Stowe Seeks State Approval To Cut Two New Trails
Stowe Mountain Resort is seeking state approval to cut two new trails through the existing forest on Spruce Peak, including a new route intended for beginner skiers.
A newly filed application in Vermont’s Act 250 land-use review system proposes clearing 0.36 acres on Spruce Peak for the two trails. Each would measure approximately 350 feet long and 22 feet wide, which the application describes as roughly the width needed for a snow groomer.
The project is relatively small in acreage and the two proposed trails would serve different purposes. One would be used by beginner skiers, while the second would provide emergency access to a small glade located between the existing East Run and Upper Meadow trails.
Approximately 64 trees would need to be removed. According to the state filing, those trees have an average diameter of 5.6 inches and would be chipped on site. The resort plans to retain the existing canopy between the two proposed routes, leaving a forested area approximately 250 to 300 feet wide separating them.
Proposal Is Still In The Permitting Process
The application, identified as 5L1338(Altered)-44, is listed by Vermont as a minor Act 250 application and remains pending during its public comment period. The current deadline for comments and petitions is Oct. 6, meaning the project has not yet received final approval.
The applicant is VR US Holdings II, LLC, the entity associated with Stowe Mountain Resort. Vail Resorts’ corporate filings list VR US Holdings II among its subsidiaries and associate the company with Stowe Mountain Resort operations and facilities.
The proposal is focused entirely on Spruce Peak, one of the two mountains that make up Stowe’s ski terrain. The resort’s official mountain information currently lists 485 skiable acres and 116 trails across Spruce Peak and Mount Mansfield, with 16% of its terrain designated for beginners.
Because the second proposed cut is described specifically as emergency access to a glade rather than a conventional ski trail, approval would not necessarily mean Stowe simply adds two new named runs to its trail count. The filing also does not indicate when construction would take place if the application is approved.
Stowe is part of Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass network. The company has said that continued investment in terrain, lifts and snowmaking will be part of its broader effort to improve the guest experience across its resorts, a strategy Vail Resorts detailed earlier this summer.
For now, the Spruce Peak project remains a proposal. Vermont’s Act 250 record lists it as pending, with the public comment period scheduled to close Tuesday, Oct. 6.
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