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Vermont HikingRelease Date: Monday, June 16th 2008Southern Vermont Regional Marketing Program Life’s GreenR Here Southernvermont.com Contact: Lynn Barrett 802-258-3992, prime@svcable.net Spring/Summer/Fall 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Southern Vermont Is Home to Hiking Trails Less Traveled Where to get what you came for on the hiking trails in Southern Vermont’s parks and wilderness areas.
INTRODUCTION
It doesn’t seem possible, but every one of the 24 towns in Southeastern Vermont is crisscrossed with trails suitable for every hiker — beginner, intermediate and expert. The Connecticut River, which flows through Windham County from Bellows Falls southward to Brattleboro on towards the Massachusetts state line, forms the eastern boundary of this region, and there are trails that tickle the riverbanks here and there. In 2005, the river corridor was designated as a National Scenic Byway. Other trails follow along the smaller, but no less mighty West River and its tributaries. The most traveled route is the Long Trail-Appalachian Trail, which enters southern Vermont in the town of Stamford. Hikers can choose loop hikes, thru-hikes, hikes to fire towers, hikes around ponds, or hikes with history — they just park and lock the old gas-guzzler, open a map and start walking.
SOUTHERN VERMONT—The image people have of Vermont, it seems, is one of four things: a green pasture full of black and white cows, a quaint village with a country store, ski slopes on a snowy mountainside, or a lush, green forest trail. Of the four, the woodland trails throughout the Green Mountain State offer the greatest opportunity for a rewarding adventure and an eco-friendly experience. It doesn’t take very much money or expensive gear to set out on a great hike. With a map, a little planning and a few tips from the experts, southern Vermont is the ideal destination for hikers. Luckily for southern Vermont’s hikers, the area’s trails are extremely well mapped and marked, and for the most part, easy to follow. But, the first thing every hiker needs to know is where the blazes are! Blazes can be quite far apart and made of different materials, but typically a trail is marked with painted rectangles or dots that are on tree trunks, rocks, or signboards at least 6-feet above ground level. Blazes are usually primary colors — red, blue, yellow, or white. For example, the standard blaze for the Appalachian Trail is a white rectangle 2 by 6 inches. When a map or guidebook says, “follow the Red Trail,” that means look for the red blazes. The Long Trail is part of the Appalachian Trail in southern Vermont and in this region it meanders through or near the towns of Stamford, Bennington, Woodford, Stratton and Manchester (and then continues to the Canadian border while the Appalachian Trail eventually splits off towards the northeast). It is unarguably the best-loved trail in the state. It is also the most used trail in the state, so hikers who want the forest and the trees all to themselves, must look for the less-traveled spur or side trails in the Green Mountain National Forest, or state park trails, such as the trail up Mount Olga. They can also search out private lands that grant public access, such as the 9-mile network of trails near at the Brattleboro city limits at the Brattleboro Retreat Farm. More experienced hikers are adept at finding old roads which lead to places few people ever visit, however these often traverse private property where permission may be needed for legal access. The Nature Conservancy of Vermont has also opened tracts of its designated protected lands to hikers. One of their many trails is 3.2-mile loop on Black Mountain, in Dummerston. That path takes hikers to a 350-million year old granitic pluton, a rock-dome looming above the West River at 1,280 feet. The West River Trail is one that Sharon Crossman calls “a trail for everybody.” She is a co-founding board member of the Friends of the West River Trail, a non-profit organization dedicated to the realization of a 36-mile ribbon linking Brattleboro at the southern end with South Londonderry at the northern terminus. She says, “One of the real beauties of this trail is that it follows the West River, which still has a lot of wildness to it along its banks.” Not only that, the corridor is full of history as well, old railroads, old byways, and even former mill sites. “It’s so varied,” Crossman says, “that I can take my grandkids out there on a hike, or my elderly parents. It’s a trail that people use every day, for exercise or to be in nature and listen to the sounds of the river.” The West River Trail is readily