The new trail that we are constructing this summer, built by Sinuosity and legendary trail builder Brooke Scatchard, is making great progress and will be open soon! This trail is part of MTA’s efforts to create a “beginner loop” that will circumnavigate most of the Barre Town Forest property. The goal of this trail is to have a pathway from the Brook Street parking lot over to the Barclay Quarry Rd lot that isn’t extremely technical. From there, options such as Westside are available for return to the Brook St lot, making for a complete loop that will be usable by beginner and intermediate bike riders, all kinds of runners and walkers — just about everyone. It will also give use a reliable route for winter grooming so that we can avoid the wet areas and have a usable winter trail on that side of the forest much sooner than in years past, when we have had to wait for the “Serenity” area to completely freeze up before we can groom.
We will be hosting a trail opening ceremony when the trail is complete. Stay tuned for info!
Until then, please respect the trail barriers and do not use the trail. We have already had some horseback riders circumvent the barriers and tear up the trail. This trail needs to settle properly before use in order to be able to effectively shed water the way it’s designed to. That’s critical for ensuring it’s a responsible trail. Tearing up the trail before it’s ready and open is counterproductive. Please don’t use the trail before it’s open!
This trail build is made possible by the generous financial support of our users, and a grant from VMBA.
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Thomas LaRose
July 20, 2017
I crossed the trail today (walked as part of the bridge was moved) from TNT to Boulderdash. The trail looks good, although I did notice tire tracks. Hopefully people will pay heed to your request until it is ready.
On another note I noticed quite a few empties beverage containers on trails near the disc golf course. Perhaps a reminder to pack out what they carry in would help. Thanks for the good work!