HARDY KIDS MTB RACE | AUGUST 29th | HARDY ROAD, WILMINGTON, NY

Don't miss this mountain bike fun ride and race for kids in pre-K through high school! Come for the race, stay for the BBQ and socialize.

​This awesome event was started 8 years ago by kids, for kids; BETA is proud to host it for the first time this year.

Thank you to the 100+ people who have already submitted a response to the survey -- your thoughts will help direct the future of BETA. One way we'll utilize your feedback is to set priorities during our next 5-Year Strategic Plan.

Our Strategic Plan is an important guiding playbook for what matters most to BETA as an organization. It's something we refer to when we have to decide between multiple exciting programs: what is most important to tackle first, and for what reason? The Strategic Plan helps us make those choices by keeping us grounded in a shared direction.

We deeply value and appreciate your feedback. As a small thank you, folks who answer the survey by August 4th can enter to win a $100 gift card to Placid Planet Bicycles, The Mountaineer, Silver Birch Cycles, High Peaks Cyclery, or Solace Cycles. Yes, this means there will be five lucky winners!

Remember the Flume bridges we mentioned a couple weeks ago?

Their makeover is complete 🤩

Earlier this month, BETA Trail Crew replaced trail bridge decking and, where needed, stringers throughout the Flume network -- awesome work Dusty and Scott!  The bridges look great.

We also hired the ADK Trail Crew to make tread improvements on Marble Mountain and other trails at the Flume. Thanks ADK Trail Crew 💪

To read more about what BETA's Trail Crew, contractors, and volunteers have achieved thus far this season, visit our latest Trail Work Update Blog.

The photo on the right shows the "Before" of one of the bridges.

BETA members and our trails community are the lifeblood of our organization. We value your feedback and invite you to share your thoughts on what's going well and what we can do better. Fill out this survey and be entered to win a $100 gift certificate for Placid Planet Bicycles, High Peaks Cyclery, Silver Birch Cycles, Solace Cycles or The Mountaineer. Yes, this means there will be five lucky winners!

Survey results are anonymous. Once you press submit, a link will pop up for raffle entry. Winners will be selected and their names will be announced after the survey has closed.

Let your voice be heard:

BETA's trail crew, volunteers, and contractors have already tackled many trail projects this season and some of that is highlighted below.

Lake Placid

• Trail Crew has been working hard to build a climbing trail at Craig Wood to make lapping Green or Gold Jacket that much easier.  This is a trail that we've been planning on building for years and we hope to have it open this season.  Major kudos to Trail Crew for their excellent work here.
• Previously, the landing zone of the 50/50 drop at Craig Wood was squarely on a section of the Back Nine trail.  We have rerouted that section of Back Nine away from the landing zone to improve safety.
• Drainage cleared, additional drainage added, and vegetation cut back on Loop 2 at Lussi & Loggers. Drainage cleared/built in order to halt the soil erosion that has washed away so much of the tread, especially on climbing sections, and made the trail more challenging than it was ever intended.

Elizabethtown

• Joel's Trail in Blueberry Hill, Elizabethtown is a classic, beautiful mountain biking trail that honors Joel Harwood, an Elizabethtown local who put a lot of time and effort into building and maintaining trails at Blueberry Hill.  Over time, erosion has left its mark on some sections of Joel's trail -- this season, we worked there to undo the damage and restore Joel’s to its original experience.
• Deer Leg, a new trail completed in the 2025 season, has gotten some work done to strengthen and expand berms, improve drainage, and mitigate erosion.  One volunteer work party -- sponsored by Solace Cycles and spearheaded by their shop manager Tyler -- built up the berms on Deer Leg in order to accommodate faster descent traffic.  Another volunteer work party – sponsored by Deer’s Head Inn – removed the duff layer at the entrance to Deer Leg and improved soil erosion mitigation on Pine-winder.