accessible—there are multiple entrance points, so hikers can walk a short section or hike through the 16 miles completed so far, depending on their ability and time. Crossman classifies it as a structured trail, but affirms that it is no less beautiful for its amenities, such as family-friendly picnic areas. Southern Vermont’s state parks often feature ranger-led day hikes or nature programs and the schedules are posted at the parks’ visitors’ centers and on their websites. (Some state parks have a day-use fee in season.) Even hikers planning to go solo might encounter a small group along the way. At the Molly Stark State Park in Wilmington, the hike up Mount Olga is a 520-foot vertical climb on a 2-mile trail. At the summit, which had a fire lookout tower as early as the 1930s, the view sweeps across southern Vermont, into southern New Hampshire and southward over to northern Massachusetts. The tower is old, but well maintained and was listed on the National Historic Lookout Register in 1996. Just a side note, no one knows which Olga Mount Olga was named for, but the story of Molly Stark, the wife of General John Stark of the Revolutionary War is worth reading. Another state park, Fort Dummer, is not far from the state line, just off I-91 in Brattleboro. Within its 274 acres is a short 1.25-mile loop trail with good views of the Connecticut River. Also in a scenic state park and definitely on the “not-to-be missed list” is the trail in Jamaica to Hamilton Falls. It’s a steep 1.2-mile trail (one way) and the reward is the view down into a 125-foot cascade that splashes into potholes below, a unique geological feature. The link to download the detailed map of the Jamaica State Park and written trail guide is www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/jamaicatrails.pdf. Some of the best trails happen to be side trails, or spurs, off the main trail, and this is where a detailed map and a good guidebook are essential to be sure about destination, distance and time. One side trail from the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail is the Old Job Trail, south loop. Rated as a moderate to difficult hike, it is an 11-mile loop in an area east of Danby known as Big Branch Wilderness. After ascending some bare ledges, the payoff there is views of the Otter Creek Valley, Dorset Mountain and the peaks in the Taconic Range. One seasoned Vermont hiker, Nancy Santilli of Wardsboro, says that the scenery along Vermont’s trails is “soft, not as harsh” as in other places she has hiked, which includes treks throughout the American west, Mexico and Canada, plus some hikes up the sides of Hawaii’s volcanoes. She is part of a loosely organized group in her town that frequently hikes together. “One of us will scout out a trail in our area, and then email or call the others to plan an outing,” she says. “We’re not really a club, just people who like to go on day hikes to unusual places.” In Wardsboro, there is no shortage of little-known woodland paths, since a large portion of the 29-square mile town is designated as conservation land. Much of it in the Green Mountain National Forest, which is laced with dirt roads, abandoned farm lanes or former logging cuts that skimobiles monopolize all winter. One of Santilli’s favorite trails is the Haystack Mountain Trail, a 4.8-mile loop in Wilmington. She particularly likes the views from there of the Harriman Reservoir and Lake Sadawga, not to mention the panorama of the mountain peaks of Ascutney, Snow and Glastenbury, plus Greylock in Massachusetts, and New Hampshire’s Mt. Monadnock. Many Vermont trail guidebooks have important information about the gear, clothing and supplies needed to go hiking, with sound advice for beginners and expert hikers. Some favorites are The Long Trail Guide, The Day Hikers Guide to Vermont, and 50 Hikes in Vermont, all by the Green Mountain Club; Guide to Vermont’s Day Hikes, by Jared Gange; and Vermont Hiking by Michael Lanza. With so much user-information readily available about southern Vermont’s trails, much of it free, along with increasing interest in protecting and preserving the wilderness areas into which they lead, hikers of all ages and levels can feel safe, confident and still adventurous trekking along what are some of America’s most beautiful trails.
FEATURED TRAILS
THE BRATTLEBORO RETREAT & THE WINDHAM FOUNDATION These trails were originally created in the 1800s and have been used by the Brattleboro community for decades. In the past two years, the Windham Foundation and Brattleboro Retreat worked with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) to revitalize the trails to make them more environmentally sound and easier to follow.
