Trail Report

Can you feel it? Spring is almost here! Warm weather and sunshine early this month has resulted in significant melting of the snowpack and thawing of frozen ground. At this time, all ACT trails are closed for Mud Season. Please respect trail closures as we try to mitigate our impact to the trail surface while conditions are unstable. Another cold snap to freeze everything up may allow us to re-open the trails briefly during mud season, so be sure to check this page before heading out to determine if the trails are open or not.

Closing trails to foot and wheeled traffic during mud season helps stabilize the trail surface and reduce drainage and erosion problems. Once snow and ice melt, the soil surface is exposed to the atmosphere for the first time in months and starts thawing rapidly, creating a saturated, unstable tread that is vulnerable to rutting, washouts, and poor drainage.

Snowmobile clubs in northern Grafton County have closed their trails and have stopped grooming for the season. Thank you to our local clubs and volunteers for stewarding the trails this winter, conditions were excellent all February!

As of Tuesday March 10th, the backcountry glades at Cooley-Jericho Community Forest are now closed. Though snowpack at higher elevations is still holding on, we do not recommend venturing up into the glades unless we receive additional snowfall. We hope that anyone who did get to ski or ride the glades this year enjoyed their visit! Please share any photos or videos of the glades from this season to [email protected] if you’d like to share your experience.

Be prepared for variable conditions before heading out on the trails. Make a plan, bring food and water, and wear layers to stay dry out there!

See you on the trails!

Trail Reporting

ACT’s trails rely on a team of dedicated, hard-working volunteers and maintainers to continue providing recreational opportunities and access to the outdoors in the North Country year-round. The link below allows the general public, as well as our volunteers to keep the ACT team up-to-date on current trail conditions. If you are out and about on one of our trails and notice something that doesn’t look quite right, (tree down, washout, mud hole, overgrown vegetation, etc.) please go ahead and let us know on the “HAZARDS” page. Conor, our Trails Manager, will address the hazard and organize an opportunity to fix these problems with volunteers who wish to join.

Thank you for your continued support and excitement for outdoor recreation. See you on the trails!

Reporting Table

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17mOuLR6ptI0srsjPedrjqdjDvOxj_3756gSVoGQRYLM/edit?usp=sharing

ACT Needs Tools! 

ACT’s Trails Program is growing and needs both hand and power tools to better maintain and grow our local trail systems. Do you have some equipment in the garage that you no longer use? We’d love to help you clear out some space! 

Refer to the list below for the tools that we are most in need of.  

If your tools are old(er), dull, or a bit rusty -- no problem -- we can fix them right up! However, we ask that you do not donate tools that are broken or are no longer functioning for their intended use.  

If you think you may have some things to donate, please contact Trails Program Manager Conor at [email protected] to coordinate. 

Hand Tools: 

• Loppers 

• Hand Saws 

• Rogue or Hazel-type Hoes 

• Pick Mattocks 

• Cutter Mattocks 

• Axes or Pulaskis 

• Rakes 

• Sledgehammers 

• Silky saw

Power Tools: 

• Chainsaw 

• Weedwhacker

Other:  

• Chainsaw Chaps: gently used and in good shape 

• Work Gloves: unused  

• Hard Hats: unexpired and in good shape 

• Mill Bastard Files: in good shape 

• Wire Brushes 

• Wheelbarrow  

• 5-gallon Buckets

• Tarp

• Webbing

• Toolbelt / holster

• Safety Glasses

Lastly, we need volunteers to swing these tools! If you’re interested in helping on ACT trails, please reach out to Conor at [email protected] for more information.