Volunteers, contractors, and the BETA trail crew have been checking trail projects off the list left and right. Here are some highlights:​

Jackrabbit Ski Trail | Paul Smiths, Lake Placid, Keene

• Replacement of the Bird Song Bridge in Lake Placid (below).
• Side cutting from Paul Smith’s VIC to Haul Road, Bird Song Lane to Craig Wood, Craig Wood to Route 86.
• Additional signage from Paul Smith’s VIC to Haul Road for easier wayfinding.
• New ramp and railing extensions at Bob’s Bridge near the Keene trailhead to make a safer entrance for skiers (below).
• Upcoming Jackrabbit Trail Work Projects
  • Railing replacement on Theresa's Bridge in Lake Placid.
  • Seasonal mowing with Tony Goodwin and Woods McCahill.
  • Volunteer day to clean drainage on McKenzie Pass from Whiteface Inn Lane, Lake Placid on October 25th.
• Upcoming Trail Work Projects on Other Ski Trails
  • Side cutting at the Hays Brook trail in Paul Smiths. 
  • Blowdown removal and clearing in the High Peaks Wilderness 

Ski trails need love, too!

Bridge work is complete on the Jackrabbit Ski Trail near Bird Song Lane in Lake Placid! See the pictures below for an inside look at how this bridge got its makeover.

Most of our ski trails don't need such extensive work, but they need regular upkeep (side-cutting, mowing, and blowdown clearing) to stay useable year after year. BETA staff and the Ski Trails Committee are gearing up for fall ski trails work. Stay tuned for updates on how you can pitch in and which projects we're tackling before the snow flies.

​Check out the reroute 👀

BETA trail crew duo Dusty and Scott, with support from our Trail Stewardship Leader Chris, rerouted a section of Back Nine trail in Craig Wood, Lake Placid earlier this season. A lot of our reroutes are to create a more sustainable path (switchbacks instead of fall lines), to avoid sections that have turned out to have poor soil for riding (aka they don't dry out quickly), or to deal with changes to the land use (like the reroute we're building right now for the Town Connector Trail in Wilmington). This reroute is different -- it's the avoid a trail use conflict.

Previously, the 50/50 Drop landed squarely on Back Nine. With limited visibility and high speeds in multiple directions, this trail intersection needed an alternative.

Now, the reroute swings Back Nine wide to avoid the landing area for the 50/50 Drop. We can keep riding the same rad trail, the same gnarly drop, but now with a little more peace of mind.

Amazing work as always, fellas!

​Craig Wood has a new climbing trail thanks to the hard work of BETA's trail crew: the unstoppable Dusty & Scott.

This trail was quite the undertaking. It's been under consideration since the jump trails Green and Gold Jacket were built by Backslope Trail Building in 2023. Over the last couple of years, we spent time identifying and flagging the climbing route. For 2026, the Lake Placid Local Trails Committee (LTC) in partnership with BETA staff identified this project as a priority for work. Trail crew spent about 5-6 weeks at Craig Wood working on the climbing trail as well as a reroute of Back Nine around the landing of the 50/50 Drop. Now, after a lot of hard work from a lot of people, we have a climbing trail ready for lapping Green or Gold Jacket.

This is our first season with our brand-new, community-funded YARDMAX mechanized wheel barrow. It made a huge difference on this project to haul material from where we could find it in the woods to where we needed it on the trail. Thank you to everyone who helped us reach that funding goal back in May, and a special thank you to RP Ledger Construction for sponsoring the YARDMAX specifically. Your gifts are going to good use!

Since our last e-news blast in mid-July, we've hosted four volunteer trail work parties led by Chris, our Trail Stewardship Leader.  We still have at least one more scheduled for this season, so if you want to volunteer with us but haven't had the chance yet, there is still time.  Not to mention, ski trail work will be starting soon...

Without further ado, a rundown of the awesome work volunteers have done in just the last couple weeks:

08/10 | Craig Wood, Lake Placid
Great turn out for this work party sponsored by Capisce Coffee and Espresso Bar. We lopped branches, cleared blowdown, made tread improvements, and cleaned out drainages. Especially gnarly were the culverts nearly full to the top with sediment. It's a good thing we cleaned them out --  it started to rain right as we left!

WHAT'S IT ALL FOR?
Volunteer workdays like these can vary widely in what, exactly, we work on, but they are all important to keep the trails we love in good working condition or to keep new trail construction moving forward with speed.

Some people feel a duty to give back to the trails through volunteering, while others find it satisfying and rewarding in its own right. Some feel both -- that it is a responsibility and a joy to warm your muscles doing hands-on work for the good of the trails and the people who use them. Whatever your reason for donating your time and energy, we appreciate your help to no end. Thank you, volunteers!
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SKI SEASON IS AROUND THE CORNER
While work continues on our bike trails, the BETA team is already thinking ahead and working with the new Ski Trail Committee to plan ski trail work that needs to happen before the snow flies. You'll hear more from us soon about how we're preparing for the 2026 ski season; we won't be able to do it without your help.

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.

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!

In early May, we hosted our Annual Meeting and celebrated our 40th anniversary. It was amazing to see so many friendly faces and reflect on 40 years of work by the Adirondack Ski Touring Council and the Barkeater Trails Alliance.

We were honored to be awarded a citation from Assemblyman Cashman recognizing BETA's impact and role within the community. Cashman spoke briefly about the importance of recreational trails as vital infrastructure and the majesty of the Adirondacks and the people who call it home.

Thank you so much to all the folks who came out to celebrate with us -- it was great to see you. Cheers to another 40 years!

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.