Learn Sustainable Trail Building through VTSU
Launch your career as a trail professional through hands-on learning a flexible, part-time program of study at Vermont State.
Gain the skills needed to build non-motorized trails using up-to-date sustainability best practices directly from industry leaders and trail building experts. The curriculum includes classroom, online, and hands-on experience in our outdoor learning laboratory — the more than 100 miles of natural, machine-made, and gravity trails around Vermont State University’s Lyndon campus, Northwoods Stewardship Center, Kingdom Trail Association, and Burke Mountain Bike Park in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
Unique Curriculum
Sustainability is at the core of sound trails and trail systems, and you will learn from experts at the forefront of this effort. Learn to apply the best techniques and practices to minimize negative impacts and create years of enjoyment on trails built to a high standard.
Two Course Options
We partnered with Kingdom Trail Association to offer an intensive weekend boot camp for participants to get a taste of what trail building is all about, and with expert trail organization Northwoods Stewardship Center to offer a year-long certificate program to really dig in.
- Trail Building and Stewardship for Non-Motorized Multi-Use Trails Boot Camp — June 12-13, 2024
- Sustainable Trail Building Certificate — begins September 9, 2024
When: June 12 and 13, 2024
Duration: Two Days
Cost: $199
Where: Onsite at Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT
Get a taste of what trail building is all about in this intensive two-day boot camp. Work with professionals at Kingdom Trails Association to learn trail maintenance and building techniques, and learn the basics of creating environmentally sustainable multiuse trails. By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Identify environmental issues on existing trails, what may have caused them, and apply possible solutions
- Build a new multi-use trail or reroute an existing trail
- Apply International Mountain Bike Association’s Five Essential Elements of Sustainable Trails concepts
- Properly use a variety of trail-related tools, including, but not limited to: Pulaski, McCleod, Rogue hoe, Hazel hoe, and a Clinometer
Students earn a Kingdom Trails – Vermont State University Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of this two-day program.
Starts: September 9, 2024
Ends: August 31, 2025
Cost: $3850
Anticipated In-person Class Dates:
- September 9-14, 2024
- October 7-12, 2024
- March 2025 (exact dates TBD): Professional Trailbuilder Association 2025 Sustainable Trails Conference Field Trip
- April 28 – May 3, 2025
- Summer 2025 Trailship: In addition, participants take part in a paid 100-hour Trailship program with a professional trail organization during summer 2025 to apply your new skills in a real-world setting.
In this one-year certificate program, you’ll have boots-on-the-ground at Northwoods Stewardship Center in East Charleston, VT for three individual week-long intensive classes. You will grow your knowledge base and connect with trail building professional networks, as you build skills that align with the national standard and learn best practices for trail sustainability. Upon completion, you’ll be ready to grow as a leader in this expanding field!
The program is taught through a combination of classroom, in-the-field learning, and professional industry conferences. Tuition includes trail passes to Kingdom Trails and Burke Mountain Bike Park vouchers. Bunk house accommodation is available at no additional cost for participants coming from a distance for in-person class dates.
Certificate of Completion
Program participants earn a Vermont State University Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program. This program is not accessed for academic credit.
