There is exactly one state-approved 4x4 trail on public land in the entire Northeastern United States. It is in Berlin, New Hampshire. It is called Run to the Hills. And even its easiest section will make your stock bumper regret showing up.
Jericho Mountain State Park sits in the White Mountains, less than 10 miles from downtown Berlin, with over 7,000 acres of forested mountain terrain and 80+ miles of OHRV trails. But for full-size 4x4 trucks and SUVs, the draw is the dedicated Jeep and truck trail system — built by the North Woods Off Road Club with state approval, maintained by volunteers, and rated on a rock-crawling scale that makes most trail parks look polite.
This is the 7th stop in our Tax Season Trail Sale series at Lil B's Custom Fabrication. Colorado, Virginia, Tennessee — now New Hampshire. The Northeast finally gets its turn.
What Makes Jericho Different From Everything Else in the Region
If you have tried to go wheeling in New England, you already know the problem. Legal public trails for full-size 4x4 vehicles barely exist. Most options are either privately held by clubs, restricted to ATVs and dirt bikes, or scattered across unmarked Class VI roads where legality can be ambiguous. Jericho Mountain changed that.
The 4x4 trail system here is purpose-built for trucks and Jeeps. Not adapted from logging roads. Not shared with mountain bikes. Built specifically to test full-size vehicles on technical rock terrain in the Northeast. It is also a Jeep Badge of Honor trail — the only one in the state of New Hampshire.
Access is through the main parking area at the Visitor Center on Jericho Lake Road. You check in, the gate opens, and you are on trail. The system runs a counterclockwise loop with trails branching across four difficulty ratings. And those ratings are calibrated for rock crawlers, not casual dirt-road drivers.
The Trail Rating System — Read This Carefully
Jericho does not rate trails the way most parks do. Their "Easiest" is not what you think easiest means. Here is the actual scale:
Easiest — The main access trail and entry loop. Rocky, slow, technical. Estimated at about a 7/10 difficulty for a stock Jeep Rubicon or lifted 4Runner on 33s or 35s. This is not a warm-up lap. This is a commitment from the first obstacle.
More Difficult — Requires 35-inch or larger tires, a winch, and lockers. Tighter lines, larger obstacles, steeper terrain. You will use your winch.
Most Difficult — Requires a heavily modified vehicle with 38-inch or larger tires, a winch, and lockers. This is where the trail system earns its reputation.
Extreme — Impassable by most vehicles. Requires 40-inch or larger tires, dual lockers, dual winches, and a roll cage or exo cage. Designed to challenge even the most capable rock-crawling rigs and experienced drivers.
The trail is 2.5 miles total. It takes 3.5 to 5 hours to complete. That ratio tells you everything about the terrain density.
What the Terrain Looks Like
Jericho's trails are carved through dense northern hardwood forest. The landscape is classic White Mountain terrain — granite and schist rock, tight tree lines, root systems woven through the trail surface, and terrain shaped by centuries of freezing and thawing cycles.
What you will encounter:
The trail surface is predominantly rock — embedded granite boulders, loose stone, and ledge. Unlike the red clay and shale of Appalachian parks farther south, New Hampshire rock is hard and angular. It does not erode smoothly. It fractures into sharp edges and uneven surfaces that test tire sidewalls and underbody protection on every section.
Tree lines are tight. The forest closes in on both sides of the trail, limiting your line options and making vehicle width a real factor. Long-wheelbase trucks like full-size pickups will find some sections difficult to navigate simply because of geometry.
Water is present throughout. Stream crossings, standing water from beaver activity, and seasonal runoff all affect the trail. Spring conditions after snowmelt can make already-difficult sections significantly worse.
There are no scenic overlooks or destination viewpoints on the 4x4 trails. This system is built purely to test vehicle and driver. The reward is the trail itself.
Why Armor Is Not Optional at Jericho
Jericho is one of the few places in the Northeast where the park essentially tells you what modifications you need before you arrive. If they are recommending a winch for the easiest trail and requiring 35-inch tires and lockers for the next level up, that tells you everything about what the rock does to vehicles.
