Our Purpose
We strive to help people experience all the benefits of recreating on trails.
Our Mission
Partnering with the community, we build, maintain, and promote access to a diverse trail network that brings joy to all users. Through partnerships with landowners and organizations, we work to create a sustainable and fun experience for all outdoor enthusiasts.
Our Vision
To create and expand an interconnected network that:
- Connects mountain bikers and other users of all abilities and backgrounds to diverse recreational opportunities and a shared sense of community
- Reduces barriers associated with trail access; and supports a welcoming and safe environment
- Through partnerships, provides links within the community that wouldn’t otherwise be available
- Stimulates the development of bonds between all user groups
- Creates pathways for residents and visitors to experience Stowe in a natural and immersive way
- Enhances economic vibrancy
Board of Directors
- Lucy Nersesian, President
- Erik Timmerman, Vice-President
- Jeff Elbaum, Treasurer
- Jeff Barden, Secretary
- Jeff Kauffman
- Nolan Langweil
- Chandra Richter
- Josh Salvo
- Andrew Volansky
- Mike Waldert
Executive Director
- Carolyn Lawrence
Trail Crew
- Grady Vigneau, Trails Manager
- Niels Musschoot
Bookkeeper & Accounting
- Michele Mannino
Partnerships
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 and habitat protection, while we as trail managers are able to direct our efforts to increase recreational opportunities, protect the trails, and ensure a safe, enjoyable experience for mountain bikers, hikers, runners, dog walkers, nordic skiers and anyone else that enjoys Stowe’s trails. We rely on 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 seventy 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, kids can explore, and we can all escape for a few minutes of tranquility. Without these partners, Stowe’s trails would 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 into 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 1,400 members strong, with over 70 business sponsors, 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.