Beautiful fall weather in place. Cool mornings and pleasant days. The leaves are slowly starting to change with more color appearing every day. Conditions have been dry the past month.
We continue to work on the trails clearing deadfall and mowing in the lower areas that still have grass growing good. This month we will begin clearing leaves off the trail and will continue right up until the ground freezes and first snow accumulates. We try to have as many trails completely cleared and cut low so we can ski on minimal snow.
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. Click here for latest update. Maplelag trails are closed to all motorized use and horses. We continue with trail tuning as we constantly work on the 64km of ski trails for upcoming ski season and maintain 25 miles of mountain bike trail.
Fall grooming, September 11th, 2023.Spectacular Labor Day sunset over Little Sugarbush, September 4th, 2023.First maple leaves falling to the forest floor after a much needed rain, September 4th, 2023.Sunset scene Labory Day evening, September 4th, 2023.The “super moon” shining over Little Sugarbush, August 30th, 2023.Beautiful last summer morning….hints of Fall! August 26th, 2023.Trail mowing at end of Sap Run and back bowl, August 24th, 2023.
Touch of fall color on the maples near the cabooses.
September is here and it is starting to feel and look like fall! After a unusually warm Labor Day weekend, temperatures have cooled down with a little bit of much needed precipitation.
Jason and Ben ready to break ground on the Candy Store addition!
We kept the tradition going of hosting our annual mountain bike race, Laddies Loppet which was the 33rd running. It was the longest running event before the fire on October 10th and we were very happy to host it again this year. It was so good to see familiar faces, many who have been coming back for decades including a few that have been here and supported since the first year! We have forged some great relationships over those years and always great to connect on life and family happenings. We want to thank again the sponsors, the support and volunteer staff and the officials who combined with the racers made it a great day despite the heat. We ran the race out of the warming house and had the start and finish near the cabooses for the first time. We learned some things and already have a list of things to improve on in the future.
We will be having a Fall color day on September 23rd. We will have a food truck here, Wood Fire pizza and the store will be open. The trails will be open for hiking, mountain biking to take in the beautiful fall colors. Our peak is a little earlier than what most maps will show and begins around the third week of September. With many trees already changing, it won’t be long until everything is vibrant with brilliant orange, yellow and red.
The beginning of this week kicked off a busy one as we began construction on the Candy Store cabin, one of the cabins we are remodeling and adding onto for this upcoming winter season. We will be adding a full kitchen to the south entrance for people to prepare meals that are staying in this cabin.
We also finalized plans for the remodeling of the Six Swedes cabin where we will also be adding a kitchen. We will begin construction on the Swedes in a week or so.
Other projects in the works including the continuation of staining of select cabins. Pat has been here for almost a month and getting closer to wrapping up phase one of this project. It’s nice to see the cabins get a fresh look on the exterior.
We also have been working on the cabooses preparing those for rental this winter. Also on the cabooses you might notice equipment which is in place to improve on our networking. Thanks to Bruce and Bjorn Adelsman for their work on this project. We are getting closer to taking reservations and look for more details in the next post early next month. Thanks to everyone that has inquired and shown interesting in staying at Maplelag this coming winter season.
Keith installing a new counter top in the red caboose.
Finally we continue to build inventory in the store and getting product for the winter season. We are excited to be one of the few places in the area to carry the colorful and purposeful Skida brand hats.
Thanks to everyone that stopped into the store over the bike race weekend. We continue to build up inventory before the winter and will post days we will be open in the coming months.
Lastly as the leaves begin to turn and fall to the ground, we will begin leaf clearing off the ski trails. This will continue right up until the ground freezes and snow flies. Having the trails cleared with no debris and grass cut low allows us to open on minimal snow.
Fall grooming will be in full force until the snow flies!
Mountain bike course is open. Beautiful fall conditions in place. Dry surface. Leaves are starting to come down and we are doing our best to stay on top of the leaf blowing. Use a little extra caution on the corners and downhills otherwise some of the best riding of the season is the next month or so. This week we will blow out the race loop and hopefully Bullhead Bootleg later in the week. We will continue to blow out trail this fall as the leaves drop from the trees!
