Vermont Hiking and Hidden Destinations Revealed

My Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim trek was a sensational experience, and a fundraising success. Just about $10,000 raised for children’s literacy tutoring. I’ve posted some photos and videos here. That trek wasn’t really Vermont focussed so I won’t elaborate much here in Hidden Vermont. You can read all you want at www.StepsForLiteracy.org. It is nice to have that under my belt and I’m now looking forward to an active summer hiking season in VT.

Had a great 8-mile hike just east of Manchester this week on another of the unusually warm April days we’ve been having. Took what’s called the Spruce Peak trail. To reach this trail (which is very near Bromley Mountain), go about 5 miles east of Manchester Center on Route 11/30 (or 1/2-mile west of the intersection of Rt. 11 and Rt. 30). There is signage for the AT/LT, and a large parking lot on the north side of Route 11/30. The Spruce Peak trailhead is on the south side of the road.

My hike took the trail to about 1 mile or so past Spruce Peak, and back. Saw no people, but one large owl who gave me a hoot. The spring-season trail condition was remarkably dry but full of winter debris. Was great to be in the woods. Stopped at the Spruce Peak shelter, which according to the visitor log hasn’t been used since mid-March, and that was by snowshoe-ers. What a difference a month makes, there was just one small snowpile left today. This hike is part of my training for my Grand Canyon trek, just over one month away now.

In May, I will be travelling from Vermont to take on what I consider to be one of the penultimate hikes in North America — hiking the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim. My route will be 38.7 miles, or 81,734 steps. I’m using this challenge to raise funds for another challenge, Vermont children’s literacy. To support me and follow my training and progress, go to www.StepsForLiteracy.org.

A big Appalachian Trail Conference is going on this weekend in Castleton, runs July 17-24. They’ve got hikes, volunteer opps, and workshops. Anyone going? Here’s their website: www.vermont2009.org.

On a recent Saturday, I experienced the pleasures of taking the less used trail to a popular hiking destination, Little Rock Pond in Mt. Tabor. The hike was longer and a bit harder but the payoffs were a more enjoyable trail, better trail conditions, and a few nice view points. Also, if you’re looking for a quiet hike, I only saw 1 other hiker on the way to the Pond.

From the trailhead in Mt. Tabor, there are 2 possible trails to Little Rock Pond. The more direct and shorter is the popular 4-mile loop Little Rock Pond Trail (2 miles in to the pond). The lesser travelled alternative is the 6.5 mile loop Green Mountain Trail/Little Rock Pond Trail (4.5 miles in to the pond). (Refer to the individual Hidden Vermont write-ups of each of these trails for trailhead locations and descriptions.) If you have the time, the longer route is worth it.

From the trailhead parking lot, I took a well-marked trail called the Green Mountain Connector Trail that led through an easy open woods to, obviously, the Green Mountain Trail. Once the Green Mountain Trail was picked up, the hike took me gradually uphill along the west side of the mountains and ultimately to a summit on Green Mountain itself. (I must confess, I never knew the Green Mountain State Forest actually had a namesake Green Mountain.) There were a couple small view points along the trail that revealed the Danby and Wallingford areas to the east, and there was a very nice, open, stone summit that looked to the east over a wide expanse of Green Mountain State Forest and provided great views.

One highlight of this part of the hike was stirring up a bevy of quail, with the young ones struggling to get airborne while one adult used the “broken wing” strategy to distract the threat (me). A second was coming across a pile of fairly recent moose droppings. The slice of city-boy left in me always enjoys the thought of sharing woods with moose.

When I reached a pond overlook (about .9 mile from the pond), I found that it takes a bit of searching to actually find a clear space where you could in fact see the pond, and only about half of it at most. But on this clear day it was a nice view – I could just make out a couple of hikers taking a dip in the pond – and a good scenic photo op.

When I reached the pond it was late afternoon but still pretty warm and the setting sun provided nice lighting on purple irises that line the northern shore. There were a couple of young adults having fun jumping off rocks into the water but otherwise very peaceful. The “Little Rock” for which the pond is named lies along the western shore and provides a nice spot to sit and watch the goings on.

I spent some time talking with an interesting Long-trailer who was overnighting at the lean-to shelter near the pond: it’s been a wet hike for him so far (this being the wettest June in decades, they say) but he was in good spirits.

The trail loop continues from the pond directly to the trailhead (2 miles) and parking lot. It was pretty wet and sloppy but is an easy trail running along a stream.
With all my stops for photo-taking and viewpoints, and having spent maybe an hour at the pond, it was a 7-hour hike by the time I reached the car. 6.5 miles according to the trail map. Driving down the access road provided the day’s last treat – a black bear sprinted across the road about 25 yards in front of me.

