In his poetry, Robert Frost wrote about Vermont's nature and rugged terrain. Today hikers can experience the poetry by hiking the same trails once traveled by Frost.
Thousands of tourists visit Vermont each year to see the fall foliage, to ski the slopes and to experience nature first hand. During the summer, hikers appear on the Long Trail, which was America’s longest trail prior to the Appalachian Trail. Within the Long Trail, hikers can experience Big Branch Wilderness, Breadloaf Wilderness, and Bristol Cliffs Wilderness areas.
The Long Trail, located in the Green Mountains, runs through central Vermont from its northern border with Canada to its southern border with Massachusetts. This trail takes the hiker to the true back country of Vermont. The trail commonly known as the “footpath in the wilderness” takes hikers to its rugged peaks, pristine ponds, alpine bogs, hardwood forests, and swift streams. The footpath is two hundred and seventy miles with a hundred and seventy-five miles of side trails. There are seventy primitive shelters along the path.
Big Branch Wilderness is the place for hiking photographers. Here hikers get to see wild turkeys, beavers, and moose. However, be cautious of the moose, they are considered Vermont’s most dangerous four legged animal. Found in the streams along the trail are trout, a fisherman’s delight. The trees that give shade over the trails are maple, beech, and birch. The pine trees located on the trail are red spruce, balsam fir, and hemlock. Elbow Swamp is located here and requires rubber boots for those who wish to explore the area. This trail crosses the Appalachian Trail.
Breadloaf Wilderness is the largest wilderness of the Green Mountains. Here hikers can climb the presidential range – Mounts Wilson, Roosevelt, Cleveland and Grant. Hikers beware of the moose and black bear who call this area home. Here the headwaters of the New Haven and White Rivers are stocked with small brook trout.
Bristol Cliffs Wilderness has no designated trails and considered a primitive trail, which means hikers should carry a compass and a map of the trail and know how to use them. On this trail hikers will see the surrounding farmlands, the Adirondack Mountains, Lake Champlain, beavers, whitetail deer, black bear, and grouse (hikers should keep a safe distance from the wildlife). There is a lot of historical significance in this area that predate the Revolutionary War and the industrial revolution. The iron furnaces, power dams, and charcoal kilns are still visible. The Bristol Cliffs in past years have been the home of Peregrine Falcons. Climbing the cliffs is dangerous and the forest rangers strongly recommend not climbing the cliffs.
For more information on hiking trails in the Green Mountains, please see the Green Mountain National Forest website.
Source: Link Vermont
