THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS!
In addition to the baseline satisfaction of volunteer work days, this year we’ve had the special pleasure of welcoming a lot of new faces into the volunteer ranks.  We’ve seen a big increase in logged volunteer hours over previous years, too.  Thank you so much to each and every one of you for donating your time and energy to the trails; your hard work is much appreciated by us at BETA and surely by every rider, skier, hiker, or runner who enjoys the trails. 

​If you’ve supported BETA’s work by volunteering in any way this season, please log your hours here: bit.yl/LogHours4BETA.  Doing so helps us track volunteer efforts and apply for more grant funding for trails (DYK: volunteer labor is valued at $38+ per hour!)

THANK YOU, SPONSORS!
In addition to volunteers, we’d like to thank the businesses who sponsored work parties this season: Silver Birch Cycles, Bike ADK, The Reynolds Group, Placid Planet Bicycles, and Origin Coffee.  If you’re business is interested in sponsoring a work party next year, please contact [email protected]

THANK YOU, CHRIS!
Finally, we’d like to thank Chris Gosling for his service as our Volunteer Stewardship Coordinator over the summer.  Your efforts to connect volunteers with trail work opportunities and provide fun and rewarding experiences for everyone was greatly appreciated.  We’re sure to see you on the trail sometime soon!

Even the youngsters who hadn't brought their bikes were in luck: the Lake Placid Elementary School generously lent us a portion of their bike fleet.  Those bikes were in use from start to finish.  They were in such high demand that on occasion, someone walking a bike back to the rack would be intercepted by a hopeful rider.  It reminded me of asking someone who is putting on their coat if you could have their table when there are no other empty seats in the coffee shop.  High demand, indeed. 

Imagine: a little after 6:30pm, the sun low in the sky, the Oval grass busy with kids of all ages looping around one another to take their turn on the feature(s) of their choice.  Some do wheelies, some are just trying to stay upright.  Adults peruse the booths set up by BETA, Bike ADK, Placid Planet Bicycles, High Peaks Cyclery, and the Regional Official of Sustainable Tourism.  People stand in groups at whatever distance from the features feels comfortable, enjoying a pleasant evening, when suddenly...from the area under the row of flags at the northern crest of the Oval, a dramatic and thundering drumbeat.  Just one, and then two, and then many, many more.  

Fogo Azul had arrived.

This woman-led samba drumline descended the steps into the Oval and marched around the bike features.  They curled around, creating a face-to-face drum-off between two sections of the band.  People linked arm-in-arm danced down the aisle separating the two groups of drummers.  Kids took the opportunity to ride through as well, toothy grins galore.  We heard from the musicians that this was the first time they'd ever had people ride bikes through the drum-off and it was quite the experience for them, too.

After sufficient drumming, oohing and aahing, Fogo Azul retreated, still playing, to their starting point before bringing their music to an end.  While the action seemed to ebb, the lull didn't last long.

The announcer for KRUSHER BMX fired up their speakers and jumped on the mic, informing the crowd (which had grown significantly during Fogo Azul's playing, drawing in folks who had originally planned to just walk by the Oval) that the show was about to begin.  The stunt team had warmed up sufficiently and were ready to get to flipping.  With a soundtrack of fan favorite classic rock tunes and energizing ballads, the team executing trick after trick -- flips, 180s, tailwhips, and so many more (whose names elude me) -- now under the brilliant Oval floodlights since the sun had fully and truly set.  The crowd of at least 300 watched from either side of the series of ramps and quarter pipes, some standing along the galvanized barriers and some seated on the hill between the High School and the Oval, cheering and clapping with each expertly executed stunt.  "Really enjoyed the BMX show (my daughter loved it). Would come again," one person attested.

