Kingdom Trails closed its summer network on October 31, as it does every year. The usual talk around East Burke is about waiting for snow. Snow is only the second condition. The Kingdom Trail Association's own policy says the winter network can open only after a long stretch of below-freezing weather has frozen the ground "AND after the end of the muzzleloader hunting season."
The December muzzleloader season runs through December 13 this year. A November blizzard and a hard freeze before Thanksgiving still wouldn't open the winter network before December 14. In St. Johnsbury, Lyndonville and Burke, the weeks between now and then are a fixed window, and the season calendar sets it more than the weather does.
The Dates That Set the Window
The KTA states it plainly: "The trail network is closed for the month of November and early December during VT Deer Hunting season." The Vermont Fish & Wildlife 2026 deer season table shows what "early December" means this year.
| 2026 season | Dates | Kingdom Trails status |
|---|---|---|
| October Muzzleloader | Oct. 29 – Nov. 1 | Summer network closes Oct. 31 |
| Youth and Novice Weekend | Nov. 7 – Nov. 8 | Closed |
| Regular season | Nov. 14 – Nov. 29 | Closed |
| December Muzzleloader | Nov. 30 – Dec. 13 | Closed |
| Archery | Oct. 1 – Dec. 15 | Still open after the winter network can reopen |
Archery season runs to December 15, two days past the muzzleloader. The KTA's opening rule is tied to the muzzleloader, so the earliest possible winter opening is Monday, December 14, while archery season still has two days to go.
For comparison, the KTA announced that the 2025/26 winter network would open "Monday, December 15th." That is one season's precedent. The KTA has not posted a 2026–27 opening date.
What Still Has to Happen After December 13
Once the calendar allows it, the ground has to cooperate. The KTA winter opening policy sets a separate threshold for each use:
- Fat bikes need tires 3.5 inches or wider and frozen ground that can be ridden without damage. If there's no snow, regular mountain bike tires are allowed on open trails.
- Groomed ski trails need frozen ground and "preferably 6-8" or more" of snow.
- Snowshoe and backcountry ski trails open once the ground is frozen and coverage allows. Without snow, foot travel is allowed on open trails.
Grooming also depends on what's already on the ground. A KTA winter operations post said grooming starts after 2 or more inches of new snow when a base exists. With little or no base, the crew waits for 6 inches or more. The same post named Darling Ridge and White School as winter-use areas. Last season's plan put cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the Dashney Nordic trails, Nordic skiing at the Inn at Mountain View, and fat biking and snowshoeing at White School.
Anyone planning to fat bike near the Nordic center should know the rules there. The Dashney Nordic Center page lists 16 km of groomed trails open to skiing and snowshoeing, with no fat biking or walking. Passes won't need a fresh decision either. A KTA annual membership covers both summer and winter and runs from April of the purchase year through the following March.
The Long Trail That Stays Open
During the closure, the main place to keep moving is the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. The state's LVRT page describes the 95-mile trail as open year-round to non-motorized uses on firm, compacted crushed stone. The official trailheads closest to the Kingdom Trails crowd are:
- St. Johnsbury: 543 Main Street
- Danville: 450 Peacham Road
- Danville: the Danville Train Station on Peacham Road
The trail closing is also tied to a season calendar. Local snowmobile clubs groom the LVRT in winter, and snowmobiles may use it during the VAST season, December 16 through April 15. So the same weeks Kingdom Trails is closed are the weeks the LVRT has no snowmobiles on it. That stretch ends on December 16, two days after the KTA's earliest possible winter opening.
In St. Johnsbury, the town's recreation page describes how the Three Rivers Bike Path connects to the LVRT. Phase 1A runs from the Three Rivers Bike Path at Mont Vernon Street to Chanel Drive by Joe's Pond. The page also lists a town forest trailhead off Concord Avenue on Alms House Road.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife's long-standing advice for sharing the outdoors during hunting season applies on any of these routes. Wear bright colors, with an orange vest especially during rifle season. Go out around midday, keep dogs leashed, and stick to high-use public trails. Rifle season runs November 14 through 29.
Catamount Arts Fills the Calendar Across Three Towns
Once the trails close, Catamount Arts runs much of the region's calendar from St. Johnsbury, Lyndon Center and East Burke. Its November schedule from this Friday on:
- Friday, November 6, 7 p.m. Dorrance Dance at Lyndon Institute Auditorium, 168 Institute Circle, Lyndon Center.
- Sunday, November 8, 1 p.m. A free, public Vets Town Hall at the Catamount Arts Center, 115 Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury.
- Wednesday, November 11, 6 p.m. A free screening of Baby Face at 115 Eastern Avenue.
- Friday, November 13. Tucker and Dale vs Evil at 7:30 p.m. and "Sarah Jarosz: 10 Years of Undercurrent" at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, November 14, 5 p.m. "An Evening for the Arts," Catamount's fundraiser at the Burke Mountain Hotel, 2559 Mountain Road, East Burke, with a goal of raising $50,000.
- Friday, November 20, 7 p.m. The Community Coffeehouse Concert Series.
- Saturday, November 21. Carmen at 1 p.m. and the Upright Citizens Brigade All-Stars at 7 p.m.
- Sunday, November 22, 4 p.m. The St. Johnsbury Community Contra Dance.
The fundraiser falls on the opening day of rifle season, at a hotel on Burke Mountain, during the weeks the trails at the mountain's base are closed. Up Main Street, the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum at 1171 Main Street hosts "VSO Jukebox Turns Ten" on Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m. The Athenaeum's listing already shows it as sold out.
What's Being Planned While the Trails Rest
The closure is also when plans from the riding season wait for spring. At an August community chat, the KTA reported that Burke was developing a master plan with Gravity Logic, expected to include substantial new trails, with beginner terrain a priority. A September recap said Dashney Loop was being refreshed and drainage work was underway. Staff described a possible connection from the Campground and Pudding Hill to Kingdom Trails and Lyndonville as a long-term goal.
Up the hill, Burke Mountain's 2026/27 season passes are on sale, but Ski Vermont's opening-date list still showed Burke as "TBD" in its October 27 update. Ski Vermont notes that projected opening dates depend on weather and snowmaking.
December 11 Through 16
The window closes over six days in December. Discover St. Johnsbury lists the 2026 St. J Sparkles! Holiday Weekend for Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12. The detailed program on that page is still last year's, so check closer to the date for times. The December muzzleloader season ends Sunday, December 13. Kingdom Trails' winter network can open as early as Monday, December 14, if the ground is frozen. Snowmobiles join the LVRT on Wednesday, December 16.
Our Flex Realty team in Lyndonville follows this calendar every year, from trailhead parking to the week the groomers start. If you're thinking about a home within riding distance of Darling Hill or within walking distance of the LVRT in St. Johnsbury, contact us and we'll walk you through how the seasons work on the streets you're considering.
