Autumn 2009
Getting in Gear
An old ski town finds new life as a mountain biking destination
By Sky Barsch
Photographed by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
Visit East Burke any day this autumn, and you'll find the village full of mountain bikers, muddy and sometimes even a bit bloody from a hard ride.
The bikers' energy and excitement give the Kingdom Trails parking lot an "alive feeling, like a tamed-down version of a rock concert tailgate party. The ages of the bikers vary as much as the license plates in the lot, as does the technical level of the gear. (Some are here on garage-sale bikes while others are souped up with only the latest and greatest equipment.)
Riders stretch, check out their gear, and trade stories from the trails. The backs of SUVs are makeshift seats; car stereos provide the audio, and Clif Bars and Gu packs are the cuisine.
But 25 years ago, things looked different here. While East Burke was happening in the winter — thanks to downhill skiers at Burke Mountain and snowmobilers — there wasn't much going on once the snow melted. A few hikers and leaf peepers, but nothing much to sustain the nonwinter tourism economy.
"It was definitely a winter town, says Jim O'Reilly, who, along with his wife Mary, opened the elegant Wildflower Inn in 1985. "When we first came, everything was winter-geared, and we wondered what the heck we were going to do in the summertime.
Around 1987, Vermont Hiking Holidays discovered the area and brought hikers. Road bicycling tours also began to filter into the village, located on Route 114 in the scenic Northeast Kingdom.
Then, in 1988, John Worth, owner of East Burke Sports shop, started building mountain bike trails. He saw the potential for an expansive trail system, but needed permission from more landowners and help with paperwork and legal issues. The late Doug Kitchel, former owner of Burke Mountain ski area and a former state legislator, knew how to get things done. He got more permission from landowners.
In 1994, a group of local citizens founded the nonprofit Kingdom Trails Association, and the transformation of East Burke clicked into high gear. Led by Worth, mountain bikers built dozens of miles of trails on a combination of state and private land. (Strikingly, most of the land was private; 60 contiguous landowners agreed to the building of the trails.) The trails were carefully planned and designed, and once built, well-maintained. The network grew into more than 100 miles of trails, which today are regarded as some of the best in the country.
In the early days of mountain biking in East Burke, the upscale inns (Inn at Mountain View farm is nearby) didn't see much business. The first bikers in the area were rugged, super-outdoorsy types who preferred camping. But as mountain biking began to catch on with young professionals and families, the inns began to benefit. "Eight or so years ago, they started staying at the inn, says O'Reilly of Wildflower Inn. "It's really great right now, because it really is what's keeping the tourism economy going up here.
O'Reilly, who also owns the LynBurke Motel in nearby Lyndonville, points out what is evident by scanning the license plates in town: Many of the bikers are from Quebec. In fact, in the East Burke Sports parking lot and on the trails, English is just one of the languages heard. He said two-thirds of his biking guests are Canadian and one-third American. "It's French and spandex, O'Reilly jokes of East Burke.
The Kingdom Trails Association estimates that there were 32,000 visits in 2008 to its trail network. At $50 for a season's pass, and $10 for a day pass, the trails are accessible for many incomes.
For Worth and others in East Burke, it's been an exhilarating ride. "I hoped it would become what it is now, he says, "but I didn't think it would happen this quick.
Tim Tierney, executive director of Kingdom Trails, said the association is dedicated to responsible growth that benefits riders, locals and the area's natural resources. The number of visitors to the trails is increasing about 20 percent each year, and there is no plan to try to push beyond that. Instead, Kingdom Trails supports mountain biking growth statewide.
"Who knows? he says, pondering the future of the trail system. "As it grows, we want to connect more villages, to connect to West Burke. We try to help out mountain biking in Vermont and in the area, knowing Vermont will become a mountain biking destination. We're not looking at it as competition. We know what we have is good, and what they have is good, too. A
Bike buzz
The Kingdom Trails network has put itself firmly on the national mountain biking map, with Bike magazine readers recently naming it the best trail network in North America. One of the trails, the advanced "Sidewinder, was also voted the trail with the best flow.
Brice Minnigh, managing editor of the Southern California–based magazine, says most people who are serious about mountain biking have heard of the Kingdom Trails, and those who live on the East Coast have ridden there.
"The thing about the Kingdom Trails is that it is a different experience altogether, Minnigh says. "You're going fast and flowy and swoopy. It almost has a feel of kind of like a bike park, but without the stunts.
Minnigh says the Kingdom Trails also stand out because of the community involvement. "Locals have allowed trail building on their land, and locals have been very cooperative, he says. "That's something you don't get everywhere.
Community eats
When you've had your fill of Clif Bars and Gu packs, head to
• Bailey's & Burke, a deli and gift store smack in the center of town. Hungry bikers often fuel up inside and take a break on outdoor benches, where it's easy to get into a friendly conversation with a fellow rider.
Billy Turner and his son-in-law, Jody Fried, opened Bailey's & Burke in the late '90s. At the time, skiers and snowmobilers kept the store humming, but now "mountain biking is huge and has helped us out a lot. ... I would say our winter was bigger than the summer, but now I'd say it's the other way around, says Turner.
• River Garden Café, an upbeat eatery situated next to East Burke Sports. Founded in 1992, the café — well-known among foodies — was recently purchased by Ann Lachance and Nick Ouellette. The pair had been employees of the café for more than a decade and, after a flood on the premises left the original owners too discouraged to continue, Lachance and Ouellette decided to buy the café and keep it going as part of the community.
"There's people that come here every year that we've seen grow up, Lachance says. "The whole atmosphere of East Burke — everybody's friendly, everybody's happy, we couldn't see losing all of that. The other portion was (if the restaurant closed) that was 14 people without jobs.
Lachance says that recently some travelers came into the café who were anxious about getting a table where they could keep an eye on their bikes.
"I tried to tell them it's not like that here, she says. "Nobody's going to take your bike. If somebody's in trouble, people just stop and help you.