Some readers of this blog who were coming from Maine to Vermont for a hike emailed Hidden Vermont and asked for some maps and info about the Prospect Rock Trail route to Stratton Pond. I provided some help, and I hope they had a great trip, but I realized I hadn’t been on the Prospect Rock Trail in over a year so I decided to hike it myself. I was disappointed and I apologize to the reader that I wasn’t current enough on that trail’s condition to have suggested an alternative. Below is my quick update on the Prospect Rock Trail.

I took a quick after-work hike up Prospect Rock Trail and was disappointed by the amount of roadwork going on. Large sections of the old logging road have recently been widened and graded. It now seems more like a dirt road than a trail. There were several pieces of heavy equipment parked roadside and I could only imagine the racket that must ensue during the daytime. My suggestion is to avoid this trail until the work is finished. It might offer a decent snowshoe trek come winter. If it weren’t for the nice views from Prospect Rock, I’d say avoid it entirely.

If you’re looking for an alternative route into Lye Brook Wilderness, try the Lye Brook Falls trail, or enter via the Stratton Pond or Bourne Pond trails from Kelly Stand Road east of Arlington.

Location: Mt. Tabor, VT

Length: 4.0 mi. roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 350 ft.
Difficulty: Moderate
Average Hike Time: 2-2.5 hours roundtrip
Other: As described here, this is a straightforward loop trail that reaches and circles Little Rock Pond, but if you desire you can extend the hike in either of two major ways when you reach the north end of the pond. Both options are clearly marked on signposts at the north end of the pond. 1) You can take a longer return route back to the trailhead by picking up the Green Mountain Trail, which is about 4.5 miles back to the trailhead compared to the direct Little Rock Pond Trail loop return of about 2 mi., and offers very different hiking including a viewpoint offering a hawk’s eye view of Little Rock Pond. See the separate description of the Green Mountain Trail. 2) You can continue north on the AT/LT when you reach the north end of the pond and then doubleback at any point.

Emerald Lake State Park is nearby on Route 7 in East Dorset, about 4.5 miles south of the Brooklyn Road intersection. Also, in July and August, a major national horse jumping event called the Vermont Summer Festival takes place on Route 7 about 7 miles south of Brooklyn Road.

GPS trailhead:
USGS Map: Danby and Wallingford Quads

Directions:
From Route 7 in Danby – From Route 7, take Brooklyn Road (Forest Road 10) east. At .8 mi. you will enter the White Rocks National Recreation Area. [At .9 mi. there is a small parking area where you can access other trails.] Cross the Big Branch river and continue on. At 2.6 mi. you’ll reach the Big Branch Overlook on your right, which has an outhouse, a few picnic tables and a grill. At 2.9 mi. you’ll pass an oldtime apple orchard that survives to offer food for wildlife just before the paved road turns to dirt at 3.0 mi. Shortly at 3.2 mi. you’ve reached the trailhead parking lot that can accommodate over 20 vehicles. The trailhead is directly across the road; there is an outhouse as well.

Description:
Little Rock Pond is a great example of a wilderness pond, and offers the chance for some remote fishing and swimming. This is a popular trail and you may encounter several Longtrailers as well as day hikers. If you’d like to camp (first-come/first-served, $5 use fee paid to a caretaker) there is the Lula Tye Shelter that is popular with Longtrailers (.3 mile south of the pond) and also a tent platform area at the pond itself. The “little rock” for which the pond is named is about 30 feet high and offers a nice open viewpoint from the west shoreline as well as a convenient place to sun, snack and rest.

Starting from the parking lot, the easy to follow white-blazed trail runs alongside the Little Black Brook generally north in a very gradual rise through a mixed forest. The early stage is easy and dry, but eventually the path turns stony and wet and there are several areas that often have to be crossed on planking (puncheon). Stay on the trail and puncheon to minimize damage to the surrounding area. At one point, you must walk across a steel I-beam to cross the brook.

Without fanfare, at about 1.75 miles the trail comes to a T at the Little Rock Pond. You can circle the pond in either direction. Going left takes you to the west shore and the “little rock” itself. Going right hugs the east shore, with a few spots where you can enter the pond for swimming.

