All posts by Jay Richards

Trail Report

Spring has sprung at Maplelag. A great time of year to be in the woods and one of the best times for hiking and biking with no bugs etc. The woods are slowly coming alive with flora and the sounds of spring are as prevalent as ever with birds, waterfowl and frogs.

The ice went off Little Sugarbush on April 16th and on nearby lakes. The loons have returned and the water is busy with a nice variety of waterfowl. The ice off is always a special time of year, marking the transitions of seasons from winter to spring. 

The trails are drying up and we are back in the woods doing trail work, focusing on the mountain bike trails. We are clearing sticks, branches and blowing out leafy areas but also cutting deadfall off the ski trail, cutting in to blocks and splitting for firewood for winter season 2025/26.. 

The mountain bike trails are open, click here for report. Nice to see folks out. this year so far.

A few wildflowers are emerging from the forest floor and and a few other signs of flora on the forest floor and the grounds slowly greening up.

Thanks everyone who supports the trails at Maplelag. We had a fun run to end the ski season. We appreciate you very much and can’t wait to have folks back on the trail for dirt season. Stay tuned for more updates.

Hepatica flowers blooming in full force today, April 26th, 2025.
Trumpeter swans on Kohlepp’s pond, April 23rd, 2025.
Evening scene along Mother North Star, April 21st, 2025.
Mossy ski trail, April 21st, 2025.
Busy beaver on a large oak tree. April 21s,t 2025. 
Group of trumpeter swans enjoying ice free Little Sugarbush lake, April 17th, 2025.
Bullhead lake ice free, April 13th, 2025.
Sunset over Little Sugarbush lake as seen in front of the new sauna, April 15th, 2025.
Edge of Little Sugarbush lake, April 13th, 2025.
Sunday night lightning, April 13th, 2025.
Hepatica flowers ready to bloom thanks to warm nights and sunshine, April 12th, 2025.

Mountain Bike Trail Report

The mountain bike trails are open for riding. Great weekend of riding in place. Nice to see all the riders out on Saturday. Recent rider traffic and continued drying helping firm up the deck more and more each day. Little bit of mist Sunday morning, nothing being recorded in the rain gauge though. Roots and rocks might be a bit slick otherwise dirt should roll just fine.

We have been busy doing trail work the past two weeks, blowing out the entire 25 mile LagChilada course the past two weeks. Most of the signage is out as well including the LagChilada signs. Up next will be dirt work throughout the course, taking advantage of the damp and soft soil to form and repair berms, drainage etc. 

The LagChilada challenge remains in place, handful of riders already completed this year! The LagChilada encompasses all the trails at Maplelag. Click here for more details. 

 Maps: Trailforks and click on Maplelag map for reference of the trails. 

Maplelag is a family owned and operated business. We are one of the few MTB trail systems in the Midwest that maintain the trails ourselves with no outside funding or assistance and pay property taxes that in turn help support other trails in the state! Please consider a trail pass to offset some of our expenses. We love to mountain bike and share the trail with others…what it is all about! Thank you! 

Saturday riders, April 26th, 2025. (P.Arneson photo)
Navigating the Gnar, “North Loup Gnar”, April 26th, 2025. (PA photo)
Great early season riding on “Feeling Lucky”, April 26th, 2025.
Wildflowers blooming big time today, April 26th, 2025.
Lakeside singletrack, April 26th, 2025.
Twin Lakes singletrack, April 24th, 2025.

Maplelag Lodging

Red caboose at Maplelag, one of the available lodging options.

Maplelag offers year round lodging with full kitchens in the Candy Store, Six Swedes lodge, Big Dipper (formally the Lapland cabin) and Norwegian Log cabin. The Orange and Red Caboose have kitchenettes. More details on each cabin on the Lodging page.

We are currently remodeling the original Maplelag main house (which will be called MapleHus) and the Jewelry Store in the Great Northern cabin. These spaces are available to book and availability is online.

Mountain Bike Trail Report

The mountain bike trails are open for riding. Surface conditions vary from tacky to loamy, mostly in the low areas otherwise very good early season riding conditions being reported. Recent rider traffic and continued drying helping firm up the deck more and more each day. The trail crew at Maplelag prefers to run lower profile tires which don’t attract the solid as much and roll a bit faster. 

We have been busy doing trail work the past two weeks, blowing out the entire 25 mile LagChilada course the past two weeks. Most of the signage is out as well including the LagChilada signs. Up next will be dirt work throughout the course, taking advantage of the damp and soft soil to form and repair berms, drainage etc. 

The LagChilada challenge remains in place, handful of riders already completed this year! The LagChilada encompasses all the trails at Maplelag. Click here for more details.

 Maps: Trailforks and click on Maplelag map for reference of the trails. 

Maplelag is a family owned and operated business. We are one of the few MTB trail systems in the Midwest that maintain the trails ourselves with no outside funding or assistance and pay property taxes that in turn help support other trails in the state! Please consider a trail pass to offset some of our expenses. We love to mountain bike and share the trail with others…what it is all about! Thank you! 

Bullhead Bootleg singletrack, April 22nd 2025.
Bullhead Bootleg singletrack, April 22nd 2025.
Mossy trails, April 22nd, 2025.
Twin Lakes singletrack, April 22nd, 2025.
Twin Lakes roots! April 19th, 2025.
Twin Lakes rock garden, April 19th, 2025.
Clearing singletrack, April 17th, 2025.