poorly constructed access on the North-South Road in North Conway.

- Pudding Pond Bridge – Another joint RTP Grant project with the Town of Conway, NEMBA replaced a failing bridge with an aesthetic new steel structure with cedar railings.

- Echo Lake Mapping – We obtained a NEMBA grant to fund a mapping project with a local cartographer. Trails in Cathedral Ledge/Echo Lake State Park were mapped and a kiosk installed at the park to display it.

- Sticks & Stones trail – Working with the Conway Conservation Commission, we designed and built a popular new singletrack trail with interesting stone features in the Pudding Pond Conservation Area.

- We have performed countless hours of trail maintenance.

- Our members serve on various key committees, such as the Conway Recreational Access Committee and Conway Conservation Commission, and have developed a strong relationship with the land managers from the National Forest Service, the Town of Conway, NH State Parks, Cranmore Mountain Resort, and The Nature Conservancy.

If you live in our region, or love to ride here, make your voice heard! We hope that you'll join White Mountains NEMBA and help us create, maintain and preserve the excellent trail networks in the Whites.

Contact Info:

Rob Adair, 603-496-5853
Mark Jenks, (603) 356-0233