At the north end of the pond is the pond’s outlet, and the junction where you have the options to: a) continue on around the pond loop and return as you came to the trailhead and parking lot; b) take a longer route back to the trailhead and parking lot via the blue-blazed Green Mountain Trail (4.5 mi. to your starting trailhead; see the separate Green Mountain Trail description); c) continue north further up the trail along the Homer Stone Brook Trail.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has closed nine cliffs to protect nesting peregrine falcons. You can get a good sense of the issues involved by reading a Peregrine Falcon Fact Sheet from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department — look under Fact Sheets on that web page.

“Peregrine nesting activity has been observed at approximately 38 sites this spring,” said Doug Blodgett, F&W biologist. “But, we only closed the cliffs where there’s the chance of people disturbing the nesting birds.”

“The areas closed include the portions of the cliffs where the birds are nesting and the trails leading to the cliff tops or overlooks,” said Blodgett. “In many cases the lower portions of the trails are still open.”

Watch for signage like the one below indicating the trail sections that are closed.

Current closures include:

* Nichols Ledge in Woodbury
* Marshfield Mountain
* Fairlee Palisades
* Deer Leap in Bristol
* Rattlesnake Point in Salisbury
* Mt. Horrid in Goshen
* Snake Mtn. in Addison
* Bolton Notch in Bolton
* Smuggler’s Notch

The areas will remain closed until Aug. 1 unless a pair doesn’t nest or if the nest fails.

Location: Green Mountain National Forest, Manchester, VT

• Total Distance: 3.0 Mile
• Elevation Gain: 1100 ft.
• Difficulty: Strenuous
• Average Hike Time: 1.5 - 2.5 Hour

Directions:

From the junction of Routes 11/30 and Route 7, one mile East of Manchester, drive East on Route 11/30 for 0.5 miles to East Manchester Road turning right, and then immediately left on Rootville Road. Follow for 0.5 mile to the white water tower and the end of the road. There is a small parking area (4-5 cars) near the water tower and another one just a bit further (2-3 cars). Parking is not allowed beyond that.

Don’t block the road and do observe the ‘No Parking” signs.

Description:

[This trail is essentially an old logging road and it is being extensively widened and regraded in 2009.] Prospect Rock offers a nice, open overlook of the town of Manchester and the valley northwards towards Danby. Getting there requires hiking up a fairly steep and long, but otherwise straightforward, dirt road.

The trail begins up the Old Rootville Road to a National Forest signboard, where it continues past a spur trail and small brook before ascending steeply up the mountain. The early part of the trail is a very stony logging road and footing is uneven. The trail then levels off through the forest and climbs again with a steep drop-off on the right, before coming to the junction at 1.5 miles with Long Trail. Continue past Long Trail to a spur trail that leads 200 feet West to Prospect Rock. Watch for a red sign about eye level on a birch tree that says “Look Up!”…and when you raise your gaze about 20 feet up the tree you’ll see a white “Prospect Rock” sign showing the direction!

Take the same trail back to the parking area.

You can also continue on up the trail further into the Lye Brook Wilderness towards Bourne Pond, and even further to Stratton Pond or Branch Pond.

As a local weathercaster said, “Unless you plan to just sit on your sofa and whine, this is a perfect weekend to get out and enjoy winter.” Sunny Saturday, cold but not frigid, and a nice coating of fresh snow. So, I grabbed the snowshoes and headed for Merck Forest & Farmland Center on Route 315 in Rupert, Vt.

Merck has a narrow 1-1/2 lane snow-covered road leading uphill to visitor parking, so the challenge is to be heading uphill when no one is heading downhill – there are 2 or 3 small pull-over notches cut into the hillside, but this winter’s snowbanks make them tricky, so mutual driver-courtesy and side-to-side maneuvering is mandatory if you do come head-to-head with another vehicle you must squeeze by.

Arriving at the visitor parking lot without encounter, there were maybe 20 vehicles already parked but I didn’t see a single person. Merck has cabins for overnight stays and from the license plates I saw – Connecticut, Washington DC, New York – I think many of them were there for overnight stays up on the mountainside.

Simply put, weather and trail conditions were perfect for a snowshoe. I headed off on my favorite winter trail, which tends to be “a road less traveled” for day visitors, and for the next several hours saw nothing but virgin snow, woods, deer/rabbit/mouse tracks (but no animals), hawks – not a soul. Snow was about 8-18 inches deep depending on location, which made for real snowshoeing but wasn’t overly tiring. The sunlight was strong, which made for some fun photo opportunities involving shadows. This trail can be followed for a few miles and offers some loop possibilities and some varying elevation.

A good trail, a great snowshoe, on a very nice day.