Antone Mountain via Old Town, Andone, Ski, and McCormick Trails (Merck Forest and Farmland Center)

Antone Mountain via Old Town, Andone, Ski, and McCormick Trails (Merck Forest and Farmland Center)

Hike Type: -o-o- Loop

Distance: 5.76 miles

Elevation: 1,213 feet

My Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes moving)

Book Time: 3 hours, 29 minutes

Parking: Plenty of parking at Merck Forest and Farmlands Visitor Center
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

I had another beautiful drive from Haystack to the Merck Forest and Farmland Center, where I'd be parking to hike up to Antone Mountain. The access road was well-signed and very scenic, but I was shocked at how many cars there were at the parking lot! It was a big parking lot, so it wasn't an issue, but wildly different than my last hike. The temperature was still in the mid-50s and was just delightful. I got ready at the car and started my adventure!

[9:03am - Start of Hike]

I started by walking through the parking lot, past a mini meadow of really cool flowers (perennial cornflowers, thank you, Seek!) to a little welcome pavillion of sorts with a lot of information on the eco-region.

"Northern Appaachian-Acadian Bioregion: A Habitat of Global Significance

The Northern Appalachian Acadian Bioregion (NAAB) includes all or portions of five northeastern states in the United States and four southeastern and Maritime provinces in Canada.

The pargest intact temperate mixed broadleaf forest remaining in the world, this 82 million acre bioregion consists of numerous unfragmented forest blocks measuring over 25,000 acres each. This diverse landscape also includes ocean shorelines, mountain ranges, and river valleys, as well as wetlands, alpine regions, and grasslands.

The NAAB is a center of climate resilience in eastern North America, creating a transition zone between northern boreal and souther temperate forests which allows species to shift their ranges in response to climate change. These large forest blocks and intact corridors also help safeguard the region's ecological services, including carbon storage, nutrient cycling, wildlife habitat, and pest regulation.

Northern Taconic Forest Block: A Key Link in a Connectivity Corridor

Unfragmented forest blocks - contiguous forests and natural communities that are not bisected by roads, agriculture, or development - provide critical habitat for wildlife. They allow for connectivity across the Northern Appalachian Acadian Bioregion (NAAB) and provide core habitats - areas with sufficient suitable habitat area to maintain viable breeding populations for resident species and sufficient habitat to support temporary populations, such as migratory birds. These blocks also allow for genetic exchange across populations of far-reaching animal species and for diversity in the physical landscape, including riparian networks of streams, rivers, and wetlands.

The Northern Taconic Forest Block, a 42,000-acre block located here in southwestern Vermont, composed of public and private lands, plays a critical role in supporting species that are being bushed out of their traditional ranges by warming temperatures. The block's size and connectivity to ecoregions ranging from eastern temperate forests in the south to taiga make it both a chokepoint and critical stop-over for species migrating northward in search of suitable habitat.

Merck Forest & Farmland Center: A Resilient Anchor

Located at the northern edge of the aformentioned 42,000 acre forest block, Merck Forest and Farmland Center (MFFC) consists of more than 3,500 acres protected by permanent conservation easements with the Vermont Land Trust and the New England Forestry Foundation.

MFFC is composed of agricultural and forested land managed primarily for ecological health and resilience. The rich diversity of natural communities (Defined as recurring assemblages of plants and animals found in particular physical environments) at MFFC provide habitat for a variety of species, while the dramatic topography allows those species to shift aspect and elevation to meet their needs in response to increasingly frequent weather extremes arising from the warming climate." from Trailhead Kiosk

There was also a QR code to check-in, but I had no service. Just after the mini-pavillion was the welcome center (I was feeling anti-social, so I did not visit), and then the main trail, named Old Town Road, began on the right just afterwards.

[9:05am - Old Town Road]

Naturally, I began to sing "Old Town Road" in my head the second I started hiking. A massive tractor started driving up behind me, so I pulled over and got a big thumbs up from the driver. The Old Town Road exited the woods and opened up to what seemed like the main farm area, with beautiful views to the valley below and up to Antone (not to mention the meadows and farmlands all around). There was a MASSIVE group congregating at the Sap House - that must have been all the cars. A guy on a golf cart asked if I was with "Williams," but when I said no he drove right off. Interesting! The whole area reminded me a bit of Sky Meadows State Park in Virginia.

