Vermont Hiking and Hidden Destinations Revealed

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.

I’ve spent a few weekend afternoons this winter walking and/or snowshoeing at Lake St. Catherine State Park in Poultney, Vt. Starting around late December, but this varies year-by-year, the lake begins to freeze and usually by mid-January has completely frozen over. (PLEASE check and be sure that conditions are safe before venturing out onto the ice!)

When the lake freezes, ice shanties begin to sprout across the surface as ice fisherfolk enjoy their sport. I’ve been tempted but never actually gone ice fishing — I get that yin-yang of “what a great, relaxing, winter pasttime” followed by “who’d really want to sit in the cold and stare for hours at a hole in the ice”. Maybe someday my defenses will weaken. Nevertheless, strolling across the ice studying the many tippets and shanties can be calming, entertaining, and the fisherfolk are most willing to have you divert them with questions. If you go on ice-fishing derby weekends (typically mid-January & February) — when ice fisherfolk compete for prizes for largest fish and other categories that escape me — you’ll see plenty of action and a visit to the “winner board” can surprise you with the size of the fish that lurk beneath the ice (and in the water you swim in in summer)!

The lake gets a fair amount of action on weekends. You’ll also see numerous snowmobilers racing from end to end, a few 4-wheelers skidding around, and at least a couple of cross-country skiers. Depending on the snow cover, there may be a skater or two but frankly that’s pretty unusual. Snow-covered ice is not conducive to skating, and rarely does someone clear a section.

On land, the park offers nice rolling land for walking/snowshoeing, and you can wander throughout the campsite area on nicely wooded trails. There you’ll sometimes encounter other snowshoers or cross-country skiers, but really the area is underused in winter.

It seems that overnight camping (tents) is possible with ADVANCE permission of the park service, but I don’t have details on that. Again, I’m tempted but so far the yang is overpowering the yin on this too.

Lake St. Catherine is located off Route 30 in Poultney (half the lake is actually in Wells and there is a boat launch area in Wells, but the main park entrance is in Poultney). The park is not officially open in winter, but they do plow the main access road so you can drive in to the beach and lake access areas. 4-wheel drive is not essential unless conditions are particularly wintery. Parking is wherever you can pull off the road enough to leave the vehicle.

August 28, 2008

Spent a couple hours today atop Killington Peak, the second highest mountaintop in Vermont at 4,241 feet. There was some August humidity in the air, so the views were clear in the near-ground but the distant mountain ranges – White Mountains to the east and Green Mountains to the west – were pretty hazy and undefined. But I wasn’t complaining, I successfully made it 3.7 miles up the “easy-turns moderate-turns VERY difficult” Bucklin Trail to the Peak. The views were celebrated, let me tell you!

Although I saw only 3 other hikers on the way up – all hanging out at the junction of the Bucklin Trail with the Long Trail, about .1 mi. below the Peak – over a half dozen folks shared the Peak with me. Why hadn’t I seen or at least heard them, I wondered? Well, turns out 1 visitor from Scarsdale, New York had hiked up the wide open Killington ski trails, and a young woman had hiked in via the Long Trail as a Green Mountain Club volunteer monitoring the condition of the trail (the trail’s in good shape, she offered), but a gentleman in flip-flops and a small group of teenage girls had arrived at the Peak courtesy of the Killington Gondola! Pay your $10 at the base of the mountain and you are wisked effortlessly upwards approximately 3,000 feet to within steps of the Peak. (I think they leave people a few steps from the peak so they can claim, “I hiked up to Killington Peak”.)

As I limped slowly down from the Peak – one tired knee was rebelling – at the start of the 3.7 mi. return trip to my car, I marveled over the wonders of technology. I also gave more than a quick thought to: Would it be possible to bum a ride to get from the Gondola base back to my car?

Today – Saturday — was one of those shoulda/coulda/woulda days. The weather forecast called for a cloudy, cool morning followed by a rainy afternoon, so I dismissed thoughts of going hiking and planned my day for catching up on some indoor work.

At 9 am it was 55 and sunny; at noon it was 60 and… sunny; at 3 pm it was 70 and…..you guessed it.

Shoulda/woulda/coulda!

Vermont weather is routinely unpredictable, in both directions.

Lesson — always have a Plan B.

When planning a spring hike recently, I had to remind myself that winter only grudgingly abandons Vermont’s mountaintops. Although in early May when the hiking bug begins to bite it may be warm and green at valley trailheads, the trees on most Vermont summits and even the higher ridges remain bare until nearly June 1. And of course, there’s a white reason why spring skiing can extend well into May.

Driving along the Route 7 highway from Manchester to Bennington in mid-May, I could see a definite line of demarcation up the sides of the southern Green Mountains showing just where spring had not yet quite kicked into gear — the bright green of newly-leafed trees fading into a telltale brown band.

Some hikers relish the broad views that can be scored springtime atop a leafless Vermont summit. I prefer to remain grounded in spring’s fresh greenery — and warmth — and stick to the lower elevations for my spring hikes. Winter’s barrenness will be back soon enough.

Enjoyed an easy walk around Merck Forest and Farm Center in Rupert, VT this afternoon. More a stroll, than a hike - just an excuse to be outside. As I was leaving I first heard, then saw this beautiful bird. According to Peterson’s Guide to Birds it’s an American Redstart. Apparently it’s fairly common throughout North America, though this is the first one I’ve ever seen.

