Kingdom Trails, huts and conservation groups push study to compensate private landowners for public trail access

Representatives of Kingdom Trails, the Vermont Huts Association, and conservation organizations told a legislative committee that private‑land access is the backbone of much of Vermont’s trail network and asked support for a study to explore compensating landowners who allow public trail access.

Abby Long (Kingdom Trails) described a network that grew from community volunteers and private‑land hosts into a system that now attracts roughly 100,000 visitors annually and, she said, “generates $10,000,000 in annual direct spending for the Northeast Kingdom,” citing a 2016 Vermont Council study. Long said Kingdom Trails currently operates on nearly 106 private landowner agreements and that stewardship groups are limited in their ability to directly compensate hosts because doing so could affect the hosts’ protection under the state’s liability statute.

Landowner and Olympian Georgia Gould said she allowed trails on her property because she wanted her family to live where outdoor access was easy; she also warned that recent private closures had fragmented the network and that relying solely on goodwill is not a long‑term strategy. “Allowing Kingdom Trails access to my land was a no brainer,” Gould said. “Continuing to rely solely on goodwill is not a sound long term strategy.”

The witnesses asked lawmakers to support H.147, a House bill to establish a Recreational Trail Compensation Study Committee and to fund a study (testimony cited an estimated study cost of $250,000). Proponents said the study would evaluate options to recognize and incentivize private landowners, estimate regional economic impacts, and recommend policy mechanisms that would help ensure long‑term public access to trails.

RJ Thompson, executive director of the Vermont Huts Association, described the Velomont and hut network plans: a multiuse trail (about 485 miles when complete) and a system of year‑round huts that span the state and are intended to increase access and local economic benefit. Thompson said Vermont Huts already hosts “over 20,000 guests annually” across its network and that a Velomont‑connected economy study had estimated $6.2 million in total sales activity for sections and hundreds of jobs supported when the full project is built.

Shelby Semmes of the Trust for Public Land framed the conservation perspective: trails and huts can be a catalyst for land conservation and local‑scale economic development, she said, and private landowner recognition mechanisms would help protect corridors used for wildlife migration and public recreation.

Speakers referenced models in other states, including Washington, and committee members discussed possible approaches ranging from modest annual payments to landowners, to forms of tax or current‑use offsets. Several members described the issue as timely because trail‑based tourism and outdoor recreation have grown sharply since 2016.

No formal legislative action was taken during the hearing; witnesses asked the committee to support the study measure and to consider landowner incentives as part of long‑term trail conservation and recreation planning.