[9:10am - Old Town Road/Stone Lot Road]

At a junction near some farm buildings, I turned right to continue onto Old Town Road, hiking past some horses and sheep on the left and a small pond on the right. It smelled like autumn outside - probably due to the meadows and cooler temperatures. The Old Town Road paralleled another meadow that provided nice views to the mountains in New York.

[9:14am - Old Town Road/Gallup Road]

[9:15am - Old Town Road/McCormick Trail]

Old Town Road entered the woods after a junction with Gallup Road and soon after passed a junction with McCormick Trail. The trail network in here is extensive, featuring roads and trails. I planned to follow the roads up to Antone (which was the AllTrails route), but was open to exploring some more on the way back down. We'll see!

The trees around the road were tall and green as I began to climb up moderately, passing one hiker in flip flops. The road flattened out where Old Town Road turned left, and I continued straight onto Antone Road.

[9:22am - Antone Road]

Antone Road was more of a dirt road versus a wide gravel road - the footbed was wonderfully soft. I walked along the flat road for a bit, past an aggressively loud woodpecker and then some sap tubing. 

[9:31am - Antone Road/McCormick Trail]

[9:33am - Antone Road/Clark's Clearing/Ski Trail]

Antone Road opened up to a smaller meadow at another junction with McCormick Trail, and entered Clark's Clearing just after, which featured a junction with a few trails, a cabin, and a fire ring. I guess you can spend the night!

A woman running with her dog appeared in the clearing and scared the life out of me! After the cabin, I continued on Antone Road as it steepened more than I was emotionally prepared for! I was huffing and puffing my way up, but thankfully just when I began to "see the light," the trail flattened out again. The grass on the road was taller up here - I could tell the further I got from the parking area, the fewer people there were to tramp down the trail.

[9:46am - Antone Road/Ski Trail]

[9:47am - Antone Road/Wade Lot Road]

[9:50am - Antone Road/Lookout Road]

Antone Road descended slightly, passing the upper junction with the Ski Trail and Wade Lot Road just after. I continued along, passing Lookout Road (which intrigued me due to there being a lookout on it), but I was discouraged because it looked... ticklish. 

After Lookout Road, I had my third climb, which was nowhere near as brutal as the second. There were extremely obstructed tree views over on the left. A heavenly breeze pushed me up and along to the junction with the Beebe Pond Trail, another possible extension I thought about that looked nice and grown-in. Sad!

[9:54am - Antone Road/Beebe Pond Trail]

Antone Road rounded the summit cone and started the final push to the top of Antone Mountain! There was one blowdown to navigate which was a bummer, but otherwise it was all good!

[9:58am - Antone Mountain Summit]

The summit of Antone Mountain is informally marked with a small viewpoint and a bench (and some flies). It looked like the road continued past the summit, so I followed it down and I was THRILLED! The lower view was nothing short of spectacular. It was a bit chilly with the breeze and my wet shirt, but it was beautiful. The farmlands below were the main feature, but I could also make out the Hudson River Valley, other peaks in New York, and even Mt. Marcy way in the distance! I relieved myself up here, which taught me that I desperately needed to drink some water. I also realized that I finished my list! Yay!

[10:05am - Antone Road]

[10:10am - Antone Road/Beebe Pond Trail]

I made my way back onto Antone Road, up and over the summit, and down to the Beebe Pond Trail junction, hoping for a clearer footbed, but it was fully covered in grass. Not today! I was flirting with maybe doing a reverse lollipop loop further down below? Not sure, we'll see! I think I would have been more adventerous if there weren't likely ticks out and if I didn't want to also hike Bromley on the way home.

[10:14am - Antone Road/Lookout Road]

[10:16am - Antone Road/Wade Lot Road]

I hiked past Lookout Road and still didn't want to deal with the tickly grass, so I continued on Antone Road, passing Wade Lot Road, and then the Ski Trail. Something drew me to the Ski Trail, maybe because I miss ski season? But against better judgement RE: grass, I decided I'd take that detour!

[10:17am - Ski Trail]

I was thinking I'd regret this side trip, but not at all! There was a lovely breeze the whole time and it was MOSTLY not-too-grassy. There were a few "Antone Ski Trail" trail markers, and even a little peek-a-view to Haystack Mountain! I did have to plow through a bit of grass down at the terminus at Clark Clearing, but I was thrilled with my detour! It was also less steep than the road would have been.