Brattleboro Retreat Farm Trails Brattleboro Just a short hop from Main Street, on Route 30, the Brattleboro Retreat and the Windham Foundation own land on which more than 9 miles of trails are open to the public. For up-to-date information, call (802) 843-2211, and for a very detailed map of dozens of spur and side trails, download from www.brattlebororetreat.org/trailmap.pdf. Trail maps also are free at the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce, 180 Main Street; Guilford Welcome Center (off I-91 heading North into VT); Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street; Brattleboro Town Office, 230 Main Street; Grafton Village Cheese Co., Linden Street. Best hike: Park at the Retreat Farm and go to the Grafton Village Cheese store to create a picnic basket for snacks. Take the Morningside Trail to the Ice Pond trail - 1.15 miles. Be sure to visit the Retreat petting farm before leaving.
FRIENDS OF THE WEST RIVER TRAIL Organized in 1992, the Friends of the West River Trail (FWRT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the establishment of a scenic trail through the West River Valley eventually linking Brattleboro, Dummerston, Newfane, Townshend, Jamaica and South Londonderry. For up-to-date information and maps, write to P.O. Box 2086, S. Londonderry, Vermont, 05155. The website is www.westrivertrail.org and has a link of the trail map.
West River Trail South Londonderry, Jamaica and Townshend. 16 of 36 miles completed to date over a combination of historic and new footpath, old roadbed and former railroad bed. A safe and scenic alternative to Route 30 for hikers linking the villages with 4,500 acres of public land.
FOOTERS
The Southern Vermont Regional Marketing Program is a non-profit organization comprised of the Brattleboro, Mount Snow, Londonderry, and Great Falls (Bellows Falls) Chambers of Commerce; the Windham Regional Commission; the Brattleboro Area Development Credit Corporation; as well as representatives from the travel and tourism industry from throughout the region.
TownsBrattleboro (at Exits 1, 2 and 3 off Interstate-91), and Bellows Falls, Dover, Dummerston, Grafton, Guilford, Halifax, Jamaica, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, Readsboro, Rockingham, Stratton, Saxton’s River, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, Westminister, Weston, Whitingham, Wilmington, and Windham. None are officially incorporated as cities.
Location and AccessibilitySome of towns listed above are in the upper Connecticut River Valley and are bordered by the Connecticut River and Interstate 91. The towns to the west and northwest of the river are reached by scenic byways, with dozens of quaint villages and named hamlets in between, all nestled into the valleys and hills among tributaries to the Connecticut River, lakes, mountain vistas and ski resorts. Several towns are within the boundary of the Green Mountain National Forest and five towns include vast state parks as well. Except for Readsboro (Bennington County) and Weston (Windsor County), these towns are in Windham County, with Brattleboro as the county seat.
New York City 4½hours Boston, MA 2½hours MA Berkshire region 1½ hours Burlington, VT 2½ hours
SIDE BAR
THE NUMBER ONE TRAIL SIN ISN’T TOSSING GRANOLA BAR WRAPPERS
Quiz: When the forecast predicts warm and sunny today in southern Vermont, should hikers throw a rain poncho, a hat and gloves in their daypacks? A. Yes, always be prepared!
The number one trail sin that hikers repeatedly commit is not, as you might think, throwing granola bar wrappers all over the woods. It is the same sin it has always been: “It’s not being prepared for whatever might happen,” report the folks at the Green Mountain National Forest. Park rangers shake their heads when telling stories of hikers who thought a cell phone was all the safety equipment they needed or hikers who didn’t realize that unlike a plain, old-fashioned compass, the batteries in handheld GPS units often go dead just when you need to know which way is south. The point is to learn to be responsible for yourself on the trail be prepared for any situation that could put you and others in danger. There are several painless ways for beginners to find out what clothing, gear and supplies they might need for hiking in Vermont. One is to simply stop by any outdoor outfitters such as Sam’s in Brattleboro, Vermont or Equipe Sport in Rawsonville and ask their experts to help you come up with a checklist of things you’ll need. Another great way for green hikers to find out what’s best to take along on a short trek is to ask a veteran backpacker or call a day ahead and ask the staff at visitors centers in the park areas what the specific trail conditions are order to be prepared. There’s nothing like experience—hikers with a lot of miles under their belts know better than anyone how to pack the lightest essentials, and leave the dead weight behind. ADDITIONAL DETAILS HUNTING SEASON Hunting season in Vermont is September 1st to December so hikers and accompanying dogs or horses should wear fluorescent orange clothing and try to avoid trails near popular hunting grounds. For more information about hunting, contact the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, Vermont, 05671; or call (802) 241-3700; their website is www.vtfishandwildlife.com.
