Homepage > Trails
The Trails Page
Here you will find info on the NEKGMC's trail work projects, details about the section's 'adopt-a-trail' program, and news about trail building and maintaining in the Northeast Kingdom.
NEKGMC Trail and Work Projects in the Northeast Kingdom
- Bald Mountain Fire Tower – restored 2001 — 2003.
- Monadnock Mountain Fire Tower – restored summer 2005.
- Moose Mountain Trail/Wheeler Pond trailhead bridge – replaced National Trails Day 2004.
- Wheeler Pond Camps – frequent and on-going maintenance projects.
Champion Lands Trail Planning
GMC is currently in the process of developing a management plan for hiking trails on the former Champion Lands in northern Essex County, a region that includes over 300,000 acres of public and private conservation land. The trail plan calls for the development over time of a network of trails linking together existing trails on Bluff and Gore Mountains as well as the development of new connecting trails, many of which follow existing woods roads and skid trails. The proposed system could include up to twenty miles of hiking trails that provide access to such unique areas as Unknown Pond, Middle Mountain and the Bluff Mountain Ridgeline. While the plan is extensive, it calls for the slow development of trails on only a fraction of the former Champion property. Working with the principle stakeholders: the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Essex Timber Company, the Nature Conservancy, the Vermont Land Trust, VAST and other partners, GMC seeks to create a thoughtful and rewarding hiking experience that compliments the rugged and pristine nature of this wild corner of Vermont.
GMC Essex Timber Proposal _FCL ALL.pdf
GMC Hiking Corridor Mgmt Plan_2007.pdf
GMC Phase II Abstract_2007[1].pdf
Trails Workshops
GMC offers basic and advanced trail workshops throughout the year with limited trail maintenance outings offered by the local NEK Section.
For more information contact the GMC Waterbury office
(802)244-7037
or NEK Section Trails and Shelters Coordinator, Luke O'Brien (luke@northwoodscenter.org).
Visit our ‘Volunteer’ page for more ways to help.
'Adopt-a-Trail'
Responsibilities for trail adoption/maintainance include: cleaning out leaves and debris in drainage structures, keeping the trail clear of blowdowns, brush and annual vegetation, maintaining well-defined paint blazes, blocking in unofficial trails and campsites with brush and debris, making an assessment of the condition of the trail and listing problems that need attention, reporting on signs that are missing, inaccurate, damaged or needed. Also conduct walk-throughs of the trail - at least twice a year (spring/fall), submit work trip reports and report major problems to the Adopt-a-Trail Coordinator.
Adopted Trails
- Burke Mountain: Red and Blue Trails: Joe Anastasia (vtjoe@kingcon.com)
- Gore Mountain Trail (and cabin): Luke O Brien (luke@northwoodscenter.org)
- Haystack Mountain: North and South Trails: Robbie Robinson (robal8@earthlink.net)
- Mt. Hor: Herbert Hawkes Trail: Kevin Williamson
- Bald Mountain: Long Pond Trail: Jean Haigh ( articwolf2@gmail.com -or- jean.haigh@jsc.edu )
- Mt Pisgah: North and South Trails: Lenny Targonski (lwtarg@hotmail.com)
- Bluff Mountain Trail: Luke O Brien (luke@northwoodscenter.org)
- Brousseau Mountain Trail: Kevin Williamson
- Averill Mountain Trail: Kevin Williamson
- Mad Brook Trail: Luke O Brien (luke@northwoodscenter.org)
Available Trails
- Monadnock Mountain Trail
- Moose Mountain Trail: Wheeler Pond to Willoughby Lookout
- Mt. Hor: Wheeler Pond Trail
- Wheeler Mountain: Red and White Trails
- Mt. Pisgah: Long Pond or North or South Trails
If you would like to help maintain a trail or simply monitor a trail for maintenance needs,
contact the local trail adopter or sign up with our Trail Adoption Coordinator,
Kevin Williamson (802) 222-5951.
All abilities welcome; please help by volunteering your time.
Northeast Kingdom Mountain Trail Guide Trifold Brochure