1. Gilford Beach will be open only to Gilford residents/property owners and their guests. Stockholders in corporations, partners in partnerships or members of associations which are located in, pay taxes in, or own property in Gilford shall not be eligible for admission to the beach by reason of such stock ownership or other interest.
2. The beach is open to the public with staff from approximately mid-June to the end of August. The hours of operation are 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The regular beach staff will end the day at 7:00 PM. From 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM, two lifeguards will cover the beach as a Beach Patrol. During this time, these guards are not guarding the swim area - they are patrolling/supervising the beach and enforcing all regular beach rules and regulations. The gate will be closed at 9:00 PM. At this time, all persons, vehicles, etc. must be out of the beach area. The beach is closed to all public use between the hours of 9:00 PM and 9:00 AM. Persons found within the beach area during this time will be considered trespassing and will be prosecuted. The hours of operation for the beach are subject to change
per the discretion of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
3. A resident/taxpayer sticker is required for entrance to Gilford Beach. No Gilford resident or property owner will be admitted through the gate without a sticker permanently affixed to his/her vehicle.
4. Gilford residents and property owners may obtain a resident/taxpayer sticker for their vehicle at the Town Clerk's Office located in the Town Hall.
5. The sticker must be permanently affixed on the driver's side of the vehicle, side or rear window in plain view.
6. It shall be the sole responsibility of the resident/taxpayer to present an automobile registration for each vehicle on which they wish to place a resident/taxpayer sticker. Under no circumstances may the Town Clerk’s Office issue a sticker unless a valid automobile registration or copy thereof is presented by the resident/taxpayer. One sticker may be issued per valid automobile registration in the resident/taxpayer's name.
Mail requests may be honored if the request is accompanied by a photocopy of the registration in the name of the resident/taxpayer. Mailing address: Gilford Town Clerk, 47 Cherry Valley Road, Gilford, NH 03249.
Residents who have no vehicle but are otherwise eligible to gain entrance to Gilford Beach must show some proof that they are a resident/taxpayer to the satisfaction of the beach gatekeeper, i.e. a driver’s
license, a resident or property tax receipt, or a listing in the current tax assessment book are examples.
All walk-ins, bicycle riders, and motorcycle riders must also be prepared to show such proof.
7. In certain cases, a Temporary Pass may be issued by the Parks and Recreation Department to be used for entrance to Gilford Beach. Individuals wishing to seek an exception must contact the Parks and Recreation Department Office directly.
8. In the case of loss of a resident/taxpayer sticker, a replacement sticker may be obtained from the Town Clerk's Office at a fee of $25.00 each.
9. Operators of a company and/or leased vehicle may be eligible for a resident/taxpayer sticker if the operator proves to the satisfaction of the Town Clerk’s Office that he/she is a resident or taxpayer and that a sticker should be issued, i.e.via a letter from the employer or a copy of the lease.
10. Guests riding in a resident/taxpayer's vehicle may obtain a guest ticket from the beach gatekeeper at a cost of $1.00 per person, per day. No guest ticket will be required for children under the age of 10 years. Only resident/taxpayers with a sticker attached to their vehicle may purchase guest tickets. Guests must be accompanied by a resident/taxpayer to gain entrance to the beach, and the guests should ride in the resident/taxpayer's vehicle or in a single vehicle immediately behind them. This extra vehicle may have to be parked at the ice rink, in the horseshoe, dirt driveway in front of the rink, depending on parking space availability at the beach. No guests will be allowed into the beach who are not in the accompaniment of a resident/taxpayer.
11. Commercial guest tickets for use by owners or operators of motels, inns, marinas, summer boarding houses, or summer cottages/cabins in Gilford also will be available at the Town Clerk's Office at a cost of $2.00 per ticket (per person, per day). No commercial guest ticket will be required for children under the age of 10 years. These tickets may be resold at the same price or given to bona fide guests at such establishments. This will entitle them to admission to the beach. To validate these tickets, the name of the motel, inn, etc. should be stamped or written on each ticket.
12. Entrance to Gilford Beach shall be allowed only through the gate which is located on Varney Point Road. Persons entering by any other means, i.e. by boat, ATV, over the fence, etc., will be expelled immediately.
13. All vehicles shall park inside the fenced area or as designated by the beach gatekeeper. Overflow parking is available at the ice rink parking lot. Parking on Varney Point Road is prohibited. Motor vehicles of any kind are not permitted on the beach.
The horseshoe, dirt driveway in front of the ice rink is restricted to overflow parking for the beach only. No boat trailers are allowed to be parked in this area at any time. Boat trailers may, however, be parked in the dirt parking lot adjacent to the rink. This area is open for boat trailers only – no boats on trailers should ever be parked in this area.
Upon entering the beach, all vehicles and individuals must stop at the beach gatekeeper.
