Nate N has been out grooming in the park as of Monday, January 23rd. He will continue to groom as we appear to be getting a little more snow on-and-off over the next 10 days.
With Rutland Cold-Rolled just around the corner (February 12th) we are kindly asking people to treat our groomed trails with care. That means lowering your tire pressures so you’re not leaving ruts. Run 4″ or wider tires PLEASE! No regular mountain bike size tires pretty please!
Walkers, runners—please use snowshoes or X-C skis. Those little toe divots are not fun to ride on, and are very tough to groom out once the snow sets up. If you need snowshoes the Community Center has them to loan out.
This is a huge event that showcases Pine Hill Park to the mountain bike community in the northeastern US. We really could use everyone’s help in keeping our trails in tip-top shape!
UPDATE 3/12/2021: Please no bikes until the park dries out in April. We are in a very trail tread fragile time of year with freeze/thaw cycles. If winter really shows back up again and everything is frozen solid you will want studded fat tires. Thank you for respecting all our hard volunteer work efforts into making Pine Hill Park such a cool place to play.
UPDATE 3/8/2021: We are done grooming for the year. With warm weather this week and wanting trails to unthaw for spring it is best to leave them alone. It has been a great winter for fat bikes, skis and hiking in the park. Not often we see snow that stays for a long period of time in Rutland.
As we approach spring with freeze/thaw cycles we are asking folks not to use the trails. It does a lot of damage to the trail tread when they are in that fragile state. When trails get rutted up water runs down that rut when it rains or when the frost is coming out of the ground. The water running down the rut then washes away all our hard earned soil we have moved by hand. We appreciate your cooperation. Thank you.
UPDATE 2/25/21: Nate N tried to groom today-Thursday 2/25. Snowdog kept falling off the track he had set earlier in the week. So instead of plugging long he headed back to the barn. Studs and ice cleats are highly recommended. Please do not ride/hike on the trails later Saturday or Sunday when temps get warm and turn everything to mush. Thanks!!!!
UPDATE 2/20/21: Nate N groomed more late this afternoon. Everything is in great shape. Check it out before the 45 degree weather shows up on Wednesday.
UPDATE 2/20/21: Nate N did groom some on Friday 2/19. He is planning on hitting more trails today to make them a little easier to walk and ride. Bikers and hikers if you are sinking in more than an inch please stick to the Pond Rd. When the bike tracks and foot prints freeze solid it’s not a lot of fun to walk or ride on. We can do some grooming but getting frozen tracks out of the trail tread isn’t something Snowdog can do unless we have fresh snow to smooth stuff out. So think about long term for trail use and what you would like it to be-smooth or rutted? Please 4″ or wider tires please. Thank you!
UPDATE 2/19/21: Nate N is planning on grooming later today(Friday 2/19) to try and get some of the foot and snowshoe prints out of the trail tread. The idea is with a little bit of snow and warmer temps he can smooth some of it out. Hearing the report on riding fat bikes in the park is not a lot of fun right now with all the frozen foot prints.
UPDATE 2/13/21: Nate N has been able to groom the last two days with the metal drag sled. Everything packed down really well and should be great walking, running and fat biking until next snow. Please leave a donation in Tinman or join Pine Hill Partnership to help offset the cost of running Snowdog. www.pinehillpartnership.org Thanks.
UPDATE 2/4/21: Nate N has done a bunch of grooming the last two days. It still might be a touch soft but should set up nicely. Hopefully we won’t get too much rain on 2/5. Here is a grooming map on what has been done.
UPDATE 1/19/21: Nate N did some grooming today. It’s still a little soft but we have a good track set. What is groomed: Escalator, Svelte, Sisyphus, Watkins, Shimmer, Overlook, Jigsaw Milk Run, Salamander, part of Droopy, Pond Rd. Plus a width swath on the ballfield.
UPDATE 1/16/21: It’s a soft and slushy weekend. We would appreciate folks to stay off the single track trails so they don’t form slushy ruts that freeze. Thank you.
UPDATE 1/13/2021: Park is riding super currently. We are asking 4″ or wider tires please. Please leave a donation in Tinman that will go toward our cool trail system. Thank you.
UPDATE 12/25/20: Christmas morning it is 55 degrees and raining out. We are very much hoping not to lose all our snow today. Once things freeze back up again and we get some snow Nate will continue to groom.
Nate N has started to groom in the park. We had so much snow last week that it was really hard for Snowdog to get through it. Waiting now for snow to compact and get some moisture in it so it will pack down. The plan is to try and get the trails highlighted in red groomed before the rain shows up on Christmas Eve. We’re hoping to get a solid base down and that it won’t all melt!
Snowshoers and skiers you could help us out by following these highlighted trails. It will make it easier for Snowdog .
