Essex on Lake Champlain

Essex, New York Community Blog Since 2011

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Champlain Area Trails (CATS)

CATS Logo
CATS Logo

Champlain Area Trails (aka CATS) creates and maintains free cross-country hiking/skiing/snowshoeing trails in the Champlain Valley of New York State’s Adirondack Park. Rapidly approaching its goal of a 30-mile trail loop between Westport and Essex, New York, Champlain Area Trails pass through a rich tapestry of preserved wildlife habitats, pastoral farmland, historic villages, and scenic woodlands.

CATS is also a land trust working to protect natural communities, farmland, clean water, and scenic vistas. Through its Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership Program, it works with Open Space Institute, Eddy Foundation, Long Pond Conservancy, and Northeast Wilderness Trust to protect the Central Champlain Valley’s beautiful landscape.

In addition, CATS organizes events and activities including: lectures, workshops, nature photography and writing contests, and group hikes (like the successful Grand Hike from Westport to Essex.).

Find a list of all current CATS trails and their descriptions (trail length, level of difficulty, trailhead location, etc.) here: www.champlainareatrails.com/trails/.

How Can You Help CATS?

CATS trail marker seen on the Grand Hike (Credit: virtualdavis)
CATS trail marker on tree (Credit: virtualdavis)

If you want to help CATS create and maintain their trails there are many opportunities for you to volunteer. There are often “trail work” outings organized for interested parties to get together and build new trails or clean up debris on existing trails.

There are also other ways that you can volunteer that don’t involve the physical labor of trail work, such as adopting a trail, making signs, administrative work, etc. Find out more about volunteering here.

You can also make a donation. It is also possible to gift land to CATS.

Visit or Contact Champlain Area Trails

Learn more about Champlain Area Trails by visiting their website or contacting them.

Website: www.champlainareatrails.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/champlainareatrails
Email: info@champlainareatrails.com
Phone: 518-962-2287
Mailing Address: PO Box 193, Westport, NY 12993

CATS Headquarters is located in the log cabin on Main Street in Westport, NY.

Champlain Area Trails Archive

The following posts featured or mentioned the Champlain Area Trails since June 2011.