A Message from WAMBA President Matt Stout
"Our community grows stronger each year, and it is reflected in our continued improvements and the quality of our trails. Thank you to the 500+ members who joined WAMBA this year, a new high-water mark, as well as all of our Local Partners, and donors who have invested in outdoor recreation in our community. We believe that WAMBA's three networks make the Woodstock area one of New England's top riding destinations."
WAMBA Trails Garner National Attention
Check out this feature on Woodstock’s trails from Singletracks.com, one of the leading mountain-bike websites for trail reviews, maps, and riding guid
TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS
Meet our new Kubota KX018-4R1 Excavator
After years of expensive month-to-month rentals, WAMBA decided that ownership was our best path forward. Thanks to a group of generous donors and a VMBA Trails Grant, we secured the funding for a sizable down payment to make ownership possible. This machine helps us work faster and build more climate-resilient trails that can handle increasing tire traffic!
More Access for All
WAMBA is committed to increasing accessibility of our trails for all trail users. We welcomed the Kelly Brush Foundation and Vermont Adaptive this summer for our third Adaptive Assessment. In addition to certifying trails on Mt. Peg's North End as adaptive-friendly, the team gave us great insights on the changes we can make to ensure even more trails can come online in 2026 and beyond.
After a dry summer, it's hard to remember how much it rained in the month of May. Heavy rains gave the WAMBA trail crew time to identify and address drainage concerns on the North End and on ski trail crossings. Our mini ex and Canycom power hauler (funded by a VMBA Trails Grant), make rock armoring possible!
Pegway, Mt. Peg's primary North/South traversing trail, was rebuilt with the excavator, making the trail more fun and safer for all riders as they roll from end to end of the network.
More Signage
The WAMBA volunteer sign committee continues to turn out branded signage to enhance way-finding. Look for more signs in 2026!
Winter Grooming
Riding is a 12-month activity in Woodstock. Thanks to a VMBA Naming Grant from Ranch Camp, we added a winter sled to our fleet to help groom the rebuilt North End, providing free, public access to riding on Mt. Peg. And extra special thanks to local volunteer Matt Gray, his dog, and his Snow Dog, who work tirelessly to groom the Aqueduct. We don't manage the snowfall or the temps, but when the weather cooperates, we provide unrivaled access to winter riding in Vermont!
Other Trail Accomplishments
Peg Highlights
- Knox Meadow - Installed a safety trail from the upper parking lot to the lower. This keeps riders away from vehicles. And kids love to rip on it!
- Rebuilt Ridge Run following multiple years of erosion from heavy usage.
- Enhanced drainage on ski trail crossings on Schist Creek.
- Upshot & Kriss Cross - fixed drainage issues and enhanced grade reversals
Aqueduct Highlights
- Shooter - We completely remade a few of those hairy, washed out turns, making it a better expert riding experience.
- Pepper Jack - More than 3 years after we built the trail, we finally completed the trail from start to finish! This trail gives our most adventurous riders a thrilling challenge at the 'duct.
- Reservoir Trail - After a partial rebuild in 2023, we set out to finish the work to eliminate some of the pinch points and drainage issues that have plagued this trail for years. A Nov trail day helped lay more than 40 feet of boardwalk and the trail will be back better than ever in 2026!
S6 Highlights
Avery's Interstate - We worked with the Inn's mountain ops team to move a few berms to better accommodate safe skiing.
Check out this amazing film by local producer Evan Kay and Climb High Productions about the construction of Pepper Jack, by Gavin Vaughan and the WAMBA trail crew. The film was featured in the Green Mountain Showdown.
TEAMWORK
WAMBA is fortunate to have Gavin Vaughan as our full-time, professional trail builder. But one person alone can't manage 30 miles of trail! It takes an entire community of volunteers to keep things running.
Volunteer Trail Bosses
WAMBA is incredibly grateful to our three volunteer bosses, Kent McFarland (Mt. Peg), Rob Vaughan (Aqueduct), and Seth Westbrook (S6). These three all-stars take the lead on prioritizing trail work, leading volunteer efforts, and log countless hours themselves working on trails.