Our volunteer Nate N has been out grooming the last few days. He’s been able to lay down a pretty sweet path in the woods and down around the ball field. Like what you see? Please consider a donation to the Snowdog fund. More snow in the forecast so the riding/skiing/walking should get better! If temps go above freezing please refrain from biking/walking/skiing on the groomed trails please.
February 9, 2020 UPDATE: Nate N has been out a couple of days in a row grooming. He’s set some really great tracks for folks to enjoy. Please consider a donation to Tinman or Pine Hill Partnership to help defray the cost of operating the snowdog. If temps rise about freezing please stay off groomed trails as it really does make a mess of them. Thank you your hard working volunteers.
February 6, 2020 UPDATE: Trails were groomed Thursday 2/6 thanks to volunteer Nate N. We are hoping to groom again after this next batch of snow on Friday 2/7. The grooming map is below. Please leave a donation in Tinman to help defray the cost of running the Snowdog. Thanks your volunteers of Pine Hill Partnership.
January 20, 2020 UPDATE: More grooming has taken place thanks to Nate N. We are trying to lay a good base down for Cold Rolled Rutland fat bike festival on Sunday, February 2nd. Walkers, runners and fat bikes (4″ or wider tire please) if you like the groomed trails please consider making a contribution to the Snowdog fund using our donation page. https://pinehillpartnership.org/volunteer/
Updated trail grooming map 1/19/2020Thanks Nate Netsch for being such a great volunteer in summer and winter!
January 17, 2020 UPDATE: We have snow! Thanks to Nate F we have some groomed trails as of Thursday, January 16th. Are you enjoying the groomed trails for walking, running or riding your fat bike? Please consider giving Pine Hill Partnership a donation to help pay for the Snowdog. https://pinehillpartnership.org/membership/
January 11, 2020 UPDATE: Please no bikes of any kind, prefer foot traffic to stay on pedestrian only trails. It’s warm, wet and trails are extremely fragile today. Please wait before getting out into the park until a solid 24 hour freeze happens. The volunteers thank you.
A few folks enjoying the freshly groomed trails today December 19, 2019.
We are back to winter conditions. Trails received a light grooming Wednesday 12/18/19. Hopefully we continue to stay cold and get more snow. This is an all volunteer effort please consider making a contribution to Pine Hill Partnership to help pay for the Snowdog and the maintenance that goes with running machinery.
Well, we’re on hold now as all the snow is basically gone 12/10/19. Please do not ride if temps are above 25 degrees as it really can rut up some trails that have a western or southern exposure to the sun.
Mother Nature gave us a gift of a little more snow than we expected yesterday and this morning (Sat. Dec 7) we are out grooming.
Assuming there are no mechanical or other unforeseen issues, the trails marked on the map below should be groomed sometime on Saturday. If you happen to see Nate, our trail groomer in your travels, be sure to say “thank you”. It’s hard work.
We are looking for a few volunteers who are interested in helping groom the trails with the snowdog this winter. It could be a runner, hiker, fat biker, snowshoer or a skier. Are you interested? Shoot us an email at pinehillpartnership@gmail.com.
UPDATE: April 26th, We are pushing start time back to 10AM in hopes the hard rain will have stopped. We still have projects that can be done in the damp. We need YOUR help. Thank you.
9AM at the front entrance of Pine Hill Park. We will be working to clean up the front entrance and do repair work to Exit Strategy. We have tools and gloves. Bring water and sunscreen.
Pine Hill Partnership is seeking donations to purchase a Snowdog. Our plan is to groom a few trails for hikers, snowshoers and fat bikers. We need to raise $5000 to purchase one.
Pine Hill Partnership is the organization who builds and maintains all the trails in Pine Hill Park, Redfield trails and the Carriage Trail. We are a non-profit so all donations are tax deductible.
Ways to contribute send a check to Pine Hill Partnership and mail to: 3424 Quarterline Rd. Center Rutland, VT 05736. Or use our PayPal button on the home page.
Update: 5/2/18: Green Mountain Power did a great job in repairing the corner on Underdog they had to drive over to replace a power pole. A little caution advised as dirt is soft in the banked corner.
Update: 5/1/18: Caution on Underdog today May 1st. Green Mountain Power is installing a new power pole and will be in the park. Come to the community work day on May 12th to help repair the corner on Underdog they will drive over.
Update: 4/26/18: Trails are open today. Remember our community work day on Saturday 4/28 at 9AM, meet at the front entrance.
Update: 4/24/18: Please no bikes. We are waiting for the rain event to pass by then we will reevaluate the trails. This rut was left by an inconsiderate rider a week ago. The rut will collect water then the dirt will slough down the hill and the banked corner slowly erodes. This in turns means more work for volunteers.