Moments later, further down the road, I saw a Peregrine Falcon that flew off before I could get a photo. Bummer.

Location: Manchester, VT

• Length: 4.6 mi. roundtrip
• Elevation Gain: 600 ft. [750 ft gain, then decline of 150 ft]
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Average Hike Time: 3-4 hours roundtrip
• Notes: 1) Very busy with families and dogs on weekends. 2) This trail is an entry point into the Lye Brook Wilderness and can also be used for longer hikes to reach Bourn Pond, Stratton Pond, and Branch Pond.

GPS trailhead: N43°09.530 W073°02.446
GPS falls: N43°07.903 W073°02.391
USGS Map: Manchester Quad

Directions:
From Route 7 – Take Exit 4 (Manchester) onto Route 11/30 east/north. Go 1/4 mi., turn left onto East Manchester Rd. Go about 1 mi. and turn left onto Glen Rd., just before an overpass. Glen Rd. quickly forks, take the right fork onto the Lye Brook Access Rd. NOTE: This is a very pothole ridden gravel road, so drive very slowly! Take the access road to its end at the trailhead parking loop.

Description:
Lye Brook Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in Vermont, generally reported at 125 feet. The falls is a series of cascades, and depending on the season will have low to moderate flow. During low flow, the water looks like a lacy veil; during high flow the water plummets vigorously down the series of ledges. Both appearances have their fans.

The easy-to-follow trail is marked with blue blazes. The trail is a mild steady climb, which begins on an old logging railroad bed and travels through a mixed forest of hardwoods and softwoods. There are occasional rocky stretches. The trail crosses a few streams, which depending on the season may or may not have water, but there are established rock courses across them all. At 1.8 mi. there is a well-marked spur trail to the right (look for a Falls sign about 10 feet up a tree), which gradually descends about .5 mi. to the base of the falls. This stretch can often be muddy in 3 or 4 spots.

At the falls, there are a couple of observation locations and some convenient viewpoint rocks make a nice place for a rest break. Although tempting, the rocks at the base of the falls can be very slippery and wading or swimming is very risky.

Location: between Arlington and West Wardsboro, VT

• Length: 7.8 mi. roundtrip
• Elevation Gain: 300 ft.
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Average Hike Time: 5-6 hours roundtrip
• Notes: From Stratton Pond, there are multiple connections between this trail and trails to Stratton Mountain, the Adirondack Trail/Long Trail, Bourne Pond and Lye Brook Falls that can offer much longer hikes and overnight backpacking options. Check area hiking maps for ideas.

GPS trailhead:
USGS Map: Stratton Quad

Directions:
From Route 7 in Arlington – From the highway Route 7, take Exit 3 (Arlington) onto Route 313 west. Go right at the first intersection onto South Rd. and take to the end. Go right onto Kansas Rd. and continue until crossing a small bridge over the Roaring Branch River. Take an immediate right turn onto the dirt Kelley Stand Road. Continue east on Kelley Stand Road for about 8.7 miles, where there is a parking lot on the north (left) side of the road.

From Route 100 in West Wardsboro – From Route 100, go west on the Stratton-Arlington Road (also called the Kelley Stand Road) for about 8.0 miles, where there is a parking lot on the north (right) side of he road.

Description:
Stratton Pond is the largest body of water on the Long Trail and is heavily used as an overnight area. There is a large lean-to and a tent platform area available first-come/first-served, and a couple of spots of easy access to the pond for swimming. A fee of $5 per person, paid to the site caretaker, applies to those camping overnight.

Starting from the parking lot, the blue-blazed trail winds generally north in an easy, gradual rise through a mixed forest, with several wet areas that are crossed on planking (puncheon). Stay on the trail and puncheon to minimize damage to the surrounding area. At 3.8 miles, the trail crosses a stream and turns sharply right onto an old logging road, soon coming to a junction with the AT/LT. Follow the AT/LT .1 mi. to the Pond.

Returning to the parking lot is a simple matter of reversing the trail. However, you can also return via a much longer loop by taking the AT/LT east and then south back to Kelley Stand Road, from where it is a .5 mi walk west back to the original parking lot.

Location: Townshend State Forest, Townshend, VT

• Length: 3.5 Mile Loop
• Elevation Gain: 1100 ft.
• Difficulty: Moderate Ascent / Strenuous Descent
• Average Hike Time: 3 Hour

From Townshend follow Route 30 2.0 miles North to the Townshend Dam, turning West across the spillway to a ‘T’ where you turn left and pass the Scott Covered Bridge, to bear right and travel parallel to the West River to the State Park entrance at 1.4 miles. Cross the road to the right of the Park building to campsite #25 where the trailhead is marked with a sign and very large blue blazes.

The trail criss-crosses a brook to the 0.6 mile mark where it bears right and ascends over varied terrain up a hillside to the 1680 foot summit at 1.7 miles. From the summit take the blue-blazed trail to the right of the northern overlook, which rapidly descends and bears right at 2.0 miles down a steep hill with occasional views.

The downgrade continues to the 3.3 mile mark where it eases leading to campsite #6 of the campground. Follow this road back to the parking area.