Here is what stock components face at Jericho:
Stock bumpers sit too low for the approach angles required on granite ledge climbs. A single misjudged line puts your bumper directly into rock. At Jericho's pace — slow, deliberate crawling — that contact is not a glancing scrape. It is a direct hit that cracks plastic and bends sheet metal.
Exposed underbody components take repeated contact. The trail surface is rock. Not dirt with occasional rock. Rock with occasional dirt. Your oil pan, transfer case, and steering linkage are in the strike zone on virtually every section of every trail.
No recovery points means you cannot self-extract. The park requires (or strongly recommends, depending on trail level) a winch for good reason. When you misjudge a line on embedded granite, you are not driving off it. You are pulling off it. Integrated recovery points on an aftermarket bumper are the difference between a winch pull and a bad day.
A front bumper built for Jericho does the following:
Raises your approach angle to clear granite ledges that stock bumpers cannot. Protects your front end from direct rock strikes during slow crawling. Provides a winch mount — which the trail system explicitly requires at higher difficulty levels. Gives you rated recovery points for strap pulls and winch operations.
Skid plates protect everything below. At Jericho, where the trail IS rock, underbody armor is not about occasional protection. It is about constant protection. Every foot of trail puts your drivetrain in contact range.
Planning Your Trip
Location: Jericho Mountain State Park, Berlin, NH. Take Route 110 west from Berlin approximately 3.6 miles. The park entrance is on the left.
From I-93: Take exit 35 to Route 3 north, then Route 115 north, Route 2 east, Route 16 north to Route 110 west. For the scenic approach, take I-93 north through Franconia Notch to the Kancamagus Highway (NH-112 east) to NH-16 north.
Season: The 4x4 trail system is open during Visitor Center operating hours, generally late spring through October. The park gate closes around 5pm in summer to allow vehicles to exit before dark. Check with the park office before planning a trip — winter closures apply to portions of the trail system.
Cost: $20 per vehicle (includes up to 2 occupants), $4 per additional person. Day-use fees for the park are $4 per adult.
Requirements: Vehicles must check in at the Visitor Center to get the trail gate opened. A winch is strongly recommended for the easiest trail and required for harder trails. Modified tires and other modifications are required. The North Woods Off Road Club maintains the trails and provides guidance on vehicle requirements.
Lodging: The park campground has 20 sites including 5 cabins, 4 tent sites, 2 Adirondack shelters, and 9 RV sites with a modern shower and toilet facility plus coin-op laundry. The campground connects directly to the trail system. Hotels available in Berlin and Gorham. Reserve sites through ReserveAmerica.
Connectivity: Limited cell service at the park. Plan accordingly.
Nearby: Jericho Lake beach and boat launch, 80+ miles of ATV/OHRV trails connecting to the 1,000+ mile Ride the Wilds system across Coos County, Mt. Washington Auto Road (approximately 30 minutes south via Route 16).
Rules: All drivers must have a valid license. Helmets recommended. Trail etiquette applies — stay on marked trails, pack out everything you bring in.
Tax Season Trail Sale
Jericho Mountain is the Northeast's proving ground. The trail system was designed to test what your rig can actually do — and it does not grade on a curve. Every trail level has explicit gear requirements because the terrain demands it.
Tax season is when you stop thinking about the upgrade and actually make it happen. The Tax Season Trail Sale at Lil B's is built for that moment. A front bumper with a winch mount is not a wish-list item at Jericho. It is an entry requirement for anything past the easiest trail. Skid plates are not optional when the entire trail surface is granite. And recovery points are what keep a stuck situation from becoming an extraction situation.
If you have been eyeing the only Badge of Honor trail in New Hampshire, this is the time to build the rig that earns it.
The Series Continues
Colorado, Virginia, Tennessee, New Hampshire. Four stops in the Tax Season Trail Sale series. We are covering every region and every type of terrain that demands protection for your Toyota or Lexus. More trails ahead.
Explore the full Lil B's lineup at lilbscustomfab.com.
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