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SEE
September Status Update Below
Off Road Truck Park
More Landowners are closing their
property to off roaders every day making it harder and harder to
find nice areas to enjoy the outdoors with our ORVs. I have
always loved trail riding and decided to open my property for
others to enjoy. I think most people will agree that this piece
of land lends itself perfectly to the sport and that was a big
reason I have gone forward with this project. This mountain was
homesteaded in the late 1700's and the evidence is all around
to the discerning eye. Rock walls that formed property
boundaries can be found over the entire area as well as garden
mounds and foot paths. I hope that all who come to Wicked
Hills Off Road Park will have a wicked good time, stay safe
and respect the property. We will offer trail maps to all who
visit and we are working on a digital version for your hand held
device. Please let us know if using your hand held device for
trail maps is interesting to you and if so what type of handheld
do you use?
WickedHills@yahoo.com
4x4 Off
Roading Trails
The trails within the park are a
combination of old county roads, discontinued roads and tote
roads. Most had not been used for a few years but cleared up
nicely and will be great for this application. There are areas
that have steep inclines that will be very challenging to the
best hill climbers and other areas suited for first timers,
there truly is something for everyone. When you are at the top
of the mountain facing West on a clear day you can see the
Presidential Mountain Range in New Hampshire which includes Mt.
Washington, at center is Mt. Blue with its steep westerly edge,
the Bigelow range, Sugarloaf and Saddleback
Mountains and to the North lies Mt. Katadin. It is an awesome
sight. White Tail Deer, Moose, Turkeys, Grouse & Woodcock,
Bobcat, Coyote, Rabbit, Fox, Raccoon and all the other woodland
animals are in the park and seen often. There are many large
birds of prey here too including Owl, Osprey, Red Tail Hawk plus
the Palliated Woodpecker and lesser woodpeckers. There is a lot
of wildlife to see and enjoy.
We will do our very best to
keep our trails clean and free of trash, protect our natural
resource and make sure it is here for many to use and enjoy in
the future. I ask that all visitors please do your best to
protect the trees, land and wildlife. I want everyone to have a
good time and tearing up some hills is fine, just use your
judgment and try to have the least amount of impact you can.
For the first year we are
open our plan is to provide off roading trails, pits, steep climbs and easy
parking, just the basics. I need to find out how popular Wicked
Hills Off Road Park will be. If we are busy we will move on to
Phase 2. This will include camping sites, bathrooms & showers,
pavilions to enjoy the views, have a picnic lunch or just
hang-out. We will also have some very tasty food available
during busy periods. Phase 2 will also see more trails and an
obstacle course. And when the time comes for the next step Phase
3 will begin. This upgrade will include camper & motor home
hook-ups, cabin rentals, a truck wash to rinse the mud and much
more plus some events.
Click for Trail Map
September 2012 Update
The Town of China has asked me to follow their comprehensive permit
application process which is quite detailed and attempts to leave no
questions unanswered. At their request we have developed an
Emergency Evacuation Plan in the event someone were to become
seriously ill or injured on the trails. China Fire and Rescue worked
with us to produce a simple and effective plan. A Hazardous Waste
Spill Control Plan has also been developed with input from many
places including Maine DEP. who I found to have a good “common
sense” approach. We have described how our operation will work and
how we will keep our customers safe. The permit process takes time
but ultimately helps with the details that might be overlooked and
cause problems at a later date.
As you read through the various pages on our site you will see that
we will cater to a “Family oriented” clientele. Our rules and
procedures are intended to keep everyone as safe as possible, please
read through them before you come so there won’t be any surprises.
A “Public Hearing” was held at the China Town Office last night,
8-28-12 to discuss Wicked Hills Off Road Park. Abutters don’t want
any development in the area, they complained about everything they
could think of and said we would attract “Druggies, Alcoholics and
Rednecks!” “They’ll be revving those loud engines at 5:00am til who
knows when, speeding and burning rubba, people won’t be safe walking
along the road anymore”, another guy said “property values will be
dropping in at least a 10 mile radius”, another comment was” people
will be pouring out their Pepsi half way and filling it with Vodka,
you, can’t stop drinking” I was thinking to myself that he needs
help with his drinking problem. The truth is this; I can’t control
everyone but I will regulate our trails and every club I have been
with regulates themselves. The State Police can’t stop everyone from
drinking and driving either, should we all stop driving? Overall the
biggest complaint was noise, I have never heard anyone complain
about tractors in our fields, skidders or chain saws in our woods. I
believe it is a non issue and only time will prove it to the
abutters. I won’t go on but their comments are part of the public
record of China Maine if you want some entertainment. It was held on
Aug. 28, 2012. Tel 207-445-2014 for access info.
