Happy Mid-Summer! Scandinavians reference the longest day of the year as “midsummer”. (We have many great memories from hosting the Concordia Language Villages Swedish Camp, where they celebrated this day.) At Maplelag we are “celebrating” Midsummer with the completion of many projects. And, as always, the constant trail work, keeping the nearly 100km of ski, mountain bike/fat bike trails, free of trees and debris. There hasn’t been many storms but plenty of wind, which has resulted in having several trees to clear. We have been focusing on the bike course as we prepare for the 34th running Laddies Loppet mountain bike race over Labor Day weekend but working on ski trails as well.

Highlights on some of the projects:

Big Dipper: One of the first cabins at Maplelag, “LapLand”, has gone through an incredible remodel and a new name. We have added a very spacious kitchen and living room, still highlighting with original Maplelag signature paneling and great views to Little Sugarbush Lake sunsets. We are super excited to complete this project and are now renting it! If you are interested in renting for the winter time frame, we suggest doing so soon! A few photos below and more info on the “Big Dipper” page.

Brant

The Brant cabin project began last summer, as we turned the cabin into a day lodge area featuring a store, rental shop, warming/visiting/lounge area and the most recent project, adding two additional bathrooms on the main level. We have used as many timbers and lumber as possible reclaimed from the lodge destroyed by fire in October of 2022. The bathroom is very unique in that we harvested an oak from a storm blow down to use in the vanity for sink bases. Keith did an amazing job in this remodel and restoration and Jonell’s decorating is evident.

Painting and Staining

The other big spring and early summer project has been the staining and painting of the other cabins at Maplelag. As you can expect, there is much upkeep keeping everything in operation and the staining was much needed. Everything looks fresher and newer and big thanks to Pat for his fantastic work.

Other Happenings

We upgraded the heating and cooling systems on two of the other available lodging options at Maplelag, the Candy Store and Six Swedes, by adding heat pumps. This will be a nice second option for heating in the winter and also cooling in the summer or a warm fall day.

The Brant cabin, now called “Hygge” is home to the Maplelag store, rental shop and warming area for day users and sitting space for “brown bag” lunch/snacks. There is no food service available. (bring your own) The store is open when we have lodging guests and select days during the week when we have day skiing or biking activities. Store items are not currently available online but we plan to have an online store in the future. Bathroom and shower facilities available for camping/sprinter guests.

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

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.) 

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.

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.

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.

Cold weather is driving frost down nicely and setting ice on the lakes. Overall the trails are looking great and ready for more snow! Latest trail report on the trail report page.