By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
FRANCONIA – The state Division of Parks and Recreation will be reviewing existing management strategies for its flagship Franconia Notch property, state officials said late Wednesday following New Hampshire television media coverage related to crowded trails over the Columbus Day Weekend here.
The review will include expanded parking, shuttle services, pre-arrival communications, and collaborative stewardship with our partners “to be sure we can accommodate everyone who wants to visit.”
Officials at both Cannon Mountain and state parks issued a statement this week following television news reports showing overcrowded conditions saying that the Columbus Day weekend is notoriously busy.
It came only hours after criticism was leveled by Gov. Chris Sununu that the WMUR-TV report made people think the state was not able to handle the volumes of visitors.
“Don’t give the impression that we are not equipped to deal,” Sununu said.
He said it was the juxtaposition of film clips from Artists Bluff to search and rescue operations and commentary that state could somehow limit visits that enraged him.
When gathering with the press following the meeting of the Executive Council in a board room at Church Landing Wednesday, Sununu expounded on comments that he made at a breakfast meeting where the focus was on tourism and the upcoming ski season.
He said he was concerned that the message from the television coverage was to discourage travel to New Hampshire.
“Did you see the story on tourism? You know the one that said that we need to limit the number of people, that it was crowded and chaotic and that we can’t handle the crowds?”
Sununu used two expletives to describe his review of the story when he spoke to the press, a rarity.
The governor said there is no such thing as too many visitors to New Hampshire.
He said there might be more of an effort to promote other locations that are not as busy but in no way was the state an unsafe place to come and visit.
And he noted it was a banner Columbus Day Weekend for the state and that this sort of weekend represents the lifeblood and livelihood of businesses in the North Country.
According to the Division of Travel and Tourism, 3.7 million people were expected to visit New Hampshire this fall season. And toll numbers were up 3 percent this past weekend, said Commissioner of Transportation William Cass.
The parks department works with the Division of Travel and Tourism, the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, Appalachian Mountain Club, NH Fish and Game, and the White Mountain National Forest on collaborative efforts on messaging and visitor use management strategies.
They have been working on issues related to parking along the Franconia Notch Parkway and developed a shuttle system.
Franconia Notch State Park, considered with Hampton Beach State Park the flagships of 93 state parks across the state, has so far welcomed almost 60,000 paid visitors at the attraction areas of the state park, including the Aerial Tramway and Flume Gorge.
Sarah Stewart, commissioner of the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources which oversees parks, said the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway had a very lucrative weekend when being asked about future tramway replacement.
According to the joint statement from her department, “while we do not track attendance at non-fee parking areas and trailheads, the Artist’s Bluff Trailhead parking area has 1,500 parking spaces and was full this past Saturday and Sunday for most of the day.
“NH Division of Parks & Recreation staff anticipated high visitation for the holiday weekend and was prepared with hiker interaction staff, providing parking and traffic control measures, engaging with visitors, and operating a shuttle service to other areas throughout the park.
“Many state parks have been utilizing and encouraging the use of an advanced reservation system, and about 40 percent of visitors are making reservations in advance.
“This is an 11 percent increase over last year.
“The Artist’s Bluff Trail, as well as all the other trailhead parking areas of Franconia Notch State Park, do not charge a fee currently and are not integrated into the reservation system. Generally, this is not an issue outside of a few high visitation days in the fall season.”
The statement said NH State Parks and Cannon Mountain’s social media channels already have marketing campaigns focused on encouraging visitors to plan in advance and to consider visiting lesser-known state parks and trails.
A link the explore all 93 parks is here https://www.nhstateparks.org/