14. No child under the age of 12 years shall be at the beach without supervision by a person sixteen years of age or older. Lifeguards and other beach personnel will not assume responsibility for children left unattended by their parents or guardians. Abuse of this rule may result in the suspension of beach use privileges.
15. No boats shall be allowed to operate around or across swim lines, nor shall it be allowed to moor a boat and swim inside the lines which designate the swim areas at Gilford Beach. Such intrusion shall be considered trespassing and any damages caused shall be assessed against said trespasser in addition to charges for criminal trespass, or otherwise.
16. No boats, kayaks, windsurfers, etc., shall be allowed to launch from the beach.
17. Swimming from the beach or raft to a boat or other watercraft is strictly prohibited.
18. Group outings are not permitted during the course of the official open season of the beach. Outings planned for prior to the official opening date or after the official closing date must be approved and scheduled through the Parks and Recreation Department Office.
19. No dogs or other pets, with the exception of qualified service dogs, shall be allowed within the beach area or in the water at any time.
20. No person shall clutter the beach with trash or leave waste material or dirty tables after using the same. All trash shall be placed in receptacles designated for that purpose at the beach.
While we strongly encourage a smoke-free beach facility, we realize that this is a situation which is beyond our capabilities to enforce. Smoking at the beach by any and all individuals who are of legal age should be looked upon as a privilege. Therefore, we must insist on the safe and proper disposal of extinguished smoking materials and clean-up of all cigarette butts, packages, matches, and debris. The maintenance and cleanliness of any area on the beach where smoking is taking place is the responsibility of those who are smoking. Please help us to keep our beach neat, clean, and safe for one and all.
The use of the bathrooms should also be considered a privilege. The cleanliness of these bathrooms ultimately rests with all of us. Please help us to keep them clean.
21. Swimming is restricted to the designated, roped-off swim area only. During the six weeks of swim lessons, no swimming is allowed in the designated, guarded swim area from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, Monday through Friday. During this time, swimming is allowed in the designated, unguarded area on the far left side of the beach.
22. All flotation devices, life jackets (PFD’S), masks, fins, and snorkels must be used in the designated, unguarded area on the far left side of the beach. Exceptions to this rule may be granted when accompanied by written verification from a physician that such flotation devices, PFD'S, etc. are required for therapeutic purposes. Swim goggles, not masks, are allowed to be used in the designated, guarded area.
Young children wearing bathing suits with non-inflatable buoyant devices contained within the suit will be allowed to swim (with lifeguard approval) in the designated, guarded swim area for that day only. They will need to wear a conventional bathing suit when they return to the beach or be required to swim in the designated, unguarded area.
23. The following are rules for the raft:
1. OBEY LIFEGUARDS
2. No running
3. No pushing
4. No flips, backdives, or anything else of the sort
5. No swimming under or behind the raft
6. Children unable to swim well must be with a parent or guardian
24. All persons using the beach grills shall use only charcoal. All grills shall be left in an orderly fashion with the fire extinguished, and all charcoal refuse shall be placed in the designated, concrete containers. If charcoal and ashes are too hot to be removed, please do not dump ashes on the ground or into a trash container - leave them in the grill to cool and to be cleaned out at a later time.
25. There shall be no ball playing on the beach with bats (plastic or otherwise) and hardballs (i.e., baseballs, softballs, tennis balls, etc.). Beachballs, frisbees, etc., may be used on occasion at the discretion of the beach personnel. No balls, frisbees, etc. may be used out on the raft. Use of super soakers, water guns, water balloons, and the like is also prohibited at the beach.
Use of all beach playground equipment requires playing with care and consideration of others, and adult supervision is recommended.
26. For the safety of the beach and its users, please drink from only plastic or metal containers, not glass bottles.
27. Please do not feed the water fowl. This includes ducks, sea gulls, geese, or any other birds.
28. Missing persons should be reported immediately to a member of the lifeguard staff. Any injuries should also be reported to a lifeguard for treatment.
29. Removal of or damage to any structure, piece of equipment, plant or natural fixture within the beach area is strictly prohibited.
Any acts of vandalism should be reported immediately to either a member of the beach staff or to the Police Department. These are your tax dollars supporting the beach facility, so please report anything you may see - no matter how big or small.
30. Acts endangering others, loud music, disorderly conduct, intoxication, and obscene or indecent acts are strictly prohibited.
31. Soliciting of any kind is not allowed.
32. Persons found violating any of the above rules and regulations may be evicted from the
beach.
Certain rules are necessary for the fair, safe use of Gilford Beach. We, therefore, request that you observe the admission policies and beach rules and regulations that we have presented here for you.
Questions may be directed to the Parks and Recreation Department Office at 527-4722.
WISHING YOU A SAFE, PLEASANT, AND SUNNY SUMMER SEASON!!!
Gilford Parks and Recreation Department
47 Cherry Valley Road
Gilford, NH 03249
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