All posts by Jay Richards

Trail Report

More typical spring weather in place after a mixed bag of weather on the weekend. We enjoyed a very small window to ski on Saturday after snow squalls on Friday. We have also had wind last week that brought down a few deadfall we have been clearing off the trails. Total precipitation last week around a half inch of rain. 

Slowly more signs of spring. A few wildflowers popping up other wild plants popping up from the forest floor. Ice went off Little Sugarbush lake Saturday April 6th. True to form, the loons returned the same day and combined with other waterfowl the lake is busy with activity and one of the more special times of the year on the lake.

Mountain bike trails now open. (click here for updates)

We are now able to be on the trails clearing deadfall and have begun working on the mountain bike trails before we transition to heavier ski trail work and tree planting. We will have a big season of tree planting this year! Summer ski trail work will include fixing rutted areas, working on drainage and removing rocks and filling in low spots. 

Although this year was one of the lowest snow years to date on record, it was an opportunity to learn more about grooming, preparing the trails for winter and being prepared for future low snow years. For as long as we have been grooming, every year is different and what makes it interesting and enjoyable! 

Thank you to everyone that has visited us this past year from the overnight guests to the day users. We appreciate it very much! 

On a side note, the end of February and early March with low snow and frozen ground it has been favorable for cutting deadfall and windblown trees from storms and wind. Most of the woods we use for the wood fire stoves and campfires at Maplelag but bigger logs that have are not rotten we use for shelving, tables and other projects!

Saturday skiing Friday’s snow! April 20th, 2024
Saturday skiing Friday’s snow! April 20th, 2024
Along the side of Mother North Star ski trail, April 19th, 2024.
Dusting of snow on the trails after off and on snow squalls Friday April 19th, 2024.
Fresh tracks in the fresh snow, April 19th, 2024.
Wind blown deadfall on the trails after recent wind, April 18th, 2024.
Signs of spring along the singletrack, April 17th, 2024.
Twin Lakes crossing early evening April 17th, 2024.
Appreciating the calm morning on Little Sugarbush, April 15th, 2024.
Stacked rocks along Roy’s Run ski trail and North Loup Gnar singletrack! April 14th, 2024.
East side of Little Sugarbush lake, April 11th, 2024.
Sukkerbusk ski trail, April 11th, 2024.
Ski trail segment of bike course, April 11th, 2024.

Mountain Bike Trail Report

Bike trails are open for riding. Tacky/damp surface conditions. We have cleared recent blow down and now blowing leaves and sticks off the singletrack. Few soft spots otherwise good early season conditions. 

We have started putting out complimentary signage but reference our map, Trailforks or Strava to help with navigating. 

Parking across from Brant cabin. The Brant cabin is also available for a changing area and bathrooms.

Click here to join the Maplelag Mountain Bike Club

Saturday riding, April 20th, 2024.

Mountain Bike Trail Report

Bike trails are open for riding. Tacky/damp surface conditions. We have started clearing blow down and blowing leaves off the singletrack on the inner segments. Few soft spots otherwise good early season conditions. 

We have started putting out complimentary signage but reference our map, Trailforks or Strava to help with navigating. 

Parking across from Brant cabin. The Brant cabin is also available for a changing area and bathrooms.

Click here to join the Maplelag Mountain Bike Club

Saturday riding, April 20th, 2024.

Ski Trail Report

More typical spring weather in place after a mixed bag of weather on the weekend. We enjoyed a very small window to ski on Saturday after snow squalls on Friday. We have also had wind last week that brought down a few deadfall we have been clearing off the trails. Total precipitation last week around a half inch of rain. 

Slowly more signs of spring. A few wildflowers popping up other wild plants popping up from the forest floor. Ice went off Little Sugarbush lake Saturday April 6th. True to form, the loons returned the same day and combined with other waterfowl the lake is busy with activity and one of the more special times of the year on the lake.

Mountain bike trails now open. (click here for updates)

We are now able to be on the trails clearing deadfall and have begun working on the mountain bike trails before we transition to heavier ski trail work and tree planting. We will have a big season of tree planting this year! Summer ski trail work will include fixing rutted areas, working on drainage and removing rocks and filling in low spots. 

