west river trail

Trail Closure Announcement
by

Trail Closure Announcement

wrt spring 2013 elin waagen 14Please note!
PCL Construction and FIGG Engineering Co., the contractors that are doing the I-91 bridge work for VTrans, will be relocating the utility conduit by the bridge during the week of July 29th. The trail near the bridge will need to be closed while the work is being done. This will take 3-5 days, from Monday, July 29 through possibly Friday, August 2.

Next, the section of trail between the corn field and the bridge needs to be widened. If the permit is received, this work will take place August 5th and 6th. If the permit is not received, the widening will take place the last week in August.

In both cases, the trail north of the bridge will still be open. Happy Trails!

West River Trail Work Updates
by

West River Trail Work Updates

Many thanks to all volunteers and helpers for contributing precious time and hard labor to help improve and clean up the West River Trail. A tremendous amount of clean-up work has been accomplished on the trail! The major task of removing huge quantities of trail-side metal debris was achieved with the hands of many individuals and with the help of some very large equipment and machinery.

A big thanks to Jason Evans for removing the junk cars, repairing the access road from Rice Farm Road and doing some resurfacing work. Big thanks also to Bob Spencer of WSWMD for the donation of a dumpster, delivering it to the site and hauling away all the scrap metal and junk cars.

Trail Run/Walk to Benefit the West River Trail July 27
by

Trail Run/Walk to Benefit the West River Trail July 27

Mother-daughter runners on the lower section last summer. (Photo by Dede Cummings)

Mother-daughter runners on the lower section last summer. (Photo by Dede Cummings)

Please join us for a West River Trail Benefit Run/Walk on July 27, 2013 at 9:00 am.

This mass start, self-guided event will begin at the trailhead behind the Marina and follow the trail through picturesque natural settings which include beautiful views of the river.
Participants can run or walk as little or as much as they like*.
Mile markers on the first section (3.5 miles) to Rice Farm Road will help participants measure their progress.
A small group of runners will be running all the way to Townshend Dam.
There will be snacks and water near the Rice Farm Rd trailhead, and also upon return at the Marina trailhead.
A suggested donation of $20 will be collected upon sign-in at 8:30 the morning of the event. All proceeds will go to the Friends of the West River Trail for future trail development, enhancement and maintenance.

*Please note! This is a self-guided event and participants will need to return to the start on foot or make arrangements for a ride at the covered bridge in West Dummerston or beyond.

Please email questions to Tim Fleming at timspin@myfairpoint.net

Notice: Intermittent Trail Closures and Trail Re-Routing
by

Notice: Intermittent Trail Closures and Trail Re-Routing

photo-6Notice: The Vermont Agency of Transportation will soon be beginning the process of rebuilding the I-91 bridges. This work will continue for the next two years and will include improvements to the trail from the Marina kiosk to I-91. The trail will offer a great view of the bridge rebuilding process. Intermittent trail closures and trail re-routing will occur during this time. We will do our best to let you know when the trail is closed by posting on the kiosk and on our website: http://www.westrivertrail.org.
We are sorry for the inconvenience! For more information, contact us at lowersection@westrivertrail.org

Report on the 1st Annual West River Trail Run
by

Report on the 1st Annual West River Trail Run

The 1st Annual West River Trail Run held on June 1, 2013 was a huge success! Runners were blessed with spectacular weather and a beautiful trail. A big thanks to the runners, volunteers and spectators, and to our partners – Friends of the West River Trail, Southern Vermont Technical Rescue, Winhall/Townshend Campground and Jamaica State Park. A big thanks also to our sponsors – Stratton Mountain Resort, TimberQuest, Prospect Rehabilitation, Real Sports, Peabody’s Apiaries, Taylor Farm, Maggie’s Farm and Grandma Millers.

More pictures can be found on the West River Trail Run Facebook page. Hope to see you again next year!

Related articles

 

West Trail Run June 1st: Calling Runners and Race Volunteers
by

West Trail Run June 1st: Calling Runners and Race Volunteers

currentWRTRposter

Calling all runners and race volunteers!! Please join us for the annual West River Trail Run on Saturday, June 1st! Please contact us for more information about the event or if you are interested in helping out! Hurry! Registration is limited and closes this Friday, May 24, 2013. Email us at info@thecollaborative.us or call us at 802.824.4200. See poster for more details and contact information.

The Collaborative will be hosting its first Trail Run on June 1st, 2013. This is an annual event to help the Collaborative to provide fun, healthy educational programs for youth in the Northshire and Mountain communities. Please check THE COLLABORATIVE WEBSITE for more information and to register.

Run along 11 of the 36 miles of the West River Trail in Southern Vermont. The run will start at Londonderry Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155 and end at Jamaica State Park, 48 Salmon Hole Lane, Jamaica, Vermont 05343

Relay teams of 3 or individuals are invited to participate. Runners have the option to ride the bus from Jamaica State Park back to the start after the awards ceremony. Relay teams are allowed one car during the run to transport. Teams are responsible for their own transportation.

Runner 1: 4 miles of flat trail. Runner is on the main rail-trail, which provides a more gentle grade and relatively easy travel. Trail follows the campground road through the campground and over a single-lane bridge crossing the Winhall River.

Runner 2: 4 miles of uphill and switchback, single trail. From the south trailhead of Winhall Campground, the surpack surface of the West River Trail continues along the river’s edge. Becoming a footpath through the forest, the single-track section of trail involves several short uphill jaunts and a variety of stream crossings. This is considered the most challenging section of the trail.

Runner 3: 3.5 miles of gradual downhill and flat trail. The switchback trail traverses back and forth across the steep face of the dam, arriving in the river valley as a footpath. The trail follows the river down stream, crossing the Cobb Bridge. The West River Trail continues along the old railroad grade. This section of trail is well-used and provides easy running with lovely views of the river.

To register, click HERE. Registration closes on Friday, May 24, 2013. Registrations may be mailed to The Collaborative c/o Trail Run, PO Box 32, South Londonderry, VT 05155.  Email us at info@thecollaborative.us or call us at 802.824.4200. 

The Run will start at 9 am on June 1st.
Packet-pick up:
May 31, 6-8:30pm: Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155
June 1, 7-7:45am: Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155

Thank you to our sponsors and partners: Friends of the West River Trail, Jamaica State Park, Ball Mountain/Townsend Lakes.
For more information and to register, check EVENT WEBSITE.

A Dry and Clean Trail
by

A Dry and Clean Trail

We had a successful work day on Saturday, May 11. Lots of trash and debris cleared off  the trail and drainage work done.  The lower section of the West River Trail is now noticeably drier and cleaner!  Many thanks to the hardy and wonderful volunteers – Jason Cooper, Vicki Myers, Paul Link, Mary Steiner, John Frechette, Thomas Wagner, Trever & Mike Kipp.