In spring 2021, Bike Borderlands member organizations started a slew of new projects that benefit their communities and improve the region’s mountain biking. Projects include creating youth mountain biking programs, building trails that connect to downtowns, and more.

The Center, which coordinates the Borderlands initiative, provided $67,000 of direct investment to these projects – leveraging over $75,000 of additional support plus hundreds of hours of volunteer time. Funding comes from the You Have Our Trust fund of Fidelity Charitable.

Bike Borderlands is a nine-member collaborative that creates and promotes quality mountain biking experiences for visitors and residents while stewarding the natural landscape and securing economic benefits for communities in northern New Hampshire, western Maine, northeastern Vermont, and southern Quebec.

The projects – all approved by consensus of the Borderlands member groups – both build the Borderlands region as a destination and serve the residents that live here now. Projects funded include:

  • Building downtown connector trails in Gorham and Franconia, NH.
  • Establishing a youth mountain biking program at the PRKR MTN trails in Littleton, NH, and a mobile youth program based at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (VT).
  • Improving trail conditions at Circuits Frontieres (East Hereford, QC), Bethlehem Trails (NH), and Craftsbury Outdoor Center.
  • Expanding the Inland Woods + Trails network in Bethel, ME.
  • Building a new ambassador program at Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT.
Mountain biking is a rapidly growing recreation option in many Northern Forest communities, and we are proud to work with a group of trail organizations dedicated to maximizing the positive social and economic impacts of their trail networks. We look forward to sharing photos and stories of the projects as they take shape!