MAP SOURCES TRAIL GUIDE AND MAP SOURCE FOR the Green Mountain National Forest Green Mountain National Forest www.fs.fed.us/r9/gmfl/maps/index.htm
GMNF Manchester Ranger District
TRAIL GUIDES AND MAP SOURCE FOR Vermont State Parks Vermont State Parks (802) 241-3655 www.vtstateparks.com/index.cfm
TRAIL GUIDES AND MAP SOURCE FOR the Nature Conservancy of Vermont Nature Conservancy of Vermont 27 Main Street, Suite 4 Montpelier, VT 05602 (802) 229-4425 www.nature.org/vermont
DETAILED TRAIL GUIDE BOOKS AND MAPS TO VERMONT TRAILS
Green Mountain Club, Inc. (802) 244-7037 www.greenmountainclub.org Membership to the Green Mountain Club is $35 annually for individuals, and there are multiple local chapters.
OTHER RESOURCES Green Mountain Audubon Center / Audubon Vermont Local Chapter Southeastern Vermont Audubon Society www.sevtaudubon.org Membership is $10 annually. An upcoming event of the local Audubon Society Chapter: June 23, 2008: Monday, 6:00pm - Black Mountain Laurel Walk Connecticut River Joint Commissions PO Box 1182 Charlestown, NH 03603 (877) CTByway or (877) 282-9929 The Connecticut River Byway consists of 500 miles of state roads bordering the Connecticut River in both Vermont and New Hampshire. The Byway links the two states, focusing on the authentic New England experience - historic villages, mountain views, working farms, homegrown crops and crafts, and outdoor activities. National designation is an honor, and the scenic, historic Connecticut River Valley is worthy of that honor.
Vermont Outdoor Guide Association www.voga.org A comprehensive directory of outdoor services and adventure travel resources.
A Timeline from: The Vermont Wilderness Association www.vermontwilderness.org/wilderness.php 1864 1932 1935 1964 1974 1984 2006 On December 1, 2006, President Bush signed the New England Wilderness Act of 2006.
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS PROJECTS
In 1961, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed two flood control dams on the West River in southern Vermont, projects that resulted in recreational areas encompassing many miles of trails. The two sites are only 9 miles apart on Route 30. Ball Mountain Lake welcomes some 130,000 visitors each year and Townshend Lake more than 80,000.
Ball Mountain Lake Jamaica. For up-to-date information, call (802) 874-4881. The website is www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/bml/bmlhome.htm. Best hike for woodland scenery and river views: from campground, Winhall Brook Trail south to the top of the dam. 4.1 miles, one way. (This is one segment of the longer West River Trail.)
Townshend Lake Townshend. For up-to-date information, call (802) 365-7703. The website is http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/tsl/tslhome.htm. Best hike for spectacular views and possibly sightings of bald eagles: the Ledges Overlook Trail, 1.7-mile loop. Free maps at the trailhead.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Southern Vermont peaks more than 3,500 feet above sea level
Stratton, Stratton Mountain 3,940 Manchester, Mt. Equinox 3,850 Danby, Dorset Peak 3,770 Glastonbury, Glastonbury Mountain 3,748 Dover, Mt. Snow 3,586 Danby, Dorset Mountain (W.pk.) 3,515 |