Although this year was one of the lowest snow years to date on record, it was an opportunity to learn more about grooming, preparing the trails for winter and being prepared for future low snow years. For as long as we have been grooming, every year is different and what makes it interesting and enjoyable! 

Thank you to everyone that has visited us this past year from the overnight guests to the day users. We appreciate it very much! 

On a side note, the end of February and early March with low snow and frozen ground it has been favorable for cutting deadfall and windblown trees from storms and wind. Most of the woods we use for the wood fire stoves and campfires at Maplelag but bigger logs that have are not rotten we use for shelving, tables and other projects!

Saturday skiing Friday’s snow! April 20th, 2024
Saturday skiing Friday’s snow! April 20th, 2024
Along the side of Mother North Star ski trail, April 19th, 2024.
Dusting of snow on the trails after off and on snow squalls Friday April 19th, 2024.
Fresh tracks in the fresh snow, April 19th, 2024.
Wind blown deadfall on the trails after recent wind, April 18th, 2024.
Signs of spring along the singletrack, April 17th, 2024.
Twin Lakes crossing early evening April 17th, 2024.
Appreciating the calm morning on Little Sugarbush, April 15th, 2024.
Stacked rocks along Roy’s Run ski trail and North Loup Gnar singletrack! April 14th, 2024.
East side of Little Sugarbush lake, April 11th, 2024.
Sukkerbusk ski trail, April 11th, 2024.
Ski trail segment of bike course, April 11th, 2024.

April 22nd News Update

With the ice going off Little Sugarbush Lake next to Maplelag on April 6th, a new season is ushered in and welcomed.

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Calm morning on Little Sugarbush Lake, April 15th, 2024. The vibrancy of waterfowl and wildlife is one of our favorite times of year on the lake is the spring before the lake sees the summer traffic.

April has been a typical mix of weather with cool and damp days (including a late April snow event that allowed us to sneak in one more ski) and warm almost summer like days. The trails have dried up nicely and we opened the mountain bike trails last weekend. (Latest report on the bike trail report page.) 

Pair of loons enjoying the calm waters on Little Sugarbush soon after the ice was off.

We have had a lot of windy days which has blown down a lot of deadfall but we are not able to be on the trails and start doing trail work. (Latest trail and woods report) The end of this month and start of May we will begin planting trees. This is something we take great pride in having planted 100’s of thousands trees since the beginning of Maplelag in 1973.

Blowdown from recent storm on mtb singletrack and ski trail! It is a year round process clearing deadfall and keeping trails cleared.

The woods has been slow to green, naturally, but a few signs emerging. Being surrounded by nature’s beauty is something we do not take for granted and grateful for every day. As we move forward with “rebuilding” after the fire in October of 2022, our focus remains to share this with as many people as possible whether it would be overnight stays or day visits. With that said, here are some updates and reports on projects we have been working on.

Lapland Lodge

We have made great progress on phase 2 of the Lapland Lodge, completing the exterior work during a mild late February and March. Work has now shifted to the interior as we finish up the sheet-rocking, tile work and flooring. The final phase will be the installation of the fully equipped kitchen and finishing work. We are very excited how this cabin is taking shape and can’t wait for the final stage to be completed! This lodge will be available to rent this summer once it is completed. We have already booked weekends for next winter so if you are interested, check back for photos and full description in a month or so.

Brant Lodge

The Brant cabin has seen a big time makeover with the store being phase one. We appreciate everyone that made a visit and purchased items. We still have a longer term goal to sell online but first need to complete other projects before venturing into online selling. This spring we have added more seating space for day users and currently are remodeling the main level bathrooms. Keith has done a fantastic job and grateful for his skills. On a side note, we know it was difficult for many long time guests that were loyal to the Brant. No major decisions are easy and know this was not a simple decision.

Sitting space in the Brant for “brown bag” lunching.

Candy Store Lodge

The Candy Store continues to see improvements after the major renovation last fall. Thanks everyone who visited and stayed there this past season! The reviews have been good and after the winter season, we have done some upgrades in the bathrooms and bedrooms.

Bedroom enhancement in one of the CandyStore bedrooms featuring print of one of the images captured at Maplelag this past year. We will be adding prints to the cabins in various locations of our favorite nature scenes.