Vermont State Parks

Contact: Jessica Savage, Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation 802-249-1230, jessica.savage@vermont.gov Keegan Tierney, Green Mountain Club 802-241-8320, ktierney@greenmountainclub.org Ethan Ready, Green Mountain National Forest Ethan.ready@usda.gov Vermont – The holiday weekend is traditionally the start of the hiking season in Vermont. From its rocky summits to its gentle valleys, Vermont is home to hundreds of miles of hiking opportunities. This year, with COVID-19 as a dominant concern, we are asking hikers to take a few extra precautions to both protect public health and protect the public value of our beautiful trails. Hiking is the ideal outdoor recreational activity for these times since you can get outside for exercise and fresh air while still adhering to social distancing and hygiene guidelines, if we’re all smart and courteous about getting outside. New COVID-19 Trail Etiquette Out-of-state visitors are still being asked to self-quarantine for at least 14 days after...

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...