Our last trail work update was in late July.  Major developments since then include:

• Elizabethtown: new trail (Deerleg) completed and open at Blueberry Hill.
• Keene: Two new upper mountain trails (Trail 7 Climb & Trail 7 Descent) completed and open at East Branch Community Trails.  Funding sought for the final phase of construction.
• Jay: Planning underway for potential new trails in the Four Peaks Wilderness.
• Saranac Lake: Construction of connector trail from Park Ave to Mount Pisgah delayed until 2026. Funding sought for implementing Mount Pisgah Summer Trails Enhancement Plan.
• Wilmington: Talks with landowners and Adirondack Land Trust underway to secure agreement for connector trail from Three Sisters to Hardy Road.
• Jackrabbit Trail: Mountain Lane reroute finished and open. Eastern terminus trailhead, bridges, parking lot, and trail section under construction; expected completion by December 2025.

Read on for more information about the above updates as well as an overview of all the work done in the 2025 trail work season.

THREE SISTERS PRESERVE

• Flobus – Rebuild of some sections of lower Flobus to improve the riding experience was completed in early summer.
  
• Town Connector – New route flagged and approved from Outlook Lane to Three Sisters with construction planned for 2026.  This reroute will preserve access between the Wilmington Town Recreation Park, Three Sisters, and by extension Hardy Road even as the Outlook Lane neighborhood continues development.  Thank you to the landowner for his support of our effort to maintain access!
  

HARDY ROAD

• Procrew and volunteers worked together to make significant improvements to the lower section of All In, including restoration that addressed some of the more extensive wear due to use and erosion. 
  
• We are working with land owners and the Adirondack Land Trust to find potential new connections between Three Sisters and Hardy Road.  Our long term goal is to create a trail that will keep you in the woods and off the road when biking between Hardy Road and Three Sisters.  We’re excited to work with the landowners involved in this agreement and are grateful for their early support.
  

BETA’s work is multi-facetted, ever-evolving, and always dedicated to maintaining and building trails and creating community.  The end of the 2025 trail work season is rapidly approaching, but we're still busy planning for next year's projects.

If the 2025 trail projects have benefitted you or your community, please consider supporting our work by becoming a member or renewing your membership at a higher giving level.  We are so deeply grateful to the hundreds of people who build, fund, champion, and enjoy these trails -- you're both the reason and the way that we do what we do: build trails and create community.  Thank you!

There is always something cooking at BETA.  Right now, some of the projects on our horizon include the following.

​ELIZABETHTOWN

• Blueberry Hill: The machine built section of the new climbing trail is complete.  Dusty and Scott are continuing with the handwork to finish the trail in the next couple of weeks. This volunteer- and pro-crew-built trail offers an easier alternative to Hemlock for climbing and returning to the trailhead off of Bronson Way. 
• Cobble Hill: We’ll have new signage installed here soon.  Great timing since we’ll be riding there on August 12th for our next Slow Your Roll Ride!

 
KEENE

• East Branch Community Trails, on top of the two new trails already opened this season, we have:
  • Peduzzi Trail Building has begun construction of a climbing trail and descent trail above the power lines.  That’s right, we’re starting on a whole new section of ground for these trails and adding more elevation!  If all goes according to plan, the new trail will be open before October, just in time for the UCI World Cup.
  • The Skills Loop is currently rideable and we are working with Peduzzi and local volunteers to plan and build technical trail features to help riders advance their skills in a controlled environment. 
• Jackrabbit Trail: The Rock and River trailhead to access the JRT is moving forward.  Construction is done on the parking lot and work on the trail and bridges will be happening over the next few months.  Stay tuned for volunteer work parties there this fall. 

 
LAKE PLACID

• Craig Wood/Scott’s Cobble: 
  • As we mentioned in our last update, Dusty, Scott, and an amazing brigade of volunteers finished the climbing reroutes on Back Nine.  It has really improved the riding experience in that section and simultaneously made the trail much more sustainable against heavy rains and erosion.
  • On August 17th, the Lake Placid Outing Club (LPOC) and BETA are teaming up to bring kids in LPOC and their families out for a volunteer trail work party at Craig Wood, Lake Placid.  Not only is it fun, volunteering is also a great way to cultivate a sense of stewardship, respect, and gratitude for the amazing trails we have at our fingertips.  This work party is only open to members of LPOC and their families.  Register here.
• Jackrabbit Trail: 
  • If time permits, we’ll replace the stringers on the bridge at the bottom of the JRT near River Road this fall.  We have temporarily patched the one at risk of failure to get us through the upcoming winter if we don’t get to the replacement this season.
  • ​A reroute of the JRT to that will take us off of part of Mountain Lane is approved and will be constructed in late fall during the chainsaw window.  This is a sizable undertaking and we hope to host a few volunteer trail work parties to tackle some aspects of this project.  Stay tuned for more details as summer draws to a close.

