By Betsy Jondros, Laura Brines, and Ross Saxton
This is a part of the series “On the Path” in partnership with the Valley Reporter.
For 31 years, the Mad River Path Association (MRP) has focused on building and maintaining a network of multi-use public pathways to connect the people, businesses and places of the Mad River Valley. During these past few months the Mad River Path (path) has seen a big increase in use as people discover its nine sections and 11+ miles of trails throughout The Valley.
The Mill Brook Trail near the Tucker Hill Inn
So how did the Mad River Path come to be? A 1988 survey indicated that 78% of Valley residents supported the creation of a path linking Warren to Moretown. So work on the path began with a handful of Valley residents, including Ellen Strauss, Warren, who was the first president of the MRP board.
“The Mad River connects The Valley towns in the most magical way, but not everybody can travel it by boat. A path along the river from Warren to Moretown is much more user friendly and would be a fantastic community asset! Connect the towns with an alternative to Rt 100 and enjoy the river. At least that is what Arthur Williams, Clesson Eurich, Allen Clark and I thought in 1988. Seemed like we could get it done in a season or two. So we jumped right on it and did the section north of the Warren School, piece of cake!”
In 1992 working closely with farmer Elwin Neill, Waitsfield and the Mad River Ridge Runners, the East Greenway was created connecting Tremblay Road to Meadow Road. Next was the Mill Brook Trail connecting the former Tucker Hill Lodge cross country ski system and the Catamount Trail. The first Mad Dash was held in 1996- a community event that is in its twenty-fifth year and continues to be MRP’s annual fundraising event. After serving as a volunteer for MRP, Kevin Russell became the organization’s first paid executive director in 1998- a turning point for an organization that had previously been all volunteers.
Floods in 1998 and 2011, destroyed large sections of the path, which were restored through volunteer efforts. Since then the MRP has been working to build more resilient trails. In 1999, through the collaboration of Waitsfield, the Vermont Land Trust, Friends of Mad River, the MRP and the Neill Farm, the West Greenway became the first permanently protected section of the path. In 2014 the MRP and partners purchased 4 acres of land by the Waitsfield School and established of a new half mile path, Waits Way.
Bird watching on the Mad River Path
The most visible and popular section of the path is the three-mile Heart of the Valley Trail, which connects the Waitsfield Elementary School to Fiddler’s Green utilizing sidewalks, boardwalks, and gravel and dirt pathways. Board members hope to connect Fiddler’s Green to the Austin Parcel and Lareau Swimming Hole without having to walk on Route 100 in the future. And just to the south, MRP was instrumental in getting underpasses built under Route 100– one connecting the Sugarbush Snowmaking Pond Loop and Riverside Park, and one connecting Lareau Farm and Mad River Riders trails with the Lareau Swimming Hole and Austin Walk.
This year, the Mad River Path will grow by at least two miles, including trails on the Yestermorrow property and land owned by Chris Lamonia behind the Big Picture. Planning to connect sections along the Mad River is a constant activity, and a new project to connect Irasville to the Long Trail is underway.
Recently, two steel beamed bridges have been designed by Mac Rood, MRP board chair: the Claybrook Bridge behind the Warren Lodge and the Chase Brook Bridge across from the Fayston School. Connections like these are essential to MRP’s mission, and additional pedestrian connections are planned and created each year. While some connections are simple and can be made in a matter of weeks, others are the result of years of planning, fundraising, partnership building, and finally constructing.
Today more than 500 people and 100 local businesses donate to MRP annually. The community support over the decades has allowed the path to grow both in the length of trails and the strength of the organization. Collaboration with the Valley towns, landowners, and other trail and recreation organizations continues to be critical to the future of the path and recreation in the Mad River Valley.
Betsy is a current MRP Board member and Laura is a past Board member and President.