The newly finished Clay Brook Bridge shines in the sun along the Mad River Path.
Dear Mad River Path Community,
It is with great excitement that we write the very last newsletter for the Mad River Path Association. Next time you hear from us, we will be the Mad River Trails Alliance (MRTA), a new organization born out of partnership with the Mad River Riders.
On Thursday, an inspiring group of Path Board members and staff, with members going back to 1989, gathered for the final board meeting and celebration at the newly completed Kingsbury Greenway for a cookout, a celebration of the board members and volunteers, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a heartfelt sharing around the fire.
2026 was a big year for the Path, with important milestones, including the completion of the first section of the active transportation corridor, and we look forward to telling the story in an annual report coming out in a few short weeks!
The Mad River Trails Alliance will be governed by a board of 8, representing four members from each organization, respectively. The Path board members staying on are Karrie Thomas, Dave Ellison, Emily Belliveau, and Jon Rickard. We will become a membership organization and a chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA). The year-long process of joining the two organizations was carefully stewarded by the merger committee with the help of organizational consultants, Ben Holmes and Kathleen Duich, and guidance from VMBA. MRTA was formed through a corporate merger process guided by Dinse Law Firm from Burlington. We are busy putting finishing touches on our new website and combining the organizational data and accounts.
We are grateful to those who came before us, dreamt, planned, and labored to create a unique trail system we have the privilege to steward and improve upon.
Together, we will become a unified voice for stewardship and development of an interconnected and inclusive trail system in the Mad River Valley in service to our inspiring community of residents and thousands of visitors who recreate in this special corner of the world.
With gratitude to those who came before us,
Mac Rood, outgoing board president, Mad River Path
Karrie Thomas, incoming board president, Mad River Trails Alliance
Misha Golfman, Director
Sarah Johnson, Communications Specialist
Jeff Doolittle, Implementation Coordinator
Abby Bell, AmeriCorps Service Member
Former board members Betsy Jondro and Laura Brines cut the ribbon.
Thank you to all our current and former board members!
The 2nd Annual Valley Dirt Fest is Coming Up!
Mad River Trails Alliance Wins VTrans Grant
Working together with Moretown, Middlesex, and the Mad River Valley Planning District, the Mad River Path received a Vermont Agency of Transportation grant to scope the route of the Path between the Moretown and Middlesex villages. The scoping process will include public input, study of the environmental conditions and constraints, determining possible alternatives on the ground, and choosing the preferred route for design and implementation.
