Capacity Study Done and Done!
May 5, 2021
Thanks to all who participated in guiding KT in the right direction!
The study is done, recommendations are in, and priorities are set! Kingdom Trails is so proud to announce that the KT Capacity Study is complete and we are ready to rock, taking action toward a sustainable future with your input and guidance!
As you may know, in September of 2019, KT and the Burke Area Chamber of Commerce, received a USDA Rural Business Development Grant to fund a KT Network Capacity Study with the goal of addressing issues relating to crowding, congestion, safety, and general pressure being placed on the local communities. Through these funds awarded, KT was truly fortunate to retain the services of SE Group, a recreation and community planning firm to facilitate the study.
As we shared this past February, the recommendations were deeply informed by the initial public visioning open house, conversations with stakeholders, existing conditions review, and a capacity data analysis. We then asked folks to participate further as we invited you to review the study recommendations and help shape key priorities for KT. We had over 450+ responses to the Community Priorities Survey, with about 40% of those responses being local KT Landowners, community members, and business owners. We were grateful to hear from so many!
The East Burke village crosswalk, safe road and trail crossings, and new Welcome Center were identified as the highest community priorities. KT agrees! And we are already taking action! We are currently writing multiple grants for funding to implement the needed infrastructure that will create safe road and trail crossings as early as this summer. In addition, we are working with the Town of Burke to pursue a scoping study for the crosswalk.
The biggest and most daunting, yet inspiring project our community identified will be a new Welcome Center. KT is excited to tackle this endeavor as this will not only be KT’s Welcome Center, but also a community hub for all! It will be a place to greet and educate visitors, provide office space for KT, house local programming and events, ample parking, and safe access to trails and businesses. This new Welcome Center will serve as a portal and accessible center for the entire Northeast Kingdom. We understand that these projects and improvements will not happen overnight, yet with your patience and understanding, please know that KT is striving to make the most responsible and sustainable decisions based on your input. We commit to you now, that we will continue to consistently keep you informed every step of the way.
KT is looking forward to sharing our journey through the Capacity Study in hopes that other communities may learn and look to our process as a resource. For the full story, check out Local Motion’s upcoming FREE workshop; Where Recreation Meets Transportation. KT, alongside SE Group, will serve as a real life example to help explore the overlap of transportation and recreation planning, to better connect Vermont communities.
Kingdom Trails would like to extend a heartfelt and sincere thank you to all those involved; USDA Rural Business Development, Burke Area Chamber of Commerce, Drew Pollak-Bruce and Ellie Wachtel of SE Group, Stantec, the towns and Selectboard members of Burke, Lyndonville, Kirby, and East Haven, all of the incredible stakeholder groups, amazing trail users, our community, and especially to the folks who make this all possible, the KT Landowners.
Looking forward to the future with you all!
Team KTA
7/11/26 Community Chat
Canadian Community Month Offers Below Kingdom Trails Kingdom Trails is a world-renowned, community-supported trail network at the heart of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, built through long-standing landowner partnerships and careful stewardship. It remains the central hub of the region’s mountain biking community. As part of Canadian Community Month, Canadian visitors are welcomed with special membership access and benefits designed to make visiting more accessible. Offers: Canadian dollars accepted at par for annual and day memberships purchased in-person at the Kingdom Trails Welcome Center New and current Canadian annual members will receive a complimentary guest day membership to share with a friend or family member, redeemable anytime during the 2026 riding season. Canadians who purchased day memberships earlier this season may upgrade to annual memberships at par, with the amount already paid in USD credited toward the upgrade Please note that the at-par rates will be applied at checkout in USD as a discount according to the current daily exchange rate; the KT Welcome Center is unable to accept Canadian currency at this time.
From the Executive Director: Hi Everyone! Well, July has certainly brought the heat, but luckily here at KT there are plenty of shady trails to choose from. Speaking of trails...we are opening a new one this weekend: "Cheddar Slice" connects the bottom of Butter Tubs to the bottom of the Dashney Loop, creating a roughly 4-mile family-friendly loop and adding another way to connect the Moose Alley and Dashney zones. Connectivity has been a big focus this year, and there is more to come later this season. Thank you to all our generous Landowners, members and supporters. Have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy Fourth of July!! -Georgia Celebrate the Fourth with Us! As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we invite you to celebrate with us throughout the month of July. If you're riding on Saturday, July 4, be sure to stop by our newly refreshed Welcome Center! We'll be serving complimentary cookies and lemonade throughout the day—a small way of celebrating the holiday and welcoming riders, families, and visitors to Kingdom Trails. Later in the month, join us at Lyndonville's Stars & Stripes Celebration on Saturday, July 18. The celebration begins with the 10:00 a.m. parade, followed by the festival, where you'll find the Kingdom Trails tent. Stop by to say hello, learn about our newest initiatives and chat with our staff about everything happening at Kingdom Trails this summer. The festival runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and features food trucks, vendors, children's activities, live music, a Rotary BBQ, axe throwing, and more—making it a fun day for the whole family. We hope you'll stop by, say hello, and celebrate with us! CLICK HERE to read the full newsletter.
