A Local's Guide to Early Season Hiking

Now that the snow has melted and the temperatures are warmer, most of us want to get outside and hike! But, mud season is not a good time for hiking in certain areas. Rain and melting snow at higher elevations are keeping many of Vermont's hiking trails wet and muddy. When hikers tramp on saturated soils, they cause soil compaction and erosion as well as damage to the trail and surrounding vegetation. Please help protect the fragile trails this time of year by staying off muddy trails.

Higher elevation soils take longer to dry out. This year mud season is early. A trail may be dry at the trailhead, but is muddy at a higher elevation this time of year. If you notice this happening, please turn around! Trails at lower elevations, dirt roads, and recreation paths provide excellent places for early spring walking.

Below is a list of great places to hike during mud season and please visit our hiking page at http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/hikingtrails.htm for more information - enjoy!

Southeast Vermont:

• Mt. Ascutney State Park Parkway (when all ice has melted)

• West River Trail

• Jamaica State Park Trails

Southwest Vermont:

• Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail

• Emerald Lake State Park roads

• Button Bay State Park roads

• Woodford State Park Trails

Northwest Vermont:

• Burlington Bike Path
• The Austin Brook Trail in Warren/Granville
• Travel Around Middlebury Trail (TAM)
• Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail

• Cotton Brook Area - Moscow/Stowe

• Alburgh Recreation Trail
• Mallets Bay Causeway

• Cambridge Greenway Recreation Path

• Mount Philo State Park

Northeast Vermont:

• The Cross VT Trail - runs west to east across VT
• Thresher Hill; Pine Brook Trails
• Liberty Hill; Contest Trails
• Lefferts Pond
• Robert Frost Interpretive Trail
• Stowe Bike Path

Along with the warmer weather, there are many aspects of nature beginning to emerge for us to enjoy. Thank you for helping to preserve our beautiful natural resources!

Guidelines to follow when hiking this time of year
• If a trail is so muddy that you need to walk on the vegetation beside it, turn back and seek another place to hike.
• Plan spring hikes in hardwood forests at lower elevations.
• Avoid spruce-fir (conifer) forest at higher elevations and on north slopes before late May and from the end of October until frozen or snow covered.
• Camels Hump and Mt Mansfield trails are technically closed from April to Memorial day, but because of the early mud season the trails are currently closed until they dry out. Please do not hike here. Stay below 3000 ft during these times of year.

Staying away from certain places during mud season makes them ready to enjoy this summer. Have fun out there!

For more information, and other mud season hiking options, check out the Green Mountain Club Mud Season Hiking page.

Have fun out there!