SARANAC LAKE

• Mt. Pisgah: 
  • We’re working with the folks at Cure Cottage Development LLC in order to create a new access trail route from Park Ave to Mt. Pisgah that accommodates their plans for development of Trudeau Village, a major project to renovate the former Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium and create affordable housing in Saranac Lake.
  • On Monday, July 28th, the Saranac Lake Village Board voted unanimously to approve and sponsor BETA’s Mt. Pisgah Summer Trails Enhancements and Master Plan.  We will keep you posted on what that means for Mt. Pisgah – look forward to more information in our next newsletter and as we try to secure funding for the work.
  • A volunteer trail work party with the Saranac Lake Innovative Cycles Kids (SLICK) will be held at Mt. Pisgah on Sunday, August 17th.  Kids and their families, regardless of their involvement with SLICK, are encouraged to join in on this fun and gratifying activity.  Register here.
• Dewey: We hosted a volunteer trail work party at Dewey on July 24th sponsored by Silver Birch Cycles and have another one on the calendar for August 25th sponsored by Bike Adirondacks.  These evening work parties focus on brushing, root removal, clearing drainages, and treadwork in a few sections.  Register for the next work day here.

WILMINGTON

• Three Sisters: A new route for the Town Connector has been flagged and approved from Outlook Lane to Three Sisters with construction planned for 2026.  This reroute will help preserve recreational access between the Wilmington Recreation Town Park and Hardy Road even as development proceeds on private property in the area. We are thankful to the landowner for his support of our effort to maintain access!
• Hardy Road: Right now Dusty and Scott are putting the finishing touches on a bit more work on All In for the season.  Meanwhile, we are finalizing the trail conditions assessment in order to produce a recommendation of Hardy Rd trail work for DEC review and approval for 2026.  That’s right, we’re already looking ahead to 2026 so we can hit the ground running next trail season.

This summer we accepted an invitation to join Bike Borderlands – a collaborative of 16 mountain biking destinations across the Northern Forest. We are honored to join this collaborative.

This is a powerful indication of the growing reputation of BETA as a mover and shaker in the world of trails, bikes, and outdoor recreation advocacy. It's also a great opportunity to collaborate with so many premier trail organizations -- some of which are ski and bike trail organizations, just like BETA --and benefit from the collective knowledge on issues of advocacy, high quality trails, and marketing. Joining Bike Borderlands is a big win for BETA and the people who care about the trails in our region. We are stoked to join this network!

​Bike Borderlands is part of a larger effort led by the nonprofit Northern Forest Center to energize rural communities and help more people discover this part of the world, move here, start a business, and live the New Forest Future. 

So far this season we've hosted two Slow Your Roll Rides, BETA-led group rides that are no-drop beginner-friendly smiles-over-miles kind of rides intended for slow, out of shape, and/or beginner riders.  After each ride, we tailgate at the parking lot or trailhead, throw some hot dogs on the grill, and crack a cold one. It's been a great way to connect with people on the trails we love and break down some of the barriers to enjoying biking to the fullest.

After each ride we've asked the group what could be done better, and we've already gotten a lot of excellent feedback like, "I wish there were skills clinics available, I feel like I'm just winging it skill-wise," and, "I wish the leaders had talked more about the trail names so I can ride here confidently in the future," and, "We should do a name circle at the beginning so I know who I'm riding with." 

​We've also heard a lot of indications that the rides are going well and reaching the folks we hoped they would.  People have remarked, "I liked going over riding etiquette at the beginning," and, "Having a variety of options of which route to take made it easy to ride what I was comfortable with," and, "This ride felt really welcoming," and, "We should do more of these!"

