Summer Trails at the Center
Ski trail signage on Round-a-bit works in summer too.
You have skied the trails in winter with perfect grooming. Now we are mowing the core trails regularly to full width. The field trails are getting treatment more common to a golf course than a ski trail this summer!
Murphy's Field trails, while not open for use during the summer, are still mowed weekly and will be skiable with two inches of snow.
While not every trail you enjoy in the winter is open, summer users can still enjoy 10k of ski trails during the summer months. Round a bit, the east side of Duck Pond, Upper Bayley-Hazen, Biathlon, the majority of Lemon's Haunt and Race loop are all available for summer use - plus our singletrack trails. (As beguiling as some of the other options are, we ask that summer users respect our generous landowners' wishes and observe all posted signs).
I have been out several times to enjoy the summer trails on mountain bike and on foot. What a difference: no clingy weeds wrapping around your feet, no deep soggy grass to soak your sneakers, no twisted ankles from tripping on hidden rocks, no nettles to sting your bare legs, no thorny blackberries to rake your thighs, just kilometers of cool shady trails over-arched by green leafy trees.
You can sit on a rustic bench and listen to the birds a while.
The Center has invested in the appropriate machinery to make summer trails as enjoyable as they are in the winter. Special tracked vehicles allow us to use a tow-behind mower implement which does not rut the surface when the ground is wet.
Disc golf hole number two on Round-a-bit
One can experience the trails in solitude, or join in our many activities we're hosting over the summer: nature walks, trail runs, disc golf clinics - keep watching the calendar.
Trails are soft, smooth, well shaded, and cool for running or walking in summer
In addition to summer use, the enhanced trail maintenance pays dividends in the winter. Diligent mowing and smoothing makes it possible to ski with just inches of snow on the ground in the early season. Well-mowed trails let us prepare perfect tracks with the absolute minimum of snow.
Tracked Centaur pulls tow-behind mower with minimal damage to trail surface
Outdoor Center Members, Craftsbury and Albany residents and ski trail landowners are welcome to use the trails any time. Not a member? Find out more about membership here.See you out there this summer!