Visitors throng Diana’s Baths recreation site in North Conway last Saturday despite the trailhead being closed by the White Mountain National Forest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (JAMIE GEMMITI PHOTO)
A notice (at bottom) was posted by the White Mountain National Forest with other signs at Diana’s Baths recreation site, listing trailheads closed due to COVID-19. (JAMIE GEMMITI PHOTO)
Many vehicles were parked at Diana's Baths recreation site in North Conway on Saturday despite the trailhead being closed by the White Mountain National Forest. (JAMIE GEMMITI PHOTO)
Visitors throng Diana’s Baths recreation site in North Conway last Saturday despite the trailhead being closed by the White Mountain National Forest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (JAMIE GEMMITI PHOTO)
A notice (at bottom) was posted by the White Mountain National Forest with other signs at Diana’s Baths recreation site, listing trailheads closed due to COVID-19. (JAMIE GEMMITI PHOTO)
Many vehicles were parked at Diana's Baths recreation site in North Conway on Saturday despite the trailhead being closed by the White Mountain National Forest. (JAMIE GEMMITI PHOTO)
CONWAY — Although the White Mountain National Forest announced last Friday that it was shutting down high-use trailheads until further notice as a way to promote social distancing due to COVID-19, that didn't deter a number of people from parking at Diana's Baths recreation site and along local roads over the weekend, seeking a place to hike.
While New Hampshire has a "Stay Safe at Home" order in place, unseasonably high numbers of visitors have been visiting the national forest, resulting in increased potential for exposure to coronavirus, WMNF said.
As a resident of MA, I just wanted you to know that some of us are taking all of this seriously. As much as I would love to be up in your neighborhoods hiking, I have the self control, unlike some others apparently, to stay home and obey NH policies. I, too, deplore the entitled disregard for your efforts to minimize the impact of Covid-19.
"If you are able to walk to the trailhead without driving, you can access the trail. Parking on most WMNF roads is prohibited," she said. "Remember to pack out what you pack in." - So what is the policy on using a mountain bike to access a trail? I ask because while all this bandying about is amusing it's completely illegal. Any police enforcement of illegal executive orders is a felony. If the governor has issued an illegal order - that's a felony too! Everyone keeping track? Bad for the old career.
Why are there thousands of cars going into MA everyday for work and then back? Aren't they risking the spread of the virus back into NH? The signs clearly say you Must Quarantine for 2 weeks if you enter.
Yeah, it is also ok for Mass people to go into NH and buy up Costco and booze, and its ok for people in Southern NH to come north but not those Mass people. Same with Maine crossings. Guess what Gov you lost my support, why don't you look to Fl and see how they have contained things with 20X the population. The Mass Gov is a disgrace, do you have to join him with your commie behaviour. We do have a constitution. We live in the United States of America, not the make things up as you please NH. Time to change Live Free or Die to hide in your house and die. You need to study the data to see why some people get this and die and why others don't and figure out how to help those that are prone to the bad stuff from this as oppose to shutting down our economy putting us all at risk to what that entails.
To say we closed the parking lot only and do not allow people to park on the road, but the trail is open if you can walk there is a bit disingenuous. If you can walk 14 miles to the UNH trailhead feel free to hike the trail. What was the difference with the closure of Tuckermans Ravine and all the other trails surrounding it? Can I now hike there as well if I can walk to the AMC hut?
Evidently the people disobeying the law can’t read the signs.
The DMV should suspend their licenses until they are required to take a vision test and confirm their ability to safely read signs and navigate on the road.
More entitled people who think that rules don't apply to them. I don't know why these cars aren't ticketed, towed, and/or booted to get the message across.
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As a resident of MA, I just wanted you to know that some of us are taking all of this seriously. As much as I would love to be up in your neighborhoods hiking, I have the self control, unlike some others apparently, to stay home and obey NH policies. I, too, deplore the entitled disregard for your efforts to minimize the impact of Covid-19.
"If you are able to walk to the trailhead without driving, you can access the trail. Parking on most WMNF roads is prohibited," she said. "Remember to pack out what you pack in." - So what is the policy on using a mountain bike to access a trail? I ask because while all this bandying about is amusing it's completely illegal. Any police enforcement of illegal executive orders is a felony. If the governor has issued an illegal order - that's a felony too! Everyone keeping track? Bad for the old career.
Why are there thousands of cars going into MA everyday for work and then back? Aren't they risking the spread of the virus back into NH? The signs clearly say you Must Quarantine for 2 weeks if you enter.
Yeah, it is also ok for Mass people to go into NH and buy up Costco and booze, and its ok for people in Southern NH to come north but not those Mass people. Same with Maine crossings. Guess what Gov you lost my support, why don't you look to Fl and see how they have contained things with 20X the population. The Mass Gov is a disgrace, do you have to join him with your commie behaviour. We do have a constitution. We live in the United States of America, not the make things up as you please NH. Time to change Live Free or Die to hide in your house and die. You need to study the data to see why some people get this and die and why others don't and figure out how to help those that are prone to the bad stuff from this as oppose to shutting down our economy putting us all at risk to what that entails.
The USFS should have closed the WMNF early on, as a matter of public safety, just as they did for Storm Irene. This is too little, too late.
To say we closed the parking lot only and do not allow people to park on the road, but the trail is open if you can walk there is a bit disingenuous. If you can walk 14 miles to the UNH trailhead feel free to hike the trail. What was the difference with the closure of Tuckermans Ravine and all the other trails surrounding it? Can I now hike there as well if I can walk to the AMC hut?
Evidently the people disobeying the law can’t read the signs.
The DMV should suspend their licenses until they are required to take a vision test and confirm their ability to safely read signs and navigate on the road.
As usual laws don’t apply to these
“ special people”.
More entitled people who think that rules don't apply to them. I don't know why these cars aren't ticketed, towed, and/or booted to get the message across.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.