[10:26am - Antone Road]

I had a very short stint back on Antone Road before decided I'd hike the McCormick Trail. I planned to do McCormick to Wildlife Trail but could also do McCormick back to Old Town Road if I needed to. Only bummer I ran into was that there was ~40 feet of uncut grass at the trailhead to McCormick, so I BLASTED off, hopping like a gazelle to get back into the woods.

[10:28am - McCormick Trail]

A passed a sign calling this area a wildlife safety zone with some nearby deer poop for good measure. The upper part of the McCormick Trail was occasionally blazed with old metal arrow discs. There was a steep-moderate descent in ferny woods at first before the trail turned to follow the contour. The wonderful breeze continued in these woods, which was wonderful. The trail did become a little osbcure at points, but I was able to find my way.

McCormick Trail transitioned from a narrow footpath to an old road bed further down and later entered a recently logged area, where the trail was tricky to follow again (and footing was loose, even though it was not steep). 

[10:42am - McCormick Trail/Wildlife Trail]

At the junction with the Wildlife Trail, I spend a minute going over my options, and it seemed like taking the Wildlife Trail would add at least two miles to my journey. That, paired wtih the unpleasant logging roads, I decided to follow McCormick back to Old Town Road. I continued on the road, past some bright orange baby mushrooms (orange peel fungus, thanks Seek!), over a couple wet spots that were simply unpleasant (but had deer tracks so that was fun), stepped over some blowdowns, and... came to a dead end at a large meadow? 

[10:49am - End of Woods Road]

This was the same meadow that Old Town Road parallels near the Gallup junction, but I was on the wrong, far side of it. There was simply no footpath to get to Old Town Road from here. I was confused, and AllTrails didn't have the McCormick or Wildlife Trails on the map, so I was extra confused. I spent some time looking around and thinking, and then I went through my camera for clues of what I did wrong. Turns out I mad missed a turn off of the woods road - agh! 

I started my backtrack, hopping over the blowdowns and admiring the little mushrooms and deer tracks. The McCormick Trail turns uphill off of the road just after a little muddy stream. It is blazed, but I had missed it avoiding mud and looking at mushrooms and deer prints, naturally.

[10:53am - McCormick Trail turns off of woods road]

The trail climbed diagonally along the contour and got a bit grassy again before reaching it's height of land and terminating at Old Town Road - we're so back!

[10:56am - Old Town Road]

I followed Old Town Road along the upper boundary of the meadow, and then decided I'd take a detour to the tiny Page Pond, which was signed and mowed. 

[11:00am - Page Pond]

The pond was very small and murky, with the left side being full of reeds. All of it was full of salamanders! Red-winged blackbirds were flying and screaming all around. It was a really nice, short detour!

[11:06am - Old Town Road]

I got back onto Old Town Road to put a bow on this adventure. There were still a ton of people at the Sap House, they looked like teens. They also all had red or blue whistles? Across the farmland, I could see that it was raining in New York, but it was still an absolutely stunning day in Vermont! The same tractor from before passed me twice on my hike out, giving thumbs up both times!

[11:12am - End of Hike]

I made it back to the car and did another quick change before getting some lunch from the Stewarts in Manchester and driving over to my final hike of my little trip - Bromley Mountain!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Old Town Road.

- At jct., continue straight, right onto Antone Road.

- Summit Antone Mountain, then turn around.

- At jct., turn left onto Ski Trail.

- At terminus, continue left onto Antone Road.

- At jct., turn left onto McCormick Trail.

- At terminus, continue left onto Old Town Road.

- At jct., turn left to Page Pond.

- At Page Pond, turn around.

- At terminus, turn left onto Old Town Road.

- Follow Old Town Road to car.

Map of Merck Forest and Farmlands Center

Photo Album

Haystack Mountain (North Pawlet Hills Natural Area)

Haystack Mountain (North Pawlet Hills Natural Area)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 3.57 miles

Elevation: 1,198 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes (1 hour, 22 minutes moving)

Book Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes

Parking: Limited roadside parking on Waite Hill Road (signed).
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

I had a SOLID night's sleep at the world's strangest little motel! I got up at 6:00am and was out the door at 6:20am. I saw there was a Maplefields in Manchester, which got me super excited for a breakfast sandwich, but this Maplefields did not have breakfast sandwiches. I pivoted to Dunkin which saved me, and then I had a beautiful drive to the North Pawlet Hills Natural Area with a wonderful view of Haystack Mountain in the last bit. There was clear pull-off parking for 4-5 cars at the signed trailhead. I was feeling a bit of anxiety about the sub plans I had left (did I even leave any??), but I had zero service, so nothing I could do! It was a delightfully crisp 55 degrees out and there was one other car at the trailhead. My body was feeling tired, so I was glad I had some easier hikes to do today. I booted up and got on my way!

