A mid-summer Trails update!

We’ve just hit the mid-season mark for BETA’s 2022 Trails Program and so much work has been accomplished already by our Trail Crew and dedicated volunteers. Since April we’ve engaged nearly 100 volunteers in trail projects across the region and our Trail Crew has logged more than 720 hours of construction and stewardship work.  ​

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Photos Top to Bottom: 1.) Small but mighty volunteers at the East Branch Community Trails 2.) Dusty Grant, Trails Coordinator 3.) Josh Wilson, Executive Director 4.) Alex Goff, Trail Crew 5.) Keegan Griffith, Trail Crew ​

In mid-June the BETA Trail Crew completed 5 weeks of work in Elizabethtown, working in partnership with the Town to plan and construct a new, multi-use community path for non-motorized activities that links the hamlet area of Etown to the top of Cobble Hill, where trail users can continue a short distance and cross Route 9N to access the Blueberry Hill trail system off of Lord Road.  

In 2019 the Town of Elizabethtown was awarded a grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission that was earmarked for infrastructure connected to the town’s efforts in building and upgrading its recreation economy.  This includes funds for a “hub and spokes” bike path system that connects trail systems like the town-owned Blueberry Trails to downtown, along with funds for signage, kiosks, and a public pavilion. The project utilizes town-owned lands adjacent to the golf course known locally as “Cobble Hill”. BETA has been working on the new Cobble Hill trails since 2019. Construction of the new community pavilion at the base of the trail system is underway.  

Also in June, the BETA Trail Crew and volunteers wrapped-up work on 1.5 miles of new singletrack at Cobble Hill designed to bring some more flowy, intermediate riding options to the Etown scene (don’t be fooled by the intermediate rating, this trail is a blast for everyone!). The new singletrack combined with the new community path forms a 2+ mile loop through some beautiful terrain on Cobble Hill.  Plans for adding a few more singletrack trails are in the works.  Check out the Cobble Hill trails map on TrailForks to see more details.  If you go out to explore the trails, keep in mind that signage is still being installed.  

To close-out the first half of the season, the Trail Crew spent a week on stewardship patrol at the Flume in Wilmington,  completing much needed tread maintenance on Gulo Gulo, Marble Mountain, Ridge, Poor Man’s Downhill, Erratic, River Loop and Upper Connector trails.
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Work is well underway at the new East Branch Community Trails in Keene, a partnership project between BETA, the Town of Keene, Keene Youth Commission, and Peduzzi Trails Contracting.  Luke Peduzzi, the lead builder hired by BETA, broke ground on May 31 and has made tremendous progress toward completion of Phase 1, which will feature over 2 miles of trails designed for mountain biking and hiking.  Over two dozen volunteers have come out for two volunteer days at East Branch since Memorial Day weekend, with at least one more volunteer day planned for July 10.  We can’t say thank you enough to the Stewart’s Foundation & Dake Family for kickstarting Phase 1 of the East Branch trails with a generous $25,000 donation!  

PLEASE NOTE - the East Branch trails are still under construction.   The trails are closed during this period for the safety of the public and trail workers who are operating heavy equipment on the premises. Thank you!

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East Branch Community Trails, Keene. PLEASE NOTE: These trails are still under construction. They are closed during this period for the safety of the public and trail workers who are operating heavy equipment on the premises.

The BETA Trail Crew returns for another six weeks of projects on June 27.  Priorities for the second half of the season include:

• Installation of skier-friendly bog bridging on various sections of the Jackrabbit Ski Trail in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid to address impacts from summer use of the trail, and related trail maintenance on the McKenzie Pass section 
• Assisting Peduzzi Trails with finish work and bridge construction on the new East Branch trails in Keene
• Installation of new trail signage at the Craig Wood and Lussi trail system and improvements to the Cinderella Story and Flying Wasp trails
• Construction of new singletrack trails at the Saranac Lake High School, a project in support of the school’s new mountain bike program for middle and high school students
• Continued planning for new mountain bike trails at Fowler’s Crossing in Saranac Lake and the Three Sisters Preserve in Wilmington

JOIN, RENEW OR DONATE!

Your membership dollars directly support the trails program. Give back to the trails that have given you so much.
​Join or renew today.

East Branch Community Trails, Keene. PLEASE NOTE: These trails are still under construction. They are closed during this period for the safety of the public and trail workers who are operating heavy equipment on the premises.

REGISTER FOR BIKE FEST! Labor Day WEEKend!

In case you missed it, registration for the Wilmington Mountain Bike Festival is open. Spots are limited. Come for the riding, stay for the party. All proceeds go back to the trails. Bikes. Music. Dancing. Camping. And all for a good cause. Just say yes.

YES! REGISTER FOR BIKE FEST!

VOLUNTEER DAYS & OTHER DATES TO SAVE

VOLUNTEER DAYS

JULY 10th, Sunday
East Branch Community Trails, Keene
Project with Peduzzi Trails & BETA to help build new multi-use trails 
**please note - this was previously advertised as a work day at the Flume in Wilmington, but has been moved to Keene**
July 16th, Saturday
Jackrabbit Trail, Saranac Lake
Trail maintenance projects on the Jackrabbit Trail in the vicinity of McKenzie Pond Rd to make the trail more sustainable for summer use

July 31st, Sunday
​Registration coming soon!
Saranac Lake High School trails, Saranac Lake Project with BETA and SLICK to build new trails for the new high school mountain bike program being launched in fall, 2022.

VOLUNTEER

SAVE THE DATE

​JULY 2nd, Saturday
Scott's Cobble Trailhead 
BETA Staff and volunteers will be hanging out from 9am-3pm slinging stickers and chatting with trail users. There will be several no-drop intro to Craig Wood group rides including a kids' ride on Putt Putt and Pirate's Cove, a women's ride and a ride open to everyone. All paces supported. No registration necessary. Come pedal. Say hello.
 
JULY 9th, Saturday
Pisgah Pedalfest
Mt. Pisgah in Saranac Lake 
A Bike Festival hosted by Saranac Lake Innovative Cycling Kids (SLICK)!
Guided bike tours, a single stage race down The Cure, self-timing challenges, free riding, a variety of bike skills stations, a kids’ bike scavenger hunt, prizes, food, music, and fun for the entire family.

REGISTER!

​OVER EASY!

If you haven't heard of it, the Over Easy is a mountain bike route dreamt up by locals Shane and Keegan Kramer. It's a sort of DIY style challenge that can be attempted any day of the year, BUT if you happen to do it on the Saturday closest to the solstice, there's a party at the finish line. The route, a patchwork of dirt roads, the most technical singletrack in the region and a few sections of welcomed smooth pavement, starts in Lake Placid and ends at Otis Mountain in Elizabethtown covering around 92 miles and gaining over 12,000 feet of elevation. Riders this year endured some classic Adirondack conditions of howling wind, 40 degree temps and rain. 

Proceeds from t-shirt sales were donated back to BETA, and we are so grateful for the gift and for the opportunity to gather around a warm fire after a long, cold ride. Thank you to all who helped to organize this event that celebrates connecting communities via two wheels. Thank you to all of the riders and their support crews. And thank you to those of you reading this: your support helps us to continue to work on making our corner of the world a little bit better.