It was decided by city officials, late in 1969, to cut a series of cross-country ski trails through a heavily-wooded area of the city’s main park, Crandall Park. The trails were laid out by former U.S. Olympic Team nordic skier Tom Jacobs, and cut by young men working for the city on a federally funded beautification program.
Then the Recreation Commission, prodded by several local nordic skiers and supported by the local newspaper, requested that the Common Council allot funds to light the trails.
Supporters of this program backed up the request with a commitment from the U.S. Ski Association to bring the U.S. Cross Country ski team to Glens Falls, along with a contingent of foreign skiers, for an international night race, provided the city went ahead with the lighting program.
The Council immediately authorized $3,000 and within weeks the several miles of trails were marked, lighted and ready for the first annual Glens Falls International Invitational Race. This race has now become the city’s major winter sporting event.
The trail system is still operated by the Recreation Department. A snowmobile is used to pull a track sled through the loops to set the track each day. The trails are patrolled by police on skis to prevent problems from snowmobiles. The Department of Public Works clears several large parking areas of snow following each storm and the city electrician maintains the lighting system.
The Recreation Department offers free cross country ski lessons at least twice a week in the evening and classes became so large that now the trail director and two assistants, handle the instruction.
Free classes and the free use of skis are offered to school age children two afternoons a week.
The Recreation Department sponsors at least one “fun” race a week, the local Rotary Club sponsors an annual race and many other clubs and organizations hold various programs on the trail system.
The city has found the trail system very beneficial, not only as a heavily used and inexpensive recreational program, but also for the world-wide publicity which the international race has garnered for Glens Falls.
The trails are open from dawn to 11 p.m., seven days a week, and get heavy use. The several loops allow many skiers to get onto the system without crowding and signing keeps the skiers moving in one direction to avoid jam-ups on the trails.
Glens Falls schools offer “mini-courses” in nordic skiing and high schools use the system for training newly formed ski teams.
The log book at the main entrance to the trail system shows that visitors from all over eastern United States and Canada make use of the system, with the heaviest use coming from Greater Glens Falls and the Capital District area of Albany-Troy and Schenectady.
Last February the Glens Falls trail system was host to members of the United States Olympic Ski Team when they returned from the 1976 Winter Games at Innsbruck. Despite heavy rain, more than 1,000 spectators stood for hours to watch the night race, and it was broadcast live on local radio.
To mark the event, the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, designated the trail system a National Recreation Trail.
Maurice Arnold, regional director BOR, noted, “there are now 77 trails in the National Trail System, but this is the first and only ski trail to ever be given designation under the national program.”
Since that time, the City of Glens Falls has filed an application with the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, Department of the Interior, seeking federal funds to assist in purchasing more than 40 additional acres adjoining the trail system. This area will be developed to give the city a full five kilometer racing and recreation loop, and to install a new lighting system throughout the entire trail system.
