New Perry Hill trail promotes sustainability and adds variety for users

Oct. 30, 2021  |  By Waterbury Roundabout

The affected Perry Hill trail sections are highlighted on this map by Noah Tautfest.

The Waterbury Area Trails Alliance and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation this week announced the opening of a new trail segment in the mountain-bike trail network on Perry Hill in Waterbury.

The multi-use trails lie within what’s called the Perry Hill Block of the C.C. Putnam State Forest. 

The new trail that’s now open is a 1,500-foot extension to the existing Six Flags Trail. For those familiar with the trails, the new section will connect Joe’s Trail to the Main Climb and it will support mountain biking and pedestrian activities. 

In their announcement of the project completion, the trails alliance and state officials explained that the new trail section will allow for the closure of the Duct Tape Trail which was receiving limited use and required a high degree of annual maintenance.

The new section was created as part of an effort by Forests, Parks and Recreation and the trails alliance group to evaluate the Perry Hill Trail network and identify projects to improve trail sustainability and user experience. 

“This trail realignment provides for increased expert-level riding in a section of the network that has seen lower use over the years. It is hoped that the new trail alignment and features will attract increased use to this area of the parcel, more evenly distributing use across the network,” trail officials said in their announcement.  

State Forest Recreation Specialist Walter Opuszynski said the proposal for this modification to the network came from WATA. “This is an example of one of our partners recognizing they had a trail on the network that did not meet sustainable trail specifications. They found a creative solution that also improves the trail user experience and strengthens the network as a whole,” Opuszynski said. 

Trail construction work was performed by Ide Ride, a Vermont-based trail building company, along with volunteers. Most of the upper portion of the new trail tread is constructed on bedrock, bringing a unique experience to users. Given the steep rock roll-out and challenging topography, Six Flags is rated a double black diamond and is likely to become a Perry Hill classic similar to the experience found on Joe’s Trail, according to trail designers.

Members of the Ide Ride trail crew put rocks into place during trail construction. Photo courtesy WATA

John Duston, program director with Waterbury Area Trails Alliance, said the project complements the trail network’s offerings well. 

“This new section is an incredible example of what Perry Hill has to offer. The community has been looking for more technical trails and by finding this vein of rock coupled with the talents of Ide Ride Builders, we now have a fantastic new section of trail in this State Forest,” Duston said.

Noah Tautfest at the nearby Bicycle Express bike retailer praised the project. "We tip our visor to WATA and FPR for such a wonderful trail,” he said. “It's a really good addition to the network and it's great to see a technical trail being built. This is what our community has been waiting for."

The total cost of this construction project was $18,000. Annual trail alliance membership dues along with donations from local business partners covered the construction cost.

The final steps in the project involve WATA working with volunteers to close the Duct Tape Trail. That will involve installation of multiple water bars, removal of culverts and bridges, and revegetation to support the old trail returning to a more natural condition. 

It is estimated that this work will take 90 hours of volunteer labor. Anyone interested in helping with this effort can find details on work dates on the Waterbury Area Trails Alliance website under events.

Founded in 2015, Waterbury Area Trails Alliance is the third largest Vermont Mountain Bike Association chapter with over 1,300 members that include trail users and businesses that work to build and maintain trails in the region. 

A volunteer work crew takes a break to check out a new technical feature along the new trail. Photo courtesy WATA