We're so glad people are enjoying them so far.  Our last Slow Your Roll Ride of the 2025 season will be August 12th, 5:30pm starting at the Elizabethtown Trail Center Cobble Hill trailhead.  If you're interested in joining us, please RSVP using this form.

​For more information about the Slow Your Roll Rides, visit this webpage.

BLUEBERRY HILL, ELIZABETHTOWN
On July 12th we hosted a volunteer work party at Blueberry Hill, Elizabethtown. We spent most of the day snipping roots and naturalizing the new climbing trail. Big shout outs to everyone who joined us there even in the face of the dust, heat, and bugs. Thanks Dusty and Scott for doing so much of the hard work before we even got there and continuing the effort even after the rest of us went home.  Looking forward to visiting this trail on wheels next time.

1000 Animals was a hoot and a half – THANK YOU to all the folks who came out for making it such a fun time!  We hope you got a good ride in and enjoyed the BBQ dinner at West Shore afterwards.  Shoutout to Placid Planet for being such a great partner and letting us start the ride in their parking lot.  They started this ride so many years ago, after all.

The 1000 Animals Social Athletic Club was a local, casual crew of cyclists who met weekly to ride together in the 90’s. The rides were organized by Placid Planet, which, at one time, was located at 1975 Saranac Ave. This same location has taken on many identities over the years - the “Speedy Spa”, an antique shop, and “The Home of 1000 Animals” - an oddball roadside attraction that was part petting zoo and part fur farm from the 1920’s through the 60’s. It is now the home of West Shore BBQ, where we ended our ride for BBQ dinner. 

Again, thanks so much for coming out for 1000 Animals.  It's clear that we can all get into this kind of event and we look forward to putting it on again in the future.  In the meantime, please join us at another event (or three), and start scheming about your next 1000 Animals costume – the more elaborate, the better.

In addition to the incredible work of independent volunteers across our region, our pro crew and contractors have been hard at work this season.  Here are some highlights:  

Wilmington
Early season, Dusty and Scott put in a lot of work at Hardy Road which included leading a volunteer work day to address erosion, rebuild drains, restore corners and manage vegetation.  A volunteer machine operator rebuilt a section of trail and features at Flobus in Three Sisters Preserve in late spring to improve the riding experience.  

Keene
Peduzzi Trails, with staff and volunteer support, has finished the enduro-style descent trail Duzzi and the tread for the skills trail (technical features for inclusion along the trail are being planned now) at East Branch Community Trails.  Visitors may notice another addition to the trailhead: a port-a-john at the parking lot which has been sponsored by a local family for the season.  This is quite the upgrade from the privy (a rare “open floor plan 3-seater”) tucked away in the woods.

Saranac Lake 
So far, staff and volunteers have tuned up the trails for the season and invested significant energy into laying the groundwork for upcoming projects in Saranac Lake. That groundwork includes reflagging a new connector trail from Park Ave into Mt. Pisgah, supporting a master trails plan for Mt. Pisgah, and planning new trails at Fowler’s Crossing that would add around 2 miles of high-quality trail to the network.

Lake Placid
Dusty and Scott recently finished the reroute on a number of steep climbs on Back Nine at Craig Wood with the help of volunteers.  We’ve already heard a lot of appreciation for how much better the trail climbs now.  Staff met with DEC to finish flagging a new section of the Jackrabbit ski trail that will bypass much of Mountain Lane.  And finally, work has begun on the new trailhead at the east end of the Jackrabbit near Rock & River!

Elizabethtown
Dusty and Scott have returned to complete work on the new climbing trail that began last summer at Blueberry Hill.  We anticipate a volunteer work day in Elizabethtown within the next 3 weeks and will share more details with you when we’re able – stay tuned.

To all the volunteers, staff, and contractors who steward these special places through respectful use and hands-in-the-dirt work, thank you so much for building and maintaining these trails.  Your hard work makes a big difference for our trails and community.  It is deeply appreciated.