The Mad River Path Association (MRPA) announces the opening of the Kingsbury Bridge Greenway. The new, one-mile, section of trail links Warren’s Riverside Park and the Sugarbush snowmaking pond. The center section of the Mad River Greenway links the Towns of Warren and Waitsfield. Directors of the MRPA and representatives from the Town of Warren and Sugarbush Resort were on hand Saturday, October 30, 2004 to officially open the public recreation trail.

Since founding in the early 1990’s, the MRPA has successfully built and maintained over 12 miles of trail in Waitsfield, Fayston and Warren. The Mad River Path in Waitsfield has been remarkably successful since 1993 thanks to the generous permission for public access by the Neill and Spaulding families. A 1.3-mile loop, the Westside Section, was added in 2000 and includes a public access easement held by the Town of Waitsfield. Generous permission for using the new Kingsbury Bridge Section is given by landowners Anna Whiteside, Michael and Melinda Carr (owners of the Golden Lion Riverside Inn), Sugarbush Resort and the Town of Warren.

Planning for the trail began after the flood of 1998. The Town of Warren purchased land that was flooded, removed the severely damaged homes and created the Warren Riverside Park. The MRPA saw the opportunity to create a trailhead and link this public park to another recreational resource, the Sugarbush snowmaking pond, adding another piece in the continuous valley-wide trail. The MRPA received a planning grant from The Conservation Fund, Arlington, Virginia, in 1999. Additional funding for planning and construction was received from the Mad River Valley Recreation District in 2001 and the Vermont Recreation Trail Grant Program in 2002. During the summers of 2002 and 2003, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps worked to rough in the trail along the back of the pond and just north of the Golden Lion Riverside Inn. Signs were installed and finishing touches to the trail were made this year.

Currently there are two trailhead/parking areas that access the trail: one at the Warren Riverside Park and the other on the road that goes to the Sugarbush Pond. The trail extends around the back of the pond and terminates at the spillway. Future plans include installing a kiosk at the pond and extending the trail north to Butternut Hill Road. The MRPA asks trail users to please respect the landowners by staying on the path and leashing your dog near the Inn. The Kingsbury Bridge section is on the new Mad River Valley Map and Guide, which is free with your membership in the MRPA. For more information on the Mad River Path Association call 496-7877 or visit their office in the General Wait House.