A cabin at Jericho State Park campground is seen with ATVs parked outside. The N.H. Executive Council has approved a study to expand camping facilities at Jericho and five other state parks. (COURTESY PHOTO)
The N.H. Executive Council approved hiring SE Group of Burlington, Vt., to undertake a two-phase project to study and design an expansion of six state park campgrounds, including Jericho Mountain State Park in Berlin, Mollidgewock State Park in Errol and Crawford Notch State Park, according to the Berlin Sun.
Under the terms of the contract for Phase 1, SE Group will assess opportunities to expand camping at each of the six campgrounds, which include Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham and the two campgrounds at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown.
The firm will present a summary of feasibility and design options for each park and an executive summary that assesses the overall feasibility. The completion date for Phase I is Oct. 12, 2022, at a cost not to exceed $496,959.
The state park campgrounds have seen increased demand as COVID-19 spurred an unprecedented number of visitors. Last year, campground occupancy was up 7% over 2019 even with five campgrounds closed because of staff shortages and capacity limited to 50% for the first two months of the season.
Jericho Mountain State Park is especially popular because of the motorized recreation in the park and region. Jericho currently has 20 camping sites — five cabins, six tents, and nine RV sites. The plan is to develop a new camping area near the beach with cabins and RV sites.
