Taking a Hike Back in Time

Please don't travel until it's safe to do so! Our travel posts are great for making future plans or dreaming about your next escape. Learn more about Vermont State Parks and COVID-19.

Is your favorite outdoor space too busy with people for your comfort right now? Then take a hike back in time by visiting Amity Pond State Park in Pomfret, Vermont. Amity Pond is a park you may not know, and neither have all those other people crowding your favorite trailhead. 

Rolling hills in Pomfret, Vermont

Part of the enjoyment of visiting this park is your journey of arrival. This out of the way place is nestled in the rolling pastural hills of picturesque Pomfret. Vermont’s most photographed homestead, Sleepy Hollow Farm, brings hundreds of photographers to Pomfret in every beautiful Vermont season. 

Pomfret is the quintessential rolling agricultural hills and historic homes that make up what we call the very best in Vermont. I was lucky enough to live in Pomfret on Galaxy Hill Road (as incredible as it sounds) twenty years ago when I worked for the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) as an  environmental educator when they were located in Woodstock. (Today you can visit VINS and see raptors and check out their canopy walk at their beautiful location right next to Quechee State Park right on Route 4.) 

Today on my way to the park I decided to drive through East Barnard instead of Pomfret to make the journey more adventurous. Driving Vermont dirt roads past historic homes on a sunny summer day is one of the greatest joys in life. East Barnard does not disappoint, as I drove through the small village, I saw a group of artists—all with easels and oil paints, working to capture the beauty surrounding us all at that moment. 

A kiosk indicates the trails in the park

Leaving those artists behind, very quickly I arrived at the park. You will see places where cars have pulled over on each side of the road, and the park sign set back from the road near two well worn footpaths entering the woods. Stepping out of my car I was surrounded by the sounds of red-eyed vireo song and I knew I was in for a treat.

Since you are reading this blog, I assume you also love peaceful walks in the woods. Amity Pond does not disappoint in this arena. There are about three miles of trails, meandering through second growth mixed hardwood forests and beautiful pastures. There is some elevation change, but not enough to make the hiking strenuous. This is a fantastic place for a quiet, contemplative walk in the woods, which is what Richard and Elizabeth Brett had in mind when they donated this parcel to the State of Vermont in 1969, and later lobbied to designate it a State Natural Area in 1983. 

A quiet pool to ponder in the woods

Richard and Elizabeth were conservationists and donated this piece of land as a quiet place for people to unwind and reconnect with nature. They valued this so greatly they required the deed to forbid machinery and technology, including forbidding radios. While I was walking around taking photos, both my previously fully charged cell phones completely died. This is probably a coincidence, but I felt guilt as I was doing photo shoots with a variety of interesting trees I saw on the side of the trail. I felt that Richard and Elizabeth would not approve, and then my batteries died. 

Richard Brett wrote some forestry publications, and he and Elizabeth created an experimental tree farm focused on wildlife habitat in Barnard on Hawk’s Hill. The Brett’s were from Connecticut but moved to Woodstock, Vermont in 1953. Woodstock is a mecca for the modern environmentalist movement, with George Perkins Marsh, born in Woodstock, kicking off the modern environmental movement with his book, Man and Nature, in 1864. When you visit Amity Pond, I recommend you also swing into Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock and learn more about George Perkins Marsh, and the other two other families listed in the park name. The national park is an outdoor museum of forestry practices, I could go on about this, but this blog is about Amity Pond, our secret state park gem.

One of two lean-tos on property

Amity Pond has two rustic leantos you can use for camping on a first come, first served basis. There is no potable water, and you must follow all seven Leave No Trace principles. Most importantly, you must carry in and carry out everything—leaving no litter or waste behind. Fires can only be kindled in the fireplaces at the two leantos.

No one was camping during my visit, so I took a little video about the legend of Amity Pond and how it was named, right on the shore of the small pond. What is the legend? Check out my video to find out. 

A red eft on the trail

If you need to get away to a quiet place with a peaceful walk in the woods, Amity Pond is for you. Tell us about your visit away from the crowds at your favorite state park and let us know if you make it over to Amity Pond Natural Area State Park. If you go, invite your best friend, and leave your radios at home. 

Rebecca Roy, Conservation Education Coordinator