Looking Forward to a Successful & Safe Summer
April 8, 2021
Preparing for more trail users with advanced educational messaging.
KT Landowners, Community, and Members,
Once again Mother Nature has deemed our winter season come to an end. The Kingdom Trails network is currently closed due to mud season conditions in order to protect the natural resources and future of the trails. We are not yet able to say when the ground will be dry and ready for recreation, but until then we thank you all for respecting the land and seasonal trail closure.
During this in-between season the KT Team is hard at work preparing for a successful summer ahead. It is an understatement to say that 2020 was a season like no other, however we learned a lot from managing our trails throughout the pandemic, ensuring the safety of our staff, landowners, community, and members. We are grateful to all for riding with gratitude and respecting our priority to take care of our local community. We plan to continue our COVID19 practices of adhering to the State of Vermont’s guidelines, and evolving as they do.
Kingdom Trails is anticipating increased visitor numbers compared to last summer due to the availability of vaccines and the expanding VT cross state travel policy.
To properly prepare for this increase in visitors we will be dedicating our time to advanced educational messaging for trail users.
Along with physical distance, masks, and sanitary measures, these messages will encompass tips for dispersing the increased traffic. We will ask folks to be patient
and communicate
respectfully, show appreciation for our landowners
and local community, avoid peak times
and days, explore other trails
that are not the most popular, not to overflow KT parking areas
and only park in approved KT locations, purchase your memberships in advance online, follow Leave No Trace
principles and abide by our Ride With Gratitude
code of conduct. We want all to respect each other
and be an active part in making the outdoors welcoming and inclusive for all abilities and identities.
To further increase education, engagement and accountability efforts, while encouraging respectful behaviour, KT Ambassadors will be stationed at key trailheads and strategic trail locations to share our code of conduct and inform users that they are on private property.
The KT Capacity Study, to be finalized this Spring, is also tackling the increased traffic concern as it is addressing issues relating to crowding, congestion, safety, and general pressure being placed on our local communities. With the goal of improving the quality of life for our region, we are excited to share the study’s final recommendations
and get to work contemplating the suggested strategies and implementing community infrastructure to address the growing number of users and capacity imbalances in the system.
We appreciate more than ever the sanctuary that being outdoors provides. Thank you all for your support of Kingdom Trails and our community. We can’t wait until the dirt dries out and our amazing crew gives the thumbs up so we can hit the trails, as we understand the outdoors is a refuge, a safe place to gather, and an essential source of renewal. Until then we hope all continues to be happy and healthy!
We are so grateful,
Abby & the KT Team
Dear KT Community, I write to you today as I begin a transition in my relationship with Kingdom Trails. I have made the difficult decision to take the next step in my professional journey and step away from my role as Executive Director. Serving Kingdom Trails and this incredible community over the past eight years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am deeply proud of the work I’ve led and supported, from navigating immense global challenges and natural disasters, to forging incredible relationships, with our landowners and community. And throughout this journey, the Northeast Kingdom has become not just where I live, but truly my home. It’s the place I chose to become a mother and where my family has put down roots. That said, I am ready to explore new ways to serve this community, ways that will allow me to continue growing as a leader. I’ve accepted the role of Interim Executive Director for the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, where I will carry forward the work I fell in love with through Kingdom Trails: strengthening our communities and supporting thoughtful economic development. In this new role, I’ll have the opportunity to advocate not only for outdoor recreation, which is so essential to the heart of our region, but also for the many sectors that make the Northeast Kingdom such a unique and vibrant place. Please know I remain deeply committed to Kingdom Trails. This is my home, and it will remain my home. I wish to always be an ambassador for KT, including playing a role in ensuring a graceful, responsible transition with care. The Board of Directors and I have committed to this, to ensure continuity, stability, and the trust you hold in this organization. I am grateful beyond words for the opportunity to have served my community through this role, and I look forward to closing this chapter with the same heart and good intention with which I began it. Georgia Gould is stepping in as interim Executive Director to lead the organization through this transition. Georgia has served on the KT Board of Directors since 2021, leading both the Landowner and Trail Advisory Committees. She is a KT Landowner with an impressive mountain biking and cyclocross resume - including a bronze medal in one of her two Olympic bids on Team USA and five career national championships in cross-country and short track mountain biking. Georgia, her husband Dusty, and their two young children are engaged members of the Burke community and the KT team. Her deep ties to the sport of cycling, dedication to providing great trails for all skill levels, and her love of this community make her the perfect choice to lead KT in its next phase. The Board and I are thrilled that Georgia has agreed to lead KT and feel confident that she will hold the mission of the organization at the center as she has throughout her Board service. You can reach Georgia directly and welcome her to this new role at ED@kingdomtrails.org . With deep gratitude, Abby ### Kingdom Trail Association The mission of the Kingdom Trail Association is to provide recreation and education opportunities by managing, maintaining, and building trails to foster the health of our community, surrounding environment, and regional economy. Kingdom Trails strives to accomplish this mission by offering a 100+ mile network of quality, non-motorized, multi-use trails for all levels of ability, incorporating the best of our local scenery and natural diversity. The Kingdom Trails are made possible through the generosity of 106 private landowners. Northeast Kingdom Collaborativ e The mission of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative is to improve the quality of life for all residents of the NEK through coordinated economic and community development as the vision is a strong, vibrant Northeast Kingdom where we all thrive. The NEKC brings people together to spark positive change in our communities, creating structures that bring partners together across service areas, sectors, municipal and political boundaries to provide solutions for the renewal of the Kingdom. The NEK Collaborative serves as the backbone organization for the federally designated NEK REAP Zone and community partner for USDA Rural Development.
Cannondale Dirt Party a Success
KT is taking action—on the trails and in the Statehouse!
This 2025 Legislative Session, KT is teaming up with other amazing trail organizations through the Vermont Trails & Greenway Council, to advocate for H.147 a bill to establish the Recreational Trails Compensation Study.
Why does this matter?
Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy generates $2.1B annually, nearly 5% of the state’s GDP, that's 2nd in the nation after Hawaii (Go VT!) KT alone drives $10M in economic impact annually. Therefore, the state must recognize and incentivize these generous private landowners, including the 106 who make KT possible and allow public access to trails.
