July 2026 Trail Updates: Bridges, berms, New Builds, and More

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.