OSSIPEE, N.H. -- The trailered boat ramp, kayak/canoe access and dock at the public boat ramp facility on Pine River (off Route 25) that provides access to Ossipee Lake in Ossipee, NH, will remain closed while the NH Fish and Game Department finishes refurbishments. The ramp is currently closed, with no opportunity to launch or retrieve boats.

Late snowstorms and high water levels curtained access to the site this spring, so the work could not be completed in April, as planned.

An announcement will be made when access to the ramp becomes available. The ramp is expected to be open for the Memorial Day weekend. It will remain open during final grading and landscaping that will follow the ramp work. Please note that during this final phase, maximum on-site parking may be impacted.

This project will refurbish the state-owned public boat access facility to improve public access to the Pine River and Ossipee Lake. Improvements will include reconstruction of the gravel access road and enlarging the parking lot to provide 30 trailer and 5 cartop spaces, including one trailered and one cartop space for recreationists with disabilities.

To control stormwater runoff discharges to the Pine River and protect water quality, the parking area surface will be constructed with a pervious stone-filled grid to increase stormwater runoff infiltration. In addition, two bioretention stormwater treatment basins will be created to assist in collecting and infiltrating stormwater from the parking lot and driveways slowly into the ground.

The existing single-lane ramp is being replaced with a double-lane ramp using the Department's precast concrete-plank design and a removable floating dock system is being added between the two ramps. A new timber-terraced gravel footpath leading to a non-motorized (cartop) boat access point will also be created. The addition of concrete-plank ramps will eliminate erosion of the current degraded bituminous ramp surface. This will improve the water quality at and around the launch area. In addition, the construction and delineation of designated parking spaces will create NH Fish and Game-controlled areas for vehicle and trailer parking and eliminate the need for the public to park in unauthorized areas.

New Hampshire's Public Boat Access Program is funded through boat registration fees and federal Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration funds. Fish and Game's Facilities Construction and Lands Division acquires land for public water access sites, refurbishes existing sites and builds new public boat access areas. For more information on boating access in New Hampshire, visit www.wildnh.com/access.

► Related:  Ramp Now Open


Posted 4/25/17