Wilmington

• BETA’s Trail Crew is working at the Flume to restore trail bridges by replacing decking and, where needed, stringers and sills.  We’d like to thank the DEC for providing all building materials for the bridge restoration.  
• Meanwhile at the Flume, BETA hired an ADK trail crew to do tread work on Marble Mountain and other trails.
• Volunteers have filled and capped three severely eroded sections of trail on the Good Luck side of Hardy Road: one on Make Believe and two on Safe Bet; drainage cleared and added where needed on these trails. 
• Berms on Lost Farm at Hardy Road have been rebuilt.

Saranac Lake

• Problem wet spots at Dewey were excavated and capped with new stone and mineral soil to improve drainage, which helps to protect the trail in the long term.
• We've received multiple contractor bids for constructing the Connector Trail from Park Ave into Natski II at Pisgah, Saranac Lake and the RFQ is now closed.  We're lucky to have many qualified, highly skilled trail builders to turn to for work like this.

Keene

• Construction is underway on the latest trail at East Branch Community Trails.  This new trail, currently called Trail 8, is located farther up the mountain from Trail 7.  Psst -- soon we're going to ask for community input on what to name Trail 7 and Trail 8, so start thinking up some good ones and keep your eyes peeled for the call for submissions.
• Executive Director Glenn and Keene Town Supervisor Joe Pete have met to discuss restoration of the trailhead pavilion and expansion of the parking lot, projects we expect to break ground on in 2027.

When a new trail opens or a bridge is completed, it's easy to focus on the finished product. What often goes unseen are the months of planning, coordination, and relationship-building by our staff, volunteers, board members, partners, and many others that make those milestones possible.

​That's the idea behind this new column: in each newsletter I'll share a few glimpses into what happens behind the scenes.

DEC Smart Growth Grants
One recent milestone I’m happy to share was signing contracts for our DEC Smart Growth grants supporting the Mount Pisgah and East Branch Community Trails projects. Working through New York State's contracting process isn't quick or simple—in fact, it took months—but reaching that milestone unlocked $225,000 in funding that will help improve our regional trail network, far more than we've received through any previous grant program. My thanks to the Towns of St. Armand and Keene, DEC, and our state legislators for making those investments possible.

The Team at BETA
I'm fortunate to work with an outstanding team that accomplishes incredible things across our trail network and communities. An important part of my role is helping create the conditions for that success. Sometimes that means securing funding or working through administrative hurdles. Other times it's coordinating with partners to solve problems before they affect work on the ground. For example, the bridge repairs that are just getting underway in the Flume have required coordination between DEC, BETA's trail crew, and the ADK trail crew to ensure the project comes together smoothly. You'll see the results of that work in the future, but it's the behind-the-scenes coordination that rarely gets mentioned.

Ski Season Coming Soon
Finally, ski season is only four months away. Even in the middle of summer, we're already thinking ahead to winter. Setting maintenance priorities and coordinating fall work now is critical so our ski trails are ready when the snow arrives. Like many things at BETA, the work behind a great season begins long before anyone clips into their skis.

Wow, what a ride! Thank you so much to everyone who came out for 1000 Animals Social Athletic Club Group Ride last week, it was such a great time seeing everyone and sharing the trails. We don’t host many big group rides like this one so 1000 Animals is extra special to us. It’s always such a treat to see the trails taken over by costume-clad compatriots, whooping and hollering, smiling ear to ear. Not to mention, the BBQ was a great way to finish the evening.

Special cheers to the two folks whose very first mountain biking excursion was 1000 Animals – honored to be part of your mountain biking journey. Glad you both had a stellar time, looking forward to seeing you on the trails again.

A great big thank you to our ride leaders: Patrick, Tat, and everyone who volunteered to assist for leading us through the woods; to our event sponsors Placid Planet Bicycles and West Shore BBQ for giving us a great place to start/stop; and to each and every person who came out for the evening. Until next time – see you on the trails!