It was an odd sight to behold on a North Country bridge.

On the sturdy span by the mighty Androscoggin River in the gritty town of Gorham, New Hampshire, a Skittles-colored line of mountain bikers rode slowly and single file—on the other side were Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle enthusiasts with some drivers and passengers festooned as zombies.

And when the camouflage crowd and tight and bright posse crossed on that path there were some smiles, waves, and thumbs up from both sets.

As happenstance had it, the two cultures commingled recently a bit as mountain bikers hit the woods for Gorham’s second annual Mountain Bike Weekend, while next door in Berlin was the Halloween-themed RiverFire, an event that included the second annual Zombie ATV Poker Run.

This was no kumbaya moment, but certainly proof that coexistence is possible as mud-, rock-, and root-loving outdoor lovers—some with motors, some without—took to the woods of northern New Hampshire, branded as Ride the Wilds with 1,000-plus miles of ATV trails.

But as Gorham has become the gateway to Coos County’s wild kingdom, it’s also seen growth in mountain biking opportunities largely at the hands of locals involved in the Coos Cycling Club.

The low-key mountain bike event was a splendid opportunity to experience Gorham’s offerings on a series of group rides for cyclists of all abilities. With support from the cycling club, White Mountain’s chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, and some area businesses, riders used the Top Notch Inn as base camp. On the pumpkin-decorated lawn, riders had a wooden skills course to navigate while the parking lot contained both OHRVs and vehicles ferrying mountain bikes.

Group mountain bike rides allow visitors to put their brains on auto-pilot and just follow the leader while getting a sampling of the locale’s terrain. Grouped by abilities, said riding also allows mountain bikers a chance to improve their bike handling by cycling with better riders, and by navigating terrain they may not have found by themselves.

Much of Gorham’s mountain biking is readily reached from Route 2. From there they can access the dozen or so miles of trails in Moose Brook State Park on Jimtown Road, northern Presidential Rail Trail with its outstanding views, the town forest, Undermine Loop, and Power Island Loop.

Riding with a local always payed off as a nine-mile morning group was able to shun lots of pavement by riding a wide corridor not far from the motel that led by the airport and soon connected with the rail trail until a popular trailhead parking area. It was here that mountain bikers and zombies shared a short stretch of fine cinder-topped trail before parting ways.

The way led to the Undermine Loop, a winding roller coaster of singletrack and narrow bridges. Though peak foliage had passed, the burnt oranges and browns still was a wad of eye candy, and rolling along with the sound of crunching leaves was Mother Nature’s dubstep.

Next up was Power Island, an electric loop with some buzz. Fast and flowy, the singletrack includes a glorious stretch along the river through a grove with pine needles on the ground. The loop isn’t exactly flat—maybe White Mountains flat.

On another ride, Moose Brook State Park was showcased. That’s where Gorham’s mountain bike scene started its growth when permission was granted to improve a number of overgrown and abandoned trails in the park, many built by the Civilian Conservation Corp, and construct new singletrack as well.

The numbered trails lead along a diversity of terrain of technical singletrack, tracts along the flowing Moose Brook, along a scenic gorge, down super wide Berry Farm Road that bisects the network and up butt-busting hills. Though the twists and turns make mountain biking fun, there’s nothing like using Berry Farm Road as a bailout when the threatening skies unleash torrential rain.

It was then that a handful of riders made a break during the downpour to head back to dry rooms, first zooming down the fallen leaf carpet from the park, and soon playfully riding through puddles like kids on a wet North Country wild ride.

Image by Marty Basch