The Green Mountain Club, maintainer and protector of Vermont’s Long Trail, has released its annual message advocating responsible use of hiking trails from mid-April until Memorial Day weekend; warmer temperatures and a substantial winter snowpack have made Vermont’s hiking trails wet, muddy, and especially prone to erosion. Hikers walking on saturated soils or on the sides of trails cause irreversible erosion and damage surrounding vegetation of our beloved Green Mountains. However, not all trails on state lands are closed this spring – just the higher elevation trails. Lower elevation state parks and forests have trails that are open. For details on what trails are open, folks should visit the VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation website for a complete listing of what is open and closed. http://fpr.vermont.gov/
GMC archive photo
The State of Vermont officially closes trails on state lands from April 15 through the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. These lands include: Coolidge State Forest, Camel’s Hump State Park, Mansfield State Forest, Long Trail State Forest, Jay State Forest and all other state forest lands. Trails on the Green Mountain National Forest are not officially closed, but the USDA Forest Service asks hikers to avoid muddy higher elevation trails like the Long Trail until Memorial Day weekend.
“It’s been a long winter and everyone is itching to take a hike. If a trail is so muddy that you need to walk on the soil beside it, turn back and seek an alternative area to hike or an alternate outdoor activity like canoeing or biking,” recommends GMC Director of Trail Programs Dave Hardy.
Dry trails at lower elevations, dirt roads, and recreation paths provide excellent opportunities for spring activities. “High elevation soils retain snow and ice longer, and they dry out later, so we ask folks to use their judgment since a trail may be ready for hiking at the trailhead, but will get softer and still have a snowpack as you climb higher,” says Hardy.
The GMC thanks hikers for their cooperation in helping to preserve one of Vermont’s finest recreational resources, our hiking trails. For information on mud season hiking opportunities, please contact the Green Mountain Club (802) 244-7037; [email protected].
Established in 1910 to build the Long Trail, the Green Mountain Club is a private, nonprofit organization with over 9,000 members. The GMC is dedicated to maintaining, managing, and protecting Vermont’s historic Long Trail System and advocating for hiking opportunities in Vermont. Every year more than 800 volunteers work so that future generations may enjoy the 475-mile Long Trail System. Contact the Green Mountain Club to learn more about the GMC or to become a member.