Our Mission

To partner with the community in building and maintaining a world class trail network.

Mountain biking has always been, and will continue to be, at the core of the Stowe Trails Partnership.  Per the terms of the signed agreements we have in place with the Town of Stowe and Stowe Land Trust, our charge is to “develop and maintain multi-use trails suitable for mountain biking.”  It’s our hope that the multi-use element of Stowe’s trails encourages participation and ownership from all trail users, not just mountain bikers.

Our Vision

The Stowe Trails Partnership envisions a far reaching interconnected network of trails that provides diverse recreational opportunities ranging in scope from lunch hour hot laps with your co-workers, to all-day epic journeys.  Stowe’s trails are links within the community; they create avenues by which residents and visitors can experience Stowe in an immersive natural way, and they encourage an active, healthy appreciation for the outdoors among Stowe’s youth. We envision a Stowe connected by trails, with plentiful access and information points and a diverse array of terrain and ability options.  Thanks to the forward-thinking hard work of many individuals over the past decade and a half, we’re poised to continue making that vision a reality.

 Executive Director

Rachel Fussell 

Partnerships

The Stowe Trails Partnership manages three distinct trail pods: Cady Hill Forest, Adams Camp, and Sterling Forest (in addition to several connector trails, including Alex’s Trail in Dumont Meadow).  Each of these pods is distinct in character, with widely differing trails, views, and terrain.  Many of the trails are situated on lands permanently protected under conservation easements held or managed by the Stowe Land Trust, and owned by the Town of Stowe. This unique arrangement means that the lands on which Stowe’s trails are located are protected in perpetuity and, provided we as trail managers, uphold our end of the bargain, the trails are as well. Consequently, the Stowe Land Trust is able to focus on land conservation, habitat protection, and increasing recreational opportunities, while we as trail stewards are able to direct our efforts to protecting the trails and ensuring a safe, enjoyable experience for mountain bikers, hikers, runners, dog walkers, nordic skiers and anyone else that enjoys Stowe’s trails. We rely on the partnerships with the Town of Stowe and Stowe Land Trust for the majority of the trails in the Stowe network.  But our partnerships run much deeper: we work with over sixty businesses in Lamoille and Washington counties.  These businesses support Stowe Trails because they understand that the trails are more than just a place to ride bikes.  They’re a galvanizing force for the community, a place where friendships are forged, a place where kids can explore, and where we can all escape for a few minutes of tranquility. Without these partners, Stowe’s trails would quite literally not be what they are.  So we urge you to support these businesses and organizations that support STP.

History

The Stowe Mountain Bike Club gained 501c3 status in 2013, but its true roots date back to sometime around the year 2000.  Born of a need for riders to make themselves known to the local landowners, SMBC was a small group of motivated riders that not only gave rise to the network we manage today, but who also wisely had the foresight to organize and establish mountain bikers as a legitimate user group. In 2017 SMBC evolved to the Stowe Trails Partnership as a way to better represent the work being done to protect, manage, maintain, and enhance Stowe’s multi-use trail network.  The Stowe Mountain Bike Club moniker carried us for over a decade and a half, but as the organization evolved and came to hold a greater voice on both the local and State levels, it became apparent that the term “mountain bike club” undersold our mission as riders and trail stewards. Today’s Stowe Trails Partnership is nearly 1,000 members strong, with over 60 corporate partners, all of whom believe in the transformative power of trails.  We hold signed agreements with both the Town of Stowe and the Stowe Land Trust appointing STP as formal stewards of the mountain bike trails on Town Land.