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.