Thank you to the countless volunteers who pitched in on spring cleanup, leaf blowing, weed eating, bridge building, and all of the ongoing tasks that it takes to keep three networks in world-class condition! It takes a village!
Aqueduct Becomes Town Land
WAMBA and the Town of Woodstock spent countless hours getting out the vote for a bond to purchase the Vondell Cobb Reservoir land. Town's successful vote to acquire the land for the Town of Woodstock will preserve it for years to come for outdoor recreation. We have developed a great partnership and look forward to working with the Town to protect and expand recreational opportunities on this now-public land.
Outdoor Recreation = Economic Development
The arrival this fall of Ranch Camp Woodstock, a destination bike shop and restaurant, is a great example of the identity and strength of community that WAMBA has built in biking. The RC crew have been incredibly supportive of WAMBA through the years and decided we are the right community for their 2nd location. It's great to have a base camp for bikers in the heart of our community!
The Ranch Camp arrival has joined another WAMBA Local Partner, Route 4 Bikes, located in the East End Park, to make Woodstock's East End a regional hub for bike service and sales. We are truly a bike town!
COMMUNITY
When Woodstock Elementary School and the Billings Park Commission approached WAMBA for help rebuilding the hiking trail entrance to Mt. Peg and the school's outdoor classroom, we went to work rebuilding the trail to adaptive standards, allowing ALL students to safely access the park's outdoor classroom!
Group Rides
The hallmark of our community is our weekly group rides. From May through September we hosted Kids Rides, Women's Rides, Wednesday Night Gravel Rides (WNGR), and a Thursday Night Mountain Bike Ride.
"The Tuesday Women's Ride ran for over six months, covering more than 100 miles of WAMBA trails in 2025. Each week, we welcomed old friends and made new ones. We have such a special community of women who bond over our love of trails and outdoor recreation." - Kim Bean & Elissa Malcolm
Vermont Youth Cycling Fall Enduro
Woodstock Union MS/HS is proud to be Vermont's first public high school with a varsity MTB team. We have one of the deepest and most accomplished programs in the state, thanks to some great coaches and a strong youth program in Woodstock that exposes riders to our sport at a young age.
The WAMBA community, spearheaded by HS Head Coach Todd Uva, log countless hours to prepare the trails with taping and leaf blowing to provide a professional race experience. It is one of the VTYC's annual highlights on an incredible race calendar.
2025 MTBVermont Green Mountain Showdown
An annual mountain biking film festival and celebration of mountain bike culture in Vermont, organized by Mountain Bike Vermont, the event features locally produced videos, slideshows, and spoken word pieces dedicated to mountain biking and serves as a fundraiser for the Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA). Traditionally held in up North, the Showdown made its first-ever stop in Woodstock and more than 200 area riders came out to celebrate.
Proceeds from the showdown have supported WAMBA's efforts in previous years, and we were honored to help raise more money to support trails all over Vermont!
WAMBA Membership
500! Our trails are free and open to the general public, but we are so excited that more than 500 riders expressed their support for WAMBA by joining with a 2025 paid annual membership. The funds we receive are invested directly into our trails and make our community possible.
Trail Usage
WAMBA Trails welcome record users this year! With infrared counters at each network, we estimate our trails saw more than 36,000 trail visits* through October. We estimate trail 'visits' by adjusting gross trail crossings to account for entrance and egress, and counts include all crossings (bikes, hikers, skiers, and the occasional deer or bear).
Bicycles have been a part of the Woodstock Community for more than 150 years! WAMBA has been a steward of this great tradition for the past 10 years and we're so excited to carry this commitment into the future.
Trails. Teamwork. Community. Because that's how we roll!
Thanks for reading and for being a part of our best year yet!
Thanks to VMBA, Jeb Wallace, Nicholas Coe, Evan Kay, the Woodstock Historical Society, and the many community members who have shared such great imagery and videography to make this annual report.