TLDR
Trail managers have until September 15th to weigh in on the future of the Vermont Trail System (VTS) by providing feedback on 1) a proposed update to the system, and 2) a draft set of universal Best Management Practices (BMPs) that the modernized VTS will reference. If you missed the interactive Trail Manager Webinar on August 31st, you can watch it on the VTGC You Tube Channel to get fully up-to-speed on the project.
INTRO
On August 31st, the VTGC co-led a webinar for trail managers with Vermont Forests, Parks, & Recreation on current efforts to ‘modernize’ the Vermont Trail System. This article includes background on both the VTS and the project, the current state of the proposed draft update, and guidance for how VTGC Members can weigh in.
BACKGROUND ON THE VTS
As described on our FPR Partnership Page, the VTS was established by the Vermont Legislature in (10 VSA § 441) “in order to provide access to the use and enjoyment of the outdoor areas of Vermont, to conserve and use the natural resources of this state for healthful and recreational purposes, and to provide transportation from one place to another.” The VTS is administered by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) on behalf of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) with advice from the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council (VTGC). VTGC’s VTS advisory role is explicitly stated in statute and is one of our most important responsibilities as an organization.
The overarching goal of the VTS is to encourage, through official designation, high-quality, low-impact, publicly-accessible trails in Vermont. While there are limited current benefits to becoming a VTS member, the most significant is consideration as a “public project” underneath Act 250, codified under Rule 71, meaning that trail projects in the VTS can disturb up to 10 acres of earth before triggering an Act 250 permit. Without this designation, trail projects may require a permit purely based on the size of the parcel(s) on which they are located – 10 acres for towns with municipal zoning and subdivision regulations and just 1 acre in towns that lack such regulations. You can read more about Act 250 jurisdiction and trails on our Permitting and Act 250 page.
There are currently 29 organizational members of the VTS, many of whom manage multiple trail systems. To become a member of the Vermont Trail System, organizations must submit an application to FPR, which is initially reviewed by FPR staff and then passed to VTGC for review. The VTGC then advises FPR to request revisions, accept, or deny the application. Among other current criteria, VTS members must a) have written permission from all landowners, b) be active Members of the VTGC, c) reference the ‘design and maintenance standards’ to which they will adhere, d) provide written letters of public support, and e) participate in a re-evaluation process every 5 year to confirm continued landowner permission as provide any pertinent updates. The full list of requirements and current application is available on FPR’s Vermont Trail System page.
MODERNIZATION PROJECT RECAP
Trails and the land use environment, generally, have evolved considerably since the VTS was conceived over 30 years ago. While the goals of the VTS remain clear and the benefit in designating trails as “public goods” critical to the landscape of public-access trails in Vermont, 70+% of which exist on private lands, FPR and VTGC have long since aligned that an update of how the system functions to ensure it is both consistent with the modern state of trail construction and stewardship and properly resources to support trail managers and the management of the system itself. Beyond its core function in promoting resilient and well-managed trails throughout Vermont, new ideas and opportunities have emerged that would require a stronger, modernized VTS before they can even be considered, including more appropriate regulations for trails and a process for recognizing landowners who host trails.
With the goal of creating a more robust, practical, and modern VTS, and with the support of VTGC, FPR launched a dedicated VTS Modernization project in the Spring of 2025. To guide the process, a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was set up, co-chaired by FPR Recreation Program Manager Claire Polfus and then VTGC Chair (now vice-Chair) Nick Bennette, with representation from several members of VTGC’s Trails Committee along with additional stakeholders representing municipalities, regulators, and environmental organizations. The purpose of this ‘broad tent’ was to ensure that the updates would not only work for trail managers, but would fulfill the System’s stated natural resource protection goals and remain within the existing regulatory framework. Critically, the project involves no changes to statute or current regulations for trails.
The project team, under the guidance of the TAC, first established a set of discrete objectives to guide the project, specifically:
- Support organizations that manage and maintain trails
- Improve the quality of trail-based recreation experiences
- Improve the resilience and sustainability of public-access trails
- Provide accountability measures for proof of public good
- Be robust enough for a future improved regulatory environment for trails
- Ensure natural resource protection
- Be practically achievable for members
- Be practically implementable for FPR
- Set up a system that could be used for recognizing landowners who host trails
Over the past 16 months and guided by those objects, the project has focused on two complementary efforts. First, a comprehensive effort to aggregate and refine a universal set of BMPs that the system could reference was conducted, analyzing over 40 unique resources of existing practices. A major issue with the current VTS was the lack of any consistent, general BMPs that the system could reference as guidelines, instead relying on each member to provide their own practices and for FPR and VTGC to then assess if those practices were sufficient to meet the high quality and low-impact requirements of the VTS. With considerable input from the TAC, including VTGC’s representatives, a draft set of 145 practices across five categories – planning & design, construction, maintenance, user management, and trail administration – were ultimately developed. These draft practices were shared with webinar registrants in August. If folks have feedback on specific practices, they are welcome to submit it through the BMP Feedback Form.
Separate from the reference BMPs has been updating the system itself. A considerable portion of the 8/31 webinar walked through the proposed system updates, and we would encourage anyone who did not attend to view the recording to fully understand what is being proposed. Broadly speaking, no new requirements are included. Instead, the updates focus on clarifying what existing requirements actually mean and how Members fulfill them. The required landowner permission, maintenance plan, and shapefile submission are all part of the existing system, now more clearly defined. The biggest change is that members will have to attest to follow the general BMPs that will be finalized following this current round of feedback. These practices are based only on existing recognized BMPs and drafted to provide flexibility to trail managers. From those of us on the project TAC, the current draft BMPs and system update generally fulfill the objectives of being practicable for trail managers and generally supporting of higher-quality, lower-impact trails, which were our foremost priorities.
WHERE WE’RE HEADED
Over three dozen trail managers attended the 8/31 webinar and provided excellent feedback on the proposed VTS update. All trail managers, including those unable to attend, are highly encouraged to provide their feedback on what would work well, where more support would be needed, and what additional benefits might be compelling through the Proposed VTS system structure update form. As noted above, trail managers are also welcome to submit specific feedback on individual BMPs through the BMP Feedback Form. Now is your chance to weigh in and help ensure that the future VTS works for trail managers while also becoming a more valuable designation for the trail community. All feedback is requested by the end of the day on September 15th.
Feedback from trail managers and other stakeholders will be used to further refine and detail out the proposed new system and associated BMPs, guided by the project TAC and the VTGC members on it. A final draft of the proposed modernization will then go to the VTGC Board for review, fulfilling our statutory role, before going to FPR leadership for consideration. Critically, the final proposal will also include a map of the necessary resources to make the modernized system work, including support for trail managers and the required capacity within FPR and, potentially, VTGC. As noted above, no statutory changes will take place nor is any rulemaking needed.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR TRAIL MANAGERS
The BMPs established through this work will not only serve as a reference for VTS members, but set clear aspirations and expectations for building high-quality, low-impact trails in Vermont. We envision that the impact of this resource will extend far beyond the VTS and will support municipalities, private landowner, and organizations outside the VTS.
The stronger, more effective VTS envisioned by the proposed update would more clearly establish member trails as public goods and help ensure that Rule 71 will remain in place. The added accountability and defined renewal processes also lay the ground work for future potential new benefits. While not part of this process, success in this effort ensures we have a ‘stepping stone’ to pursue future benefits for trails like improved regulatory environment and host landowner recognition.
While we hope future updates to the VTS will be more regular, there is no guarantee. This is an important moment to weigh in on the future of public access trails in Vermont, and we hope you’ll weigh in with your voice.
