News from the Mad River Path - January 2024

2023 Annual Giving Campaign Completed!

Dear Mad River Path Community,

We have met and exceeded our annual giving goal by raising $108,000 with support from 215 individual and corporate donors.

This holiday season, we express our deep gratitude to the Path Community: landowners, who generously share their land with the public, donors, who make the Path possible, volunteer stewards, who keep the trails beautiful, and the rest of the community who maintain their wellbeing by using the Mad River Path!

Misha Golfman,
Executive Director

Mac Rood
Board President


MRP Adventures: Chic-Chocs backcountry trip

Join Mad River Path on a Hut-to-Hut cross-country ski trip in winter paradise!

Chic-Chocs, the furthest northeastern Appalachians rise above the Gulf of St Lawrence, forming a vast upland Plato, that receives three hundred inches of snow, thanks to a dramatic compilation of climatic factors. Parc National de la Gaspesie offers a system of cozy huts that allows us to cross-country ski into the depths of this enchanted northern wilderness while enjoying the warmth of the wood stove and fire-cooked meals at night. Expect deep powder, encounters with moose, and northern lights if we are lucky! You don’t need to be an expert backcountry skier to enjoy this foray into the Winter Wonderland but be able to ski 10 kilometers a day at an easy pace, with a light pack.


bringing back a long standing valley tradition!

This year, The Mad Dash has evolved into the Mad River Triathlon, bringing back a long-standing Valley tradition! Mad River Triathlon is a four-sports event set in picturesque Mad River Valley, VT. The running race starts at the Warren School and follows the Mad River Path and VT 100. Visit the following page to learn more about the event and to register!


vt-100 multi-use path vision

October 4th, 2023

Mad River Path announced plans for a multi-use path extending from Warren to Moretown!

Imagine a brilliant October morning in the not-so-distant future. A wide and well-graded Path runs the length of the Valley. In some places, it parallels VT 100, and in others, it meanders through adjacent meadows. Along the Path, groups of children are riding scooters to school, a young parent is pushing a stroller, morning commuters are biking to work, an older couple is on their way to the grocery store on e-bikes, and a group of tourists is rolling their bikes to a rack in front of the trail-side farm stand.

This is the Mad River Path of the future, a VT100 Multi-Use Path extending from Warren to Moretown!

For project updates and to learn more, follow the button below.


News from the Mad River Path - August, 2023

Mad River Path adopts an INCLUSION STATEMENT:

Mad River Path honors the Abenaki people, as the traditional stewards of the lands through which the Path runs. We acknowledge that we are guests on this land and that we must respect the land and protect it for future generations. We strive to create an inclusive trail community that is welcoming for people regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation and commit to supporting participation from historically excluded groups. Think there are things we could do better? Let us know! Contact us at info@madriverpath.org

VOREC Grant is Signed!

Thanks to the effective collaboration and tenacious perseverance of the Rec District, Mad River Riders, and the Path the VOREC grant is finally signed! The Path will be able to complete its portion of the work on the Rec Hub - downtown connector through Fiddlers Green and Irasville Common in the fall of 2023.

Valley Partners receive the Sugarbush Access Road Path Grant.

A team of partners, consisting of Town of Warren, Sugarbush Resort, the Mad River Path Association, the Central VT Regional Planning Commission, and the Mad River Valley Planning District has won the $769,280 in federal funds from the VTrans Bicycle & Pedestrian Grant Program, for final design and construction of Segment 1 of the ten-foot-wide ADA-Accessible Sugarbush Access Road Shared-Use Path, establishing a 0.7-mile-long (3,636 ft) off-road pedestrian connection from Inferno Road to Golf Course Road in Warren. Among its many benefits, the path will connect Sugarbush’s workforce housing with the mountain, providing a safe way to get to and from work for the 240 seasonal workers.

Mad River Path forms an Advisory board

The newly formed MRP Advisory Board is comprised of professionals who advise the executive director and the board of trustees in the areas of their expertise including fundraising, legal, regulatory, and land easements. To date, the advisory board has welcomed four members: Betsy Jondro, Laura Brines, Liza Walker, and Will Flender.

beavers flood spaulding greenway

This summer beavers flooded a significant portion of Spaulding Greenway, creating a new wetland and helping to hold water in the landscape, an important natural flood mitigation measure!

We have reached out to Vermont Land Trust and Friends of the Mad River to explore the possibility of allowing the beavers to stay. At the moment, the Spaulding Greenway is maintained from both directions, terminating at the newly formed wetland. If you like to go all the way around, you can wade through, it is only knee-deep!

Kingsbury Farm Bridge Flood Damage

The pedestrian and farm bridge on Kingsbury Farm Path was damaged in the flood. Joe Bossen, the owner of Cloud Water Farm is planning the abutment repair (this bridge is shared between farm machinery and the path users). We have made temporary repairs, complete with a plank and a safety rope, please travel single file!

bundy road connector

Working together with the Mad River Riders, the Path is helping a newly opened Mad Bush Falls to build a bike connector to Bundy Road for the purpose of diverting the bike traffic away from the main entrance and giving entering and exiting cyclists a clear line of sight in both directions on Rt 100.

dog park

Thanks to the outstanding efforts by Charlie Hosford of Mad River Path and Gene Scaperotta, the Mad River Dog Park is nearing its completion!

Last June, Harwood Students cleared and signed the Yestermorrow loop.


Thank you to the volunteer stewards for your work on maintaining the Mad River Path and to community members for taking the time to contact us about trail repairs and maintenance!

SPRING 23' TRAIL MIX

It’s hard to believe, that just six short weeks ago, I biked to work, on my first day, wearing ski gloves and a warm hat!  The spring rebirth in nature corresponded remarkably with the growing list of projects at MRP, and I am excited to share with you the highlights of what’s going on and the insights into what’s to come

Misha Golfman,

Executive Director

Path Stewardship

We now have nine Volunteer Path Stewards, each of whom takes care of a segment of the Path, Thank you, volunteers! We need a few more volunteers to complete stewarding of all sections. Please contact misha@madriverpath.org if you are interested!

 GMVS Service Project

The group of GMVS students, mentored by their teacher Jay Geibel has done an outstanding job during their service day, working at the Warren Path, Kingsbury Greenway, and Snowmaking Pond Loop

Biodegradable dog waste bags!

We are switching to Biodegradable Dog bags at all trailheads, diverting plastic from the landfill, and making a step closer to the goal of composting dog waste.

Fossil fuel-free mowing on the Path!

Ross Saxton, our former Executive Director, is now doing all the mowing for the Path using all-electric mowing equipment. Thank you, Ross, for lowering our carbon footprint!

Path Development

Vorec Grant update:

Working in close cooperation with Mad River Riders and the Rec District we’ve completed all landowner agreements and contractor estimates, necessary for the signing of the Vorec Recreational Hub Grant and are expecting the funds to become available to start the work by mid-summer! Thank you, landowners, for your generosity and cooperation!

 Sugarbush Access Road Shared Use Path

Teaming up with the Town of Warren, Sugarbush, the Planning District, and the Central Vermont Planning Commission the Path is working on the application to fund Segment One of the ADA-accessible shared-use path that will extend from Inferno Road to the Golf Course Road.

 OGE grant for Spaulding Greenway

We received a $2,000 grant from Outdoor Gear Exchange (link) for the construction of the boardwalk at Spaulding Greenway. We have also secured funding for several new trailhead kiosks and have applied for additional boardwalk construction funding. When all funding is received, we’ll begin the construction, with hopes for the fall of 2023.

Our new Welcome Center is looking for volunteers, for more information, please check Welcome Center Volunteer Informational Page.