Summer finally joined the party bringing sunny skies, temperatures in the 80’s and helmet-never-dries humidity. The trails are in the best shape we’ve seen since early June. 
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Some things to know…

🤘LAKE PLACID: Green Jacket, the new gravity trail at Craig Wood is good to go. Gold Jacket, the more advanced line still needs some finishing touches before it’s ready. We’re as eager as you are. Updates to come. 

⚠️ Please continue to avoid Purple Trail. 

⚠️ WILMINGTON: As part of a Bike Fest soft opening, last weekend friends and visitors got to sample Flowbus, the new trail at Three Sisters. There is more work to be done to finish Flowbus, and we expect construction to continue through the 11th. Please avoid it while construction is underway. With some rain in the forecast, we’re hopeful that conditions will continue to set up and improve until we give it the full green light. Stay tuned.

🐝 Please be aware that we’ve had several reports of ground bee’s nests at both Hardy Road and the Flume. We’ve tried to address nests as they’re identified, but there are most certainly more out there. Pro Tip: Ride with Benadryl or Zyrtec in your pack and if you’re stung, keep pedaling until you’re a safe distance from the nest. Where there’s one, there are probably many more.

🤘KEENE: Downriver, the new gravity trail at the East Branch Community Trails is OPEN. Signage is coming soon. Please remember that Downriver, Flowbus and Green Jacket are all downhill only.

⚠️ SARANAC LAKE: Our trail crew needs a little more time to finish the new trail at Fowler’s Crossing. We’ll be announcing a volunteer day soon and anticipate an official opening in a few weeks!

💃🏼 ELIZABETHTOWN: Happy Otis Mountain Get Down ya’ll!

⚒️ SAVE THE DATE: Saturday September 30th - Women’s Volunteer Day coming at ya! Pencil it in. Details to come…

​We’ve reached broken record status. From four inches of rain, to full sun and whipping wind, real-time conditions updates are proving to be ultra-tricky this season.

We are yellow lights top to bottom, meaning no matter where you end up, ride with caution. If you encounter a lot of mud and/or are leaving ruts, be prepared to turn around. 

Hardy in Wilmington generally handles the rain really well. It’d be a good option if slippery conditions are not your jam. Lussi Trails, the Flume and Pisgah may be wet in spots but should be good to go for the weekend. Best to let Craig Wood, Dewey, PMD and Loggers Loops dry out until tomorrow. Please know we can’t be everywhere all at once. Our staff and volunteers are out and about keeping a pulse on things as best as we can. Share updates if you have them! We appreciate you.

AND NOW, THE GOOD NEWS! Today’s strong breeze is working in our favor and the new gravity trail at Craig Wood will be open and ready to ride tomorrow (August 12th) but subject to future closures should the rain monster return.

Don’t forget, we’ll be camped out at the Scott’s Cobble Parking lot (8/12, 10-4) slinging stickers and offering some No Drop Group Rides…

10:00 - Kids’ Cruise on Putt Putt & Pirate's Cove at Scott's Cobble 
10:30 - Women's Ride! A no drop ladies' cruise to check out the new trail!
1:00 - Intro to Craig Wood no drop tour for ALL including a lap (or two!) on the new trail. 

If you prefer to choose your own adventure, feel free to lap at your leisure. Group rides will start and end from the Scott's Cobble Trail Head. Take Country Club Lane off of Route 73. (Across from the Cascade Inn - you'll see a Craig Wood sign). Once on Country Club Lane, look for a parking lot on the right. If you reach the golf course, you've gone too far. We will have a BETA tent/table set up from 10-4.

Heyyyy, remember that May drought? It's over. We've had consistent rain all week and the weekend forecast is calling for an additional inch (or more!). If you venture out, be prepared to embrace the grease. Roots and rocks will be slick and you're likely to encounter wet sections. Pedal with caution and ride or walk through mud instead of around it.  

Earlier in the season, after a hard rain, we sometimes encouraged folks to give the trails 24 hours to dry out or to avoid them all-together. Why the shift in messaging?

We haven't seen freezing temperatures in a month or so, and thankfully for our gardens, we're beyond the freeze/thaw cycle. Because of this, the trails have had a chance to harden and stabilize, making them less prone to damage and better equipped to handle and shed water. And in addition to that, we're coming off of an extended period of dry weather. The rain was much needed and the trees and plants are happily drinking it up. 

Some other things to note: 

1.) Registration for the 1000 Animals Social Athletic Club Ride CLOSES on Monday. Pre-registration is required. 

2.) Early bird pricing for the Wilmington Mountain Bike Fest ends June 22nd.  Don't miss it! Live music. Grilled cheese. BIKES.

3.) Trail season is here. We're putting those membership dollars right to work. Thanks to all who are renewing their support!

And last thing - GOOD LUCK to all of the brave riders attempting the Over Easy this weekend in these traditionally spicy conditions. Get some!

Go get it!

Thanks to region-wide efforts by BETA staff, trail adopters and volunteers, all networks are in great shape. It's only May - you should still expect to come across occasional wet spots and perpetually troublesome soft sections, especially after the rain predicted for this weekend. And although the trails are riding well, there is plenty of work to be done. Keep an eye on our communications for opportunities to give back starting THIS Sunday at Mount Pisgah from 9AM-3PM. Dig. Ride. Grill. Come for some, or all. Registration strongly encouraged.

🤘 The long awaited Blue Ribbon (Flow Trail) on Scott's Cobble is now open. BETA staff and volunteers put in a solid shift Thursday night fixing berms and ruts and raking and removing loose rocks. Thanks for your patience on this one - it's a bit slower to dry out.

🤘Cinderella Story is open again from the driving range trailhead on Rte. 86. Please follow the red signs and markers through the area impacted. The logging activity addressed risks to power loss and threats to irrigation for the Lake Placid Club Golf Courses. BETA was able to work with the Lussi family to identify a solution to restore access to the trails as safely and quickly as possible. Remember that all Lussi Trails are on private land and access is a privilege. 

🤘In case you missed it, a generous donor has offered to match donations to Phase 2 of East Branch up to $5000! Thank you to all (31 of you so far!) who've already taken advantage of this opportunity! The matching campaign ends May 29th. Double your impact today. Every dollar helps. www.betatrails.org/keene

⚠️ Fowlers parking at Route 86 is closed due to rail trail construction. We are working with DEC to identify alternative parking and access points for Fowlers trails while the rail trail construction is underway this year. 

Wherever you're riding this weekend, think of the trail organizations, the volunteers, the landowners and all of the partners and people making it possible for you to walk out of work and hike, run or ride into the woods. #ridewithgratitude