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.

Where does your mind go when you hear the phrase “trail town”?  

Places like Bentonville, Asheville, Park City and Jackson are often cited as big trail towns across the country.  We think great trail towns are much closer.  They’re the towns we call home, right here in the Adirondacks.

As we enter our 40th year of advocating for, building, and stewarding trails that connect us, we encourage you to consider making a year-end donation to support this work.  

Join the 135+ people who have already given this season.  Help us build trails and create community in 2026.

You may have seen the incredible news: together, our community met our goal of raising $20,000 in community donations to unlock the full $20,000 matching donation from a generous anonymous donor.  That’s a powerful reminder of what this community can do together!

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed.  If you were hoping to make a donation this year, you can still be a part of this moment.  Every donation supports our work to build and care for trails and strengthen the community. 

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!

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!