The Carroll Road boardwalk is complete!

After a summer of several hot days in the sun, staff, volunteers, and board members completed the Carroll boardwalk! This new section of Path provides the community with a safe walkway along Carroll Road that is separated from vehicle traffic. This new section connects the Route 100 sidewalk to the Hosford Highway Boardwalk that travels from Carroll Road to the Skatium through a very neat wetland. The new boardwalk allows for easy pedestrian and biker access to the Big Pic Theater and Lawson’s, or to travel between Irasville and Waitsfield Village. The boardwalk also serves as a great observation site for birds using the nearby pond.

This project was is the result of true community collaboration. With MRP coordinating the project, dozens of individuals and businesses donated to help build it. Lawson’s Finest Liquids dedicated thousands of dollars for the site work and more while their staff helped with construction throughout the summer. Kingsbury Construction did much of the site work, Allen Lumber supplied the materials (thanks for the discount!), and Mad River Metal Works fabricated and installed the custom railing inserts.

With another Path section in the books, we’re already working on more connections and new sections!

Good times and THANK YOU to Lawson's Finest Liquids!

We recently had some good times at Lawson's Finest Liquids to celebrate, honor, and thank those who are essential to our work and mission. That includes Charlie Hosford, Laura Brines, nearly 100 volunteers, our staff and volunteer Board, partner organizations, and dozens of businesses.

To top it all off, Lawson's Finest donated $16,250 to the Path through their charitable giving program!!!

We're carrying a lot of momentum into 2020 to make some awesome progress over the next year and beyond.

Recap: 24th Annual Mad Dash sponsored by Sugarbush

The sun was shining, the leaves were bright and the temperatures were perfect for the 24th annual Mad Dash. More than 500 people joined the autumn fun to run or walk the 5K or 10K course, including dozens of future racers in the Kids Fun Run. A benefit for the Mad River Path, the event was held once again on fields owned by Neill Farm off Meadow Road. The dirt road courses, farms, views, food and camaraderie bring people back to the Mad River Valley for this event year after year from around New England and as far as Minnesota, Wyoming, California and the Bahamas. 

“The Mad Dash is truly a community-supported event,” said Mad River Path executive director Ross Saxton. “More than 50 volunteers make the event possible and nearly 125 businesses help make our fundraising efforts successful between sponsorships and silent auction donations. It’s hard not to feel a lot of love coming from all over the Mad River Valley and beyond this time of year.”

The races started off with the sound of the siren as the 10K racers went out to enjoy the course first. Five minutes later, the 5K runners and walkers began their event. First in for the 10K folks was Colin Rodgers, Waitsfield, in a very speedy time of 33 minutes and 59 seconds, which is an average of a 5:28 minute mile. Coming in six seconds behind Rodgers was Topher Gaylord, Warren, and a few minutes later was Jon Floyd of Waterbury Center for third place. Cathleen Balantic, Burlington, won the 10K women’s field with a time of 43 minutes and 1 second, averaging a fast pace of 6:55 miles per minute. Christina Hall of Plymouth, MA, and Karissa McDonough of Waterbury Center claimed second and third in the women’s 10K.

The 5K overall winner was Seth Jackson of Montpelier crossing the finish line in a quick 17 minutes and 22 seconds, and Kate Currie of Holliston, MA, took first place for the women’s 5K in 20 minutes and 36 seconds. Carlton Cummiskey of Warren finished in second place and Luke Groom, also of Warren, took the 5K third place. The women’s 5K second- and third-place finishers were Paige Joyce of Plymouth, MA, and Kasandra Reid of Montpelier with times of 21 minutes and 26 seconds and 21 minutes and 57 seconds, respectively.

Registrations to participate in the Mad Dash account for much of the funds raised for the Mad River Path’s work to complete a continuous path between Warren and Moretown. The Mad River Path also builds trails into the hills and is planning to host nature-based education programming in the future.

Find 95 photos of the 2019 Mad Dash, captured by Phil Bobrow, here on our Facebook page.

Fall 2019 Newsletter!

Happy fall! We hope you have many opportunities to enjoy the Mad River Valley's outdoors this autumn. The colors are amazing and all pathways and trails are in beautiful shape just waiting for you to wonder around!

In this newsletter:

• Autumn Events

• 2019 Progress & Updates!

• What's Happening in 2020

• Meet Ross, the New Executive Director, and Hear His Vision

• Conservation Tip of the Season

Click here to see the full newsletter!

New leadership announced

Kyle on the left. Ross on the right.

The Mad River Path Association (the Path) is pleased to welcome new leadership in its active Board of Directors and at the staff level. The new full-time executive director is Ross Saxton of Waitsfield, and Kyle Neyer of Warren is the Path’s newest Board member.

Saxton has a long history of program and business development at local and national non-profits and in the outdoors industry. “I’m fortunate to have such a strong Board of Directors and supportive community behind our effort to connect Warren, Fayston, Waitsfield, and Moretown with one continuous pathway,” said Saxton. “While we continue this goal, I’m particularly eager to expand our work that creates and maintains path and trail networks throughout the Valley for everyone of all ages and physical abilities to connect to the outdoors and local businesses.”

Neyer is a local realtor in the Mad River Valley who was eager to join the Board as soon as he could. “My partner and I walk the Path with our dogs 365 days a year and it brings us joy every single time. It is very important to us to help continue the work of the Mad River Path to connect our communities through walking, biking, running or skiing - enjoying the great outdoor activities that we have here in the Mad River Valley.”

The Mad River Path Association is a community-supported, 501(C)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to build, maintain, and conserve a system of continuous public pathways from Warren to Moretown to foster a healthy community by connecting the people, businesses and special places of the Mad River Valley. The Path consists of 12 volunteer Board members, an executive director, and a trail manager. The Path depends on dozens of volunteers and hundreds of individual and business supporters each year. The Mad Dash running race is the Path’s major fundraising event, which is held in October annually.