LUDLOW, Vt. – Over the past few years, a dedicated group of community members have rallied together to utilize the space known as the “Back 40,” the lot behind the elementary school and high school baseball field, as municipal sports trails. Through the town, a mountain biking terrain was developed in the spring of 2023. However, a formal opening was delayed that summer due to the damage from the July flooding. The trails survived, although some maintenance was required. Thanks to this dedicated group of community members, there is a local chapter of Vermont Mountain Biking Association (VMBA), which was formed to oversee the new Ludlow trails’ wellbeing. Known as Ludlow Area Sports Trails (LAST), this group has already been hard at work assessing and prepping next steps so that the trails will finally be ready for public use.
VMBA is well known for their impressive volunteer gatherings, and now LAST will host its own Volunteer Days to finish cleaning up the Back 40 trails. With an official grand opening and member meet/barbecue set for June 15, the Volunteer Clean Up Days will be Sunday, May 19, from 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., and again on Sunday, June 2, from 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Tasks will include raking, lopping roots, moving branches, and some other usual spring clean ups. Any interested community member volunteers are encouraged to attend.
The mountain biking trail has been a few years in the making, a tremendous shout out to the community members and LAST for their hard work in seeing this to fruition. The trails will be a tremendous asset to the community. Mountain biking is a popular draw in Vermont, and helps towns find a way to thrive year-round when ski resorts are closed. Ludlow is honored to finally host its own public trail and provide an exciting resource for the community, with the plan to expand trails in the coming years and offer more variety for different skill levels. For more information, please visit the VMBA webpage for LAST at www.vmba.org/welcome-ludlow-area-sport-trails. The Ludlow Recreation Committee and Department commend this group, and we hope to see you all on Volunteer Day.