The Jackrabbit Trail -- Epic & Timeless

As part of our End-of-Year Campaign, we’re sharing stories that capture what makes this community — and these trails — so special. Today, we’re excited to share a story of a trail many of us know by heart: the Jackrabbit Trail.

“We got as far as a cellar hole…and now BETA has built a veritable mansion of trails on that foundation.”

That’s what Tony Goodwin — one of the founders of the Adirondack Ski Touring Council (BETA’s founding organization) — said recently, drawing special attention to  recent improvements to the Jackrabbit. When he first envisioned the trail nearly four decades ago, it was a humble idea held together by volunteers, hand tools, and a deep love of skiing.
​
But what Tony is most proud of is not what he built — it’s what you and this community have continued to build.

Tony Goodwin scouting the Mountain Lane reroute. Photo taken by Josh Wilson in the summer of 2020.

​In the last year, because of Jackrabbit supporters like you, BETA created:
​

• A new bypass on Mountain Lane, giving skiers a safer, more wooded experience
• A fresh reroute at Scott’s Cobble, which Josh Wilson called “the biggest improvement to the Jackrabbit in at least a decade”
• A brand-new parking area and 64-foot bridge (pictured, right) at the Keene end near Rock and River, opening access while giving the landowners a well-earned reprieve

​These projects weren’t just trail work — they were community work.

“What a great feeling — to build something we’ll all get to share.”

That’s what Brooks Reynolds (below, second from the right) said about a volunteer work party sponsored by the Reynolds Group of Lake Placid.  As a family of avid mountain bikers and skiers, the Reynolds use BETA trails often and they’re sure to visit the Jackrabbit this season.

People of all ages came out. They cleared brush, carried lumber, shared food in the chilly fall sun, and left knowing they had built something lasting.

Moments like this are why the Jackrabbit matters.  It isn’t just a trail. It’s generations of people — founders, landowners, builders, volunteers, skiers, kids, elders — choosing to care for something bigger than themselves.
​
And now we are asking you to help carry that legacy into the future.

A generous donor is matching every community gift made through December 31st — up to $20,000 — to celebrate BETA’s 40th year. That means: Your $50 becomes $100. Your $100 becomes $200. Your gift builds the next decade of Jackrabbit stories.

With winter around the corner, we hope you get out on the Jackrabbit — whether for a quiet out-and-back or the whole 40-mile epic. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll see you out there… following in the tracks of legends like Jackrabbit Johannsen.  As Jackrabbit himself famously said, “Ski, ski, ski!”

Thank you for being part of this community.
And thank you for helping write the next chapter.