Senator Peter Welch and other local leaders trekked up the Richmond Mountain Trails Friday to celebrate the state’s newest accessible bike path.
All four miles of accessible trail opened in August. To celebrate, Senator Welch hiked part of the trail with a group on September 13. The trail, called ‘The Driving Range’, is a winding, mountain-biking extravaganza that’s fully accessible to those on two and three-wheeled adaptive bikes.
Welch said he thinks the new trail is a win for Vermont.
“People who are coming here to hike are going to shop, people who are coming here to hike are staying at a BnB, people who are coming here to hike are going to restaurants, and it’s synergistic to what I really admire about Vermont and the outdoor recreation industry and hospitality industry– it’s an appreciation of how it all works together.”
Mountain bikers within the hiking group seemed to share Welch’s excitement and appreciation.
Kelly Brush, namesake and board member of the Kelley Brush Foundation, said “I think that’s one of the keys with this network [of trails] in particular, is that we wanted to show that you can do really hard trails.”
Representatives from Vermont’s tourism department, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and more joined Senator Welch to speak about their success.They also discussed how local tourism could move forward in the face of flooding. Other concerns, like an over-reliance on volunteers, and keeping the balance between hospitality and outdoor recreation, were also brought up.“The backs, or the support for so much of that, […]
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