After a very dry four weeks, multiple rain events the past few days give the forest a welcomed refresh. Just under 2″ of rain since Sunday. It has been busy summer on the trails mowing, brushing and clearing windfall. We consistently work on the trails to have in best condition possible before the snow flies. Overall the trails are in great shape!
Wildflowers have been popping out nicely this spring and summer and really exploded when we had hot and warm conditions late May and early June. Many sights and sounds of nature. With the dry conditions, the bears have been knocking over dead stumps in search of grubs etc.! Eagles hatching in the eagles nest near the western trails. Bear sign on Twin Lakes and Bullhead area and many deer moving through the woods on the singletrack trails. This spring we also planted 100’s of trees and clearing on the trails as part of our regular forest management.
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. There are no services in the main lodge. Meal service and lodging closed at this time. The Maplelag trails are closed to horse travel and motorized vehicles.
Champlain Park CC team at Maplelag this week for running camp, August 24th, 2021.Warming up for the run! August 23rd, 2021.Woodpecker action on dead maple, August 23rd, 2021.Recent rain bringing the colorful moss, lichens and mushrooms to life, August 23rd, 2021. Spider web along the bike singletrack, August 12th, 2021.Another summer grooming on Suicide Hill, August 12th, 2021.Wild flowers in the woods, August 12th, 2021.Summer grooming on “Eagle View” return on Twin Lakes trail, August 9th, 2021.Summer grooming on North Loup trail, July 29th, 2021.Another beautiful summer sunset over Sugarbush, July 25th, 2021.Moon over Maplelag! July 23rd, 2021.Another fresh cutting/summer grooming on Suicide Hill, July 19th, 2021.Summer grooming on Mother North Star ski trail, July 18th, 2021.Sunset with a extra tinge of orange as a result of hazy skies from wildfire smoke in Canada, July 13th, 2021.Aspen leaf and snow moth! July 12th, 2021.Clearing deadfall on the trails, July 8th, 2021.Interesting finds inside the log! July 8th, 2021.Ski trail segment on the mountain bike course, July 5th, 2021. Lush and green thanks to steady precipitation the last three weeks.Water lily on shore of Little Sugarbush, July 5th, 2021.Skaters Waltz ski trail, June 28th, 2021.More mushrooms coming to life with recent moisture, June 28th, 2021.Wild Iris flower along North Star trail, June 26th, 2021. Just a handful of flowers blooming in this location every year.Fresh bear track on Twin Lakes, June 28th, 2021.Summer trail work, mowing and clearing deadfall, June 24th, 2021.Late afternoon scene at Twin Lakes crossing, June 21st, 2021.Super Solstice Strawberry moon over Sugarbush June, 21st, 2021.Another beautiful summer sunset over Sugarbush! June 12th, 2021.Skaters Waltz ski trail, June 10th, 2021. This of many unique sections of trail we do not mow until the first frost in the fall.
Trails are open. Great riding conditions! Recent rain showers keeping the dirt tight and fresh. We will continue working on the course daily leading up to the Laddies Loppet weekend to make for best conditions possible.
Sport women race the Citizen course marked green and Comp women race the Sport course marked blue. We are putting signs out for Sport Women and Comp women as well. (See below)
Signs for the Laddies Loppet course.
Trail head is at flagpole near main lodge. Look for signs that have “Beginner/Sport/Comp/Expert” or named singletrack segments. There are also red signs at key intersections and pink signs for the LagChilada loop challenge. For first timers to Maplelag, best trails first to start on would be Sukkerwest at end of driveway and Feeling Lucky near main start area. Also the Citizen loop (6.5 miles) which provides options to try the more advanced singletracks segments. The sport loop (11miles) is more intermediate, cutting out the more expert sections. The expert loop is around 15 miles.
The two way “North Loup Gnar” trail can be accessed of county road 110 just to the east of Maplelag driveway. Bullhead Bootleg loop accessed from county road 26 via the gravel road 110. Please park in the first parking lot where the recycling bins are located. The main lodge is closed, no services available. Park and ride! Any questions on riding etc., contact Jay at 218-849-7669.