Update: 4/22/18: Please no bikes. Trails are still soft. If we have a few more sunny days like yesterday trails will dry quickly. Please be patient. Thank you.
Update: 4/20/18: It is going to be a stunning spring weekend and we know everyone wants to ride their bikes. Our trails are still too soft to allow bikes. Please be kind and refrain from riding any type of bike. The volunteers would really appreciate it. We had snow again last night so trails are not drying out fast. Weather forecast looks promising for a few sunny days that hopefully will dry the trails out. We recognize some of you ‘think’ the trails are ok to ride or you’ll walk around the soft spots. Well you know those banked corners you love to rail well they are super fragile right now. Thanks again by not riding.
Update: 4/18/18: Trails are still closed to all bikes. The trails are still extremely fragile. Bike tires create ruts that water follows and creates erosion and means more work for the volunteers. Please be considerate and do not ride. We have some nice weather coming up and hopefully trails will dry out quickly. BE PATIENT! The message is the same through out the state with trails being too soft for bikes. Thank you.
Update: 4/16/18:Trails are still closed to all bikes. We have had freezing rain and sleet that covered the ground again. This needs to melt and we need some sun to dry everything out. We’ve had very high wind today so we expect a lot of blow downs. Please send an email to pinehillpartnership@gmail.com with the location of any trees you see down. The more specific on which trail and closer to which intersection would be greatly beneficial for us. Thanks.
Update: 4/14/18: Trails are still extremely fragile. PLEASE NO BIKES at this time. We are monitoring the trails daily. Thank you for not riding at this time. If you are looking for exercise you could help us out by cleaning out drainage’s.
Update: 4/13/18: PLEASE BE PATIENT! NO BIKES PLEASE. Our weather report for the weekend is not exactly conducive for drying our trails out.
Update: 4/6/18: PLEASE NO BIKES! The ground is not fully un-thawed. We have more snow on the ground now that earlier today. Trails are going to take a while to completely un-thaw and firm up. Please be patient to ride your bike. Go for a hike and clean drainage’s out or pick up all the small sticks that came down in the wind the other night. Volunteers do all the work in the park, please be kind to them by staying off the trails.
Still snow on trails
Rocky Pond with ice
Frost
Frost popping up
Update: 4/2/18:Please NO bikes. We still have some snow, frost on and in the ground. Until that is gone no bikes please. Looking at weather report that could be a couple of weeks. If you want some exercise take a hike and help clean out some drainage’s or pick up all the small sticks that came down in the wind the other night. That would really help especially with the rain in the forecast. A volunteer over the weekend did some serious cleaning on the drainage in the pic above.
Update: 4/1/18: Please NO skinny tires. Fat bikes are ok if it’s well below 28 degrees and NO SUN! Please, please, please be smart on riding your bike. Everyone in the state is in the same boat with freeze/thaw cycles. Trails are extremely fragile!
Update: 3/28/18: Trails are a mixed bag of frozen snow (if below freezing) and open areas that receive sun. We ask all bikes not to ride if temps are above 28, especially if the sun is out. Thanks. Sounds like early April we could have more winter like conditions.
Update: 3/12/18: Trails are primarily snow covered and will have another fresh coating of snow today/tomorrow. Rutland is in the 5-8″ range.
Update: 2/27/18: Trails are extremely tender with the freeze/thaw cycles are are experiencing. Please NO bikes of any kind when sun is out and temps are above 28 degrees. Hikers please walk though the mud and not around as it widens the trail. Voldemort is closed till late spring.
Update: 2/23/18: Major melt mid-week left us with mud, dirt, ice, slush, snow. Please NO bikes if temps are above 28 as the trails are starting to unthaw where the sun hits them all day. Please be kind to our trail system.
Update: 2/18: We had TONS of snow in early February. Skiing, snowshoeing was awesome. Now we’ve had a week of warm. About 4″ of snow 2/17- on top of firm but not super icy crust. We have had rain and warm last week so condense snow pack.
Point being conditions are all over the place for the next week to 10 days. Long range weather is saying early March could bring us a stormy pattern. We will see. It’s Vermont, wait a day if you don’t like the weather.
Fat biking is ok, studs highly recommended as of January 29, 2018. There is a lot of ice, hard packed snow, frozen dirt. If you’re hiking micro spikes really recommended and sprayed with silicone of PAM spray to keep the snow from sticking to them.
Update: 3/12/18: More snow coming today/tomorrow. Rutland is in the 5-8″ range so skiing, snowshoeing will be good. Maxiglide is recommended for waxless based skis.
Fat biking, snowshoeing, XC skiing are fantastic right now in the park, Redfield trails and the Carriage Trail.
Snowshoes can be rented at the front desk at the Giorgetti building.
