Trail in Tip-Top Shape for Farm-to-Fest Hike

Farm-to-Fest hikers are treated to the beauty of early autumn in the Champlain Valley region. (Credit: CATS)

With Champlain Area Trails (CATS) Farm-to-Fest hike coming up this Saturday, September 16, CATS Trail Steward Bill Amadon reports that despite recent heavy rains, the trail is in excellent shape. The Farm-to-Fest hike will cover about four miles from DaCy Meadow Farm to the Adirondack Harvest Festival and associated activities at the Essex County Fairgrounds.

Under Amadon’s careful stewardship, the trail is beautifully maintained, with branches and debris cleared and bridges over wet areas and brook crossings upgraded. While working on the trail this past week, Amadon says, he was struck again with just how beautiful the DaCy Meadow Trail is.

“It’s the combination of lush fields and forest, the quintessential babbling brook, the wildflowers still blooming, and the trees beginning to change color that makes this trail so special at this time of year. Hikers will be in for a big treat, and then they finish the hike at the Adirondack Harvest Festival—it’s a perfect day!”

Hikers on the Farm-to-Fest hike will walk past lush fields with early autumn wildflowers before joining the Adirondack Harvest Festival on the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport.

CATS Executive Director Chris Maron agrees. “Hikers can work up an appetite with a hike on a beautiful CATS Trail and then celebrate the Adirondack harvest with music and locally produced food. CATS is proud to work with Adirondack Harvest Festival to showcase all our area has to offer.”

Farm-to-Fest hikers should meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport to ride the shuttle bus two miles to the DaCy Meadow Farm trailhead. There’s a suggested donation of $5 per person, with those under 18 and students admitted for free. A link for pre-registration is on the CATS website at www.champlainraetrails.com. Pre-registration isn’t required but aids in planning for the shuttle bus.

For more details on the ADK Harvest Festival, visit www.lakechamplainregion.com/events/adirondack-harvest-festival.

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a nonprofit organization that creates and maintains hiking and cross-country ski trails in the Champlain Valley, with the goal of linking communities, connecting people with nature and promoting economic vitality. CATS is also an accredited land trust working to conserve natural communities, farmland, clean water, and scenic vistas. For more information on all of CATS programs, visit http://www.champlainareatrails.com/ or call the CATS office at 518-962-2287.

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.