Hinesburg Trails Committee
The Hinesburg Trails Committee is interested in making Hinesburg a walkable community. Our members are interested in all routes, from extended walks in the woods at the Town Forest, to very short trips crossing Route 116 to Lantman's to the Town Hall.
The nine members of the Trails Committee are appointed by the Select Board on a rotating basis. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the lower level conference room at the Town Hall.
The Trails Committee is dependent upon hearing from other Hinesburg residents. Show up and voice your opinion.
The Trails Committee oversees the Hinesburg Area Recreational Trails (HART) system.
The mission of the Hinesburg Trails Committee is to support the development and maintenance of an interlocking set of trails and dirt roads for recreational and non-motorized transportation uses. The Committee will work to assure that Hinesburg is a community where sidewalks, trails, and unpaved roads provide a safe way for residents to travel, to connect with each other, and to enjoy both the village and surrounding rural area by foot, bicycle, and on horseback.
To accomplish this mission the Committee will work to:
- Establish an interlocking series of footpaths and trails that connects all areas of Hinesburg.
- Identify existing trails, on public and private lands, located within the town of Hinesburg.
- Develop appropriate maps for public trails and for trails on private land with landowners’ permission.
- Partner with the town, private landowners, and neighborhood groups to identify possible appropriate uses for those trails and roads.
- Work with landowners to determine an appropriate level of public or neighborhood use of the trails on their land that is in keeping with the landowner’s wishes.
- Support landowners in the development of neighborhood trail associations.
- Suggest the development of additional trails that might enhance a network of trails and dirt roads.
- Discover and locate existing abandoned town roads (“ancient roads”) that might be used to enhance the interconnectivity of our dirt roads and trails.
- Provide educational and informational service to the community about those trails that are available for public use and how best to use and care for those trails.
- Encourage the maintenance of trails and roads for recreational use and establish methods of maintaining our system of trails through volunteer “trail stewards”, trail work groups, etc.
- Develop and update a trail management plan for trails that are under the town’s control.