The Maplelag trails are classic “old school” trails, first built in 1990, mirrored off the courses used for racing to provide training opportunities for local racers and feature some of the more technical areas of cross country riding in the Midwest. We hosted a race that fall of 1990 and continue to run an event on Labor day weekend call the Laddies Loppet.
Trails listed on TrailForks. (Please note some routes were added by riders not associated with Maplelag, in particular the lakeside areas but all trails and intersections are marked)
Trail fees are appreciated to help offset trail work, signage and hopefully a new map. These are major expenses and we receive no grants outside funding for the privately maintained trails at Maplelag. Click here for most recent map. (Note: There are a few reroutes on the map but everything will be tapped off. No riding allowed on AMA land and please stay on designated trails at all time. Assume all risk and take responsibility for your actions) We are working on a new trail map that will feature many new trails built last summer and fall.
Beautiful sunset riding, August 23rd, 2021.Ramp action, August 23rd, 2021.Rolling through “Bjorp’s” singletrack, August 21st, 2021.“Bridge” singletrack segment leading to Twin Lakes loop, August 19th, 2021. Areas of scattered organic matter from dry and windy conditions otherwise great riding! Rolling through a wooden feature on “Bjorp’s” singletrack, August 16th, 2021.End of “Feeling Lucky” singletrack, August 16th, 2021. Ride around option on first singletrack segment, August 16th, 2021.Bridge crossing on Bullhead Bootleg singletrack, August 13th, 2021.Rolling through the rock garden on Moorhead singeletrack, August 13th, 2021.Twin Lakes singletrack, August 13th, 2021.Summer grooming on Suicide Hill, August 12th, 2021. Each course will only go up Suicide once. Signs for the Laddie’s Loppet course being placed this week, August 12th, 2021.Checking out fresh tuning on Twin Lakes singletrack, August 10th, 2021.Tuning on Twin Lakes trail, August 9th, 2021.JP rolling through the berm on Twin Lakes singletrack, August 2nd, 2021.JP rolling through the berm on Twin Lakes singletrack, August 2nd, 2021.
Dry/hardpack conditions. Dry conditions to start on Friday. Chance or rain later which would be very much welcomed. Watch for a few corners being loose, scattered organic matter, otherwise very nice riding and the course is rolling great.
Signage for the Laddies Loppet course. If riding the LagChilada, follow the pink LagChilada signs.
We continue to fine tune the course to provide the best riding conditions possible with dirt work, brushing and blowing out trail. We will resume blowing out trail once we receive rain to settle the dust.
This spring we widened bridges on the Bootleg loop, added a few wooden features on the new trails, dirt work on select areas and planted a couple hundred trees along the course. We will continue tuning the trail throughout the summer and blowing out trail as needed. Click here for trail pass
Great seeing new folks and the locals alike out this season. Rider traffic helps compress the deck and ride in the lines! Nice job to all the riders competing the LagChilada challenge so far this year.
Trail head is at flagpole near main lodge. Look for signs that have “Beginner/Sport/Comp/Expert” or named singletrack segments. There are also red signs at key intersections and pink signs for the LagChilada loop challenge. For first timers to Maplelag, best trails first to start on would be Sukkerwest at end of driveway and Feeling Lucky near main start area. Also the Citizen loop (6.5 miles) which provides options to try the more advanced singletracks segments. The sport loop (11miles) is more intermediate, cutting out the more expert sections. The expert loop is around 15 miles.
The two way “North Loup Gnar” trail can be accessed of county road 110 just to the east of Maplelag driveway. Bullhead Bootleg loop accessed from county road 26 via the gravel road 110. Please park in the first parking lot where the recycling bins are located. The main lodge is closed, no services available. Park and ride! Any questions on riding etc., contact Jay at 218-849-7669.
The Maplelag trails are classic “old school” trails, first built in 1990, mirrored off the courses used for racing to provide training opportunities for local racers and feature some of the more technical areas of cross country riding in the Midwest. We hosted a race that fall of 1990 and continue to run an event on Labor day weekend call the Laddies Loppet.