Great day of racing, albeit a bit hot, for the 33rd Laddies Loppet mountain bike race this past weekend. Thanks to everyone that came to the race and all the volunteers, race officials and service personal that helped make it a great day. (Random photos from each race below)
The singletrack segments are signed by name and courses are generally marked for the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series with Citizen, Sport, Comp and Expert. Any singletrack that is not marked where it crosses ski trail, continue straight on the singletrack. Reference our map or TrailForks or Strava for guidance.
The Lagchilada challenge is in place which is a ride consisting of the entire mountain bike trail system. It is marked with both black signs and pink signs. Use the Strava app or guidance.
A good intermediate loop to ride is the Sport Loop and Bullhead Bootleg to the east. A good beginner loop to ride is the Citizen loop as well as the loops “Feeling Lucky” and “Sukkerwest”. North Loup Gnar on the north side is a slow tech skills trail.
Always be aware for changingconditions and assume all responsibility riding. The Maplelag course is generally described as a classic or natural trail which is rideable shortly after any rain events as the rain is absorbed and drains off naturally.
Trail users are welcome to use the Brant cabin for a changing area and there are also bathrooms. Please note we are remodeling in this cabin but the bathrooms are open. Season passes available on our gift shop page.
Start of the “LagChilada” challenge, September 10th, 2023.Leaves starting to fall to the forest floor making for a colorful riding experience, September 10th, 2023.Clearing leaves at the start of the Lakeside drop singletrack, September 6th, 2023.Fall riding conditions have begun! September 5th, 2023.Kids Comp class ready to kick off the racing action, Laddies Loppet 2023Kids Comp raceKids Comp race descending the “Toot”.Citizen riders on the ski trail.Sport female rider on the bridge. Twin Lakes singletrack.Sport and marathon riders taking shelter from the sun and heat before race start.Marathon riders coming up the big hill.Marathon riders in the rocks on Marathon race.Great to have riders from Canada! Thanks!Elite male winner Jake Richards
It has been a busy start to September hosting the Laddies Loppet mountain bike race and the beginning of construction projects on the cabins as we transition to fall and prepare for the upcoming winter season. Full September 10th update posted on the News page.
Mountain bike course is open. A great weekend of riding in place. This week we blew out the starter loop that consists of the lakeside drop segment and also the original Twin Lakes loop. These trails are a bit more challenging with the roots and rocks and having cleared makes it a bit easier riding. All the other trails are in great shape, a few leaves scattered here and there and the rain we had earlier this week has made for nice dirt. It has been dry since Tuesday evening. We will continue to blow out trail this fall as the leaves drop from the trees! This month is one of the best months to ride!
Great day of racing, albeit a bit hot, for the 33rd Laddies Loppet mountain bike race this past weekend. Thanks to everyone that came to the race and all the volunteers, race officials and service personal that helped make it a great day. (Random photos from each race below)
The singletrack segments are signed by name and courses are generally marked for the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series with Citizen, Sport, Comp and Expert. Any singletrack that is not marked where it crosses ski trail, continue straight on the singletrack. Reference our map or TrailForks or Strava for guidance.
The Lagchilada challenge is in place which is a ride consisting of the entire mountain bike trail system. It is marked with both black signs and pink signs. Use the Strava app or guidance.
A good intermediate loop to ride is the Sport Loop and Bullhead Bootleg to the east. A good beginner loop to ride is the Citizen loop as well as the loops “Feeling Lucky” and “Sukkerwest”. North Loup Gnar on the north side is a slow tech skills trail.
Always be aware for changingconditions and assume all responsibility riding. The Maplelag course is generally described as a classic or natural trail which is rideable shortly after any rain events as the rain is absorbed and drains off naturally.
Trail users are welcome to use the Brant cabin for a changing area and there are also bathrooms. Please note we are remodeling in this cabin but the bathrooms are open. Season passes available on our gift shop page.
Clearing leaves at the start of the Lakeside drop singletrack, September 6th, 2023.Fall riding conditions have begun! September 5th, 2023.Kids Comp class ready to kick off the racing action, Laddies Loppet 2023Kids Comp raceKids Comp race descending the “Toot”.Citizen riders on the ski trail.Sport female rider on the bridge. Twin Lakes singletrack.Sport and marathon riders taking shelter from the sun and heat before race start.Marathon riders coming up the big hill.Marathon riders in the rocks on Marathon race.Great to have riders from Canada! Thanks!Elite male winner Jake Richards
A Family Owned and Operated Destination Cross-Country Ski Center
