Celebrate Champlain Area Trails on June 7

The Fifth Annual Celebrate Champlain Area Trails Event will be here before you know it! Join us NEXT SATURDAY, June 7, at the Barn at Blockhouse Farm in Essex as we celebrate five years of making trails and saving land in the Champlain Valley.

This annual day of hiking and celebrating takes place on National Trails Day to recognize the progress in making trails that increase enjoyment of the outdoors and enhance our communities.

The Event takes place from 4 – 7 PM at the Barn at Blockhouse Farm in Essex. The featured speaker will be Emily Boedecker, the executive director for the Vermont-based Local Motion, which shares CATS’ goal of developing trails that link communities, connect people with nature, and promote economic vitality. During the program, we offer a children’s hike. Then we will have a reception with local food and drinks from Green Point Foods in Keene Valley. Everyone is welcome.

Admission is $15 per person, $30 per family with pre-registration. At the door, the cost is $20 per person, $40 per family. Register today!

Join a Hike

On the same day, CATS offers two special hikes to commemorate National Trails Day. You can enjoy either or both of these hikes.

At 8:45 AM we are partnering with the Moriah Chamber of Commerce for a hike on the popular Cheney Mountain Trail located on Pelfershire Road, 1.5 miles east of Route 22/9N. This, the third annual Mineville Iron Ore Challenge, is open for everybody to run or hike to see three great views. A $5 donation to the Chamber will get you a beautiful patch.
At 12:30 PM we will have the first public hike at the Ancient Oaks Trail on 3221 Essex Road (Rt. 22) between Essex and Willsboro. This easy 2.5 mile hike showcases fields, forests with big trees, and wetlands. It is located 2.2 miles north of the blinking light in Essex, 1.0 miles north of Blockhouse Farm and 0.6 miles south of Nobelwood Park in Willsboro. There is no charge for this hike.

Event Sponsors

And a big thank you to our sponsors for helping us to make the event a success! Please thank them with us by patronizing their businesses.

Sycamore Giving Level
Chez Lin & Ray’s Restaurant, Essex
The Galley Restaurant at Westport Marina , Westport

Hickory Giving
The Adirondack Council, Elizabethtown
Westport Hotel & Tavern, Westport

Oak Giving Level
Joanna Bateman Studio, Essex
William Bateman, Architect, Essex
Boquet Liquor Store, Elizabethtown (518-873-6572)
DaCy Meadow Farm, Westport
Dogwood Bread Compan, Wadhams
Elizabethtown Sunoco, Elizabethtown, (518-873-2700)
Exploring Nature (Sheri Amsel), Elizabethtown
Ernie’s Market & Deli, Westport
Full and By Farm, Essex
Hall Design Group, Essex
Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness, Essex
Langskib/Northwaters Camp, Westport
Mac Man – Ken Hughes, Essex
Phillips Art Conservation Studio, Essex
Pok-O-MacCready Camps , Willsboro
Soundwaves, Westport
The Breathing Body – Yoga & Bodywork , Westport
The Halfway House Restaurant, Elizabethtown
The Heurich Company, Essex

CATS’ Grand Hike A Great Success (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
CATS Grand Hike Promotes Region (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Recycle Bottles and Donate to CATS (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Champlain Area Trails (CATS)

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a non-profit organization, begun in 2009, which creates and maintains hiking and cross-country ski trails in the Champlain Valley that link communities, connect people with nature, and promote economic vitality. In its short history, CATS has developed 35 miles of trails that when added to existing trails, gets it half-way toward the long-envisioned goal of a 30-mile trail loop between Westport and Essex. CATS will extend its trails to neighboring towns and eventually connect them to trails in the Adirondack Mountains, Vermont, and Quebec. Learn more on the CATS website.