by NorthWoods Stewardship Center
In September 2026, the Westmore Association hosted an Aid Station along the CCC Road for the 10th Annual Westmore Mountain Challenge on September 26. The NorthWoods team, the Challengers, and all appreciated it! The day kicked off from Moose Mountain at 5 am, and concluded at NorthWoods by approximately 7:30 pm. The first finisher completed the marathon in 4 hours 7 minutes, and some Challengers were on course for just under 14 hours! So many folks appreciated the beauty of the Westmore region and access to the trails; thank you for making our biggest fundraising event of the year a success.
Around the region, NorthWoods crews completed several projects with State of VT Forests, Parks and Recreation. One of the most notable projects is underway – a major relocation of the South Pisgah Trail. Some of the smaller relocation sections are open now; by late next summer, the largest section above Pulpit Rock will open to the public. This will add about .5 mile overall to the South Pisgah Trail length and provide long-lasting sustainability improvements. It is impressive!
Other work included 2 weeks on Wheeler Mountain, a new connection from the Wheeler Mountain Trailhead/Kiosk/Parking to the Moose Mountain Trail, trail sustainability improvements to the Herbert Hawkes Trail on Mount Hor, and maintenance of the Sentinel Rock ADA Trail.
Again this winter, NorthWoods has a grooming contract for the Willoughby State Forest for the Bartlett Mountain/CCC roads. The State is down a snowmachine and has some hoops to jump through to get one, so that is the current troubleshooting endeavor. NorthWoods intends to have Winter Open Lodge on Saturdays in January and February, with ski and snowshoe rentals available at our campus in East Charleston.
We feel fortunate to share the neighborhood mountains and trails with you, and to connect for outreach and community building to celebrate, protect, and share this special place. Thanks for inviting us to have a table at one of the Farmer’s Market sessions; we enjoyed it, and it seemed the community did too.