We are in a time when our rights are brought into question every
day, these same people want to enjoy my land, sit in my driveways
and watch the sunsets all the while throwing trash and crap all over
the place. Not one of them has ever picked up even a bottle cap or
said “thank you” but they don’t want me to use the land, that I pay
huge taxes on, as I see fit. They want it to stay “pristine”, that
word makes me puke! Almost all the people complaining come from
somewhere else, they didn’t see this land before I bought it almost
20 years ago. It wasn’t so “pristine” then! It was a trash dump, pig
farm with mobile homes strewn around.
There was a beautiful old barn at the homestead one of the abutters
bought 4 or 5 years ago. They tore it down! You know, I liked that
barn and enjoyed looking at it, I don’t think they should have torn
it down. What if I had the ability to get the town to compel these
landowners to restore it while it stood or force them to rebuild it
now at their expense because I liked looking at it? Would that be
right? We all know the answer! This is the USA, we have a thing
called the US Constitution to prevent others from taking our rights
away. ORV parks are popular and necessary because people are
preventing off roaders access to trails for recreation.
There are a lot of great clubs and thousands of responsible off
roaders who will come to China to enjoy awesome trails and beautiful
views of the Appalachian mountains to the West. I will treat my
guests to the best Maine can offer and I know visitors will work
with me to make this a great Off Road Park. Your comments are
welcome @ wickedhills@yahoo.com
June 2012 Update:
The
Wetlands Engineering firm I have been working with did not
find any problems with our plans. That was welcome news! We
have a meeting scheduled with DEP next week and if all goes
well we will be applying for the local permits which will take
about 2 months. We have opened up several more tote roads in
the past few weeks to add variety and challenge for daring
off-roaders.
With a
name like "Wicked Hills" I figured we had better have some of
the wicked areas open, and we do! I hope to see some off
roaders conquer our steepest terrain but I don't think many
will try. Don't worry if you aren't into the steepies because
there are plenty of wooded trails that you can play around on
plus we will be expanding our trails to include more old tote
roads that are away from any wetlands. Believe me there are
plenty that are waiting to be reopened.
Look for an updated map next week that
will include the newly opened trails. Thanks,
Jeff
May 2012 Update:
Progress at Wicked Hills Off Road Park is moving ahead nicely and I
am confident that we will be open for business this summer. We are
in the woods full time and it looks awesome.
The opening is getting closer every day and all our energy is being
used to get this park in operation. Thank you for being patient, I
think you will agree that the wait will have been well worth it. To
all who completed our survey, THANK YOU VERY MUCH ! I will be
sending all of you emails inviting you to come and try out our new
park. This will take place as soon as the DEP permits for stream
crossings are approved. I have been working with a wetlands engineer
to assist with the overall permitting process. His findings were
positive and changes to the trails are minimal.
The trails vary from easy to all out insane terrain with wicked
steep climbs and off camber trails. We also have some areas where
there are ledge outcroppings that make for a challenge. There is
some mud in some of the trails but it's spotty, there are no "mud
runs" so to speak of but your rig will get dirty in some places.
We will be taking suggestions from our patrons to develop trails of
different difficulty. I realize that everyone likes something a
little different so I won't be able to accommodate everyone but I'll
do my best!
THANK YOU,
Jeff LaVerdiere
April 2012 Status:
Thanks to all
who responded to our survey, your input has been vital to our
planning. I will be posting dates when you can come and enjoy the
terrain at Wicked Hills. Those who responded will be the first to
come and check us out, if you can’t make it to our pre-opening don’t
worry, you can come anytime we are open to receive your free pass.
We are compiling the list and will let you know the details soon.
Keep an eye out for an email update on “FREE PASSES” Progress at
Wicked Hills: 9 more tote roads have been opened since September
2011 so the total is now 17. The terrain varies from beginner to
very difficult with everything in between. My goal throughout has
been to provide off-roading that almost everyone will enjoy. The
routes will be named and a difficulty level will also be displayed
on the sign. Warnings will be posted on the most dangerous trails so
all but experts may avoid them. I am very happy with the trails
opened so far and the Two Clubs that each spent a day here were also
impressed. There is the potential to open many more tote roads and
provide new areas to explore in the future. I am working on some off
camber roads for some added challenges plus some ledge climbing. We
have a pit with some sand hills you can play around in for a little
while too. I have been working with my engineer to get the necessary
permits from DEP, I hoped to have this stage completed by now but
that has not happened. Hopefully things will fall into place soon,
in the meantime I am working like a dog clearing tote roads, working
on maps and making the Wicked Hills Off Road Park a reality. I look
forward to hosting all of you in the near future.
Sincerely, Jeff
LaVerdiere, Owner WickedHills@yahoo.com
Thanks to all who responded to our questioner
and helped us plan our park. |
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Convenient location for:
China Maine, Camden Maine,
Augusta Maine, Southern Main,
New England
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