Trails listed on TrailForks. (Please note some routes were added by riders not associated with Maplelag, in particular the lakeside areas but all trails and intersections are marked)
Trail fees are appreciated to help offset trail work, signage and hopefully a new map. These are major expenses and we receive no grants outside funding for the privately maintained trails at Maplelag. Click here for most recent map. (Note: There are a few reroutes on the map but everything will be tapped off. No riding allowed on AMA land and please stay on designated trails at all time. Assume all risk and take responsibility for your actions) We are working on a new trail map that will feature many new trails built last summer and fall.
“Bridge” singletrack segment leading to Twin Lakes loop, August 19th, 2021. Areas of scattered organic matter from dry and windy conditions otherwise great riding! Rolling through a wooden feature on “Bjorp’s” singletrack, August 16th, 2021.End of “Feeling Lucky” singletrack, August 16th, 2021. Ride around option on first singletrack segment, August 16th, 2021.Bridge crossing on Bullhead Bootleg singletrack, August 13th, 2021.Rolling through the rock garden on Moorhead singeletrack, August 13th, 2021.Twin Lakes singletrack, August 13th, 2021.Summer grooming on Suicide Hill, August 12th, 2021. Each course will only go up Suicide once. Signs for the Laddie’s Loppet course being placed this week, August 12th, 2021.Checking out fresh tuning on Twin Lakes singletrack, August 10th, 2021.Tuning on Twin Lakes trail, August 9th, 2021.JP rolling through the berm on Twin Lakes singletrack, August 2nd, 2021.JP rolling through the berm on Twin Lakes singletrack, August 2nd, 2021.
Very dry conditions in place. Recent rain has stayed south or north of us. It has been busy summer on the trails mowing, brushing and clearing windfall. We consistently work on the trails to have in best condition possible before the snow flies. Overall the trails are in great shape!
Wildflowers have been popping out nicely this spring and summer and really exploded when we had hot and warm conditions late May and early June. Many sights and sounds of nature. With the dry conditions, the bears have been knocking over dead stumps in search of grubs etc.! Eagles hatching in the eagles nest near the western trails. Bear sign on Twin Lakes and Bullhead area and many deer moving through the woods on the singletrack trails. This spring we also planted 100’s of trees and clearing on the trails as part of our regular forest management.
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. There are no services in the main lodge. Meal service and lodging closed at this time. The Maplelag trails are closed to horse travel and motorized vehicles.
Lack of moisture hasn’t yielded mushrooms like other years but this deadfall in a slough off Mother North Star trail providing nutrients for this impressive roll, August 12th, 2021.Spider web along the bike singletrack, August 12th, 2021.Another summer grooming on Suicide Hill, August 12th, 2021.Wild flowers in the woods, August 12th, 2021.Summer grooming on “Eagle View” return on Twin Lakes trail, August 9th, 2021.Summer grooming on North Loup trail, July 29th, 2021.Another beautiful summer sunset over Sugarbush, July 25th, 2021.Moon over Maplelag! July 23rd, 2021.Another fresh cutting/summer grooming on Suicide Hill, July 19th, 2021.Summer grooming on Mother North Star ski trail, July 18th, 2021.Sunset with a extra tinge of orange as a result of hazy skies from wildfire smoke in Canada, July 13th, 2021.Aspen leaf and snow moth! July 12th, 2021.Clearing deadfall on the trails, July 8th, 2021.Interesting finds inside the log! July 8th, 2021.Ski trail segment on the mountain bike course, July 5th, 2021. Lush and green thanks to steady precipitation the last three weeks.Water lily on shore of Little Sugarbush, July 5th, 2021.Skaters Waltz ski trail, June 28th, 2021.More mushrooms coming to life with recent moisture, June 28th, 2021.Wild Iris flower along North Star trail, June 26th, 2021. Just a handful of flowers blooming in this location every year.Fresh bear track on Twin Lakes, June 28th, 2021.Summer trail work, mowing and clearing deadfall, June 24th, 2021.Late afternoon scene at Twin Lakes crossing, June 21st, 2021.Super Solstice Strawberry moon over Sugarbush June, 21st, 2021.Another beautiful summer sunset over Sugarbush! June 12th, 2021.Skaters Waltz ski trail, June 10th, 2021. This of many unique sections of trail we do not mow until the first frost in the fall.
A Family Owned and Operated Destination Cross-Country Ski Center