[7:07am - Tunket Road]

My journey started with a gravel road walk on Tunket Road, which felt like a private driveway but was clearly signed as the way to Haystack Mountain. I followed some sap tubing and admired the abundant dandelions. After a few minutes, the road comes to a junction with driveways for two seperate homes on either side of the road. Here, the road/trail continues straight ahead (signed). Past the homes, the road becomes more wooded and less-frequently used. There was also a sign for an AirBnb cabin in this direction.

Tunket Road climbed for a minute before flattening out as it passed a home on the right and a meadow on the left with the smallest view up to Haystack over the trees - it was pretty, and Haystack is a super cool looking mountain!

The road begins to swing right as the Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail to Haystack Mountain begins on the left.

[7:18am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail]

There was a large kiosk and sign indicating that I was in fact in the right spott!

"North Pawlet Hills Natural Area

Welcome to North Pawlet Hills Natural Area where remote, low peaks within the Taconic Mountains support a diverse set of natural communities. The most prominent trio of these forested knobs - now called Haystack, MIddle, and Bald Mountain - has a rich human history, as the bounty of these lands has been recognized by the Western Abenaki and Mohicans for centuries. Bobcats and other wildlife also depend on these dry grassy glades, sparsely vegetated cliffs, and secluded stony outcrops.

Staying Connected

This natural area is at the core of an unfragmented forest block - the result of a collaborative conservation effort amongst surrounding towns, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, Vermont Land Trust, Friends of Haystack, and others. This allows our iconic wide-ranging wildlife such as moose and bobcat to move freely in the face of a changing climate.

Haystack Mountain

A short, steep hike ascends across TNC land to Haystack Mountain's 1,919-foot summit, which is owned and protected by the Friends of Haystack. The stunning views make it the most popular destination at North Pawlet Hills. Haystack's dramatic south-facing cliffs offer habitat to peregrine falcons that nest here every year to raise their young." from Trailhead Kiosk

The trail descended slightly, crossed a baby stream, and then came to a trail register. I heard a lady screaming in the distance, which simply did not excite me. Thankfully, it was just a mom, daughter, and their FOUR dogs. One was named Skittles, which was fun. They must have been the other car at the trailhead. After crossing paths with them, I crossed another baby stream and continued to descend via switchbacks (more than I wanted to). 

[7:23am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail/Bridge]

Eventually, the trail crossed a brook on a lovely bridge at the low point of the hike. After the bridge, I was in the sun and starting my climb! I meandered past some old logging roads before descending slightly again, navigating a big blowdown, and enjoying a spectacular breeze.

I turned a corner to climb a bit steeper up near the col between Haystack and it's neighboring peak, passing a really cool boulder that you could see through a little natural window! I noticed there were a few trail relocations (no clue how old they are) that added switchbacks or bypassed eroded stretches, it was a nice climb!

I wiggled my way up near the col, admiring some neat cliffs along the neighboring peak, Middle Mountain, stepping over two more blowdowns and getting cell service! I quickly checked my work email and was relieved to see that I did everything correctly - phew! Back on airplane mode.

My reward for doing my sub plans correctly was another wonderful breeze that I happily accepted. I turned a corner, entering a dark, coniferous forest, before hiking along another series of switchbacks to the main spine of Haystack Mountain, which the trail moderately followed right on to the top!

[7:51am - Haystack Mountain Summit]

And the climb was more than worth it - the view was spectacular! There was no disc but there was a bore hole, which I guess counts for something? Looking straight out I could see Equinox Mountain. To the right, beyond the nearby hills, were the Catskills! I could also just barely make out the Adirondacks on the far right.

To the left was Dorset Mountain, which was hiding in a cloud, and further to the left was the mass of the Killington complex, also partly in a cloud. It was SO NICE up top! I could have spent a lot more time up here if I didn't have two more hikes on my list and I was over three hours from home. I chugged some Nuun and started my trip back down!

[7:58am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail]

To no surprise, once I started my descent, my tummy began to act up. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day! I found myself wondering about the different between the Taconic and the Green Mountains, and with some lackluster Googling, I haven't found much of an answer. Probably geology? I'd love to know more, though! Parts of the trail were steeper than I had realized now that I was going down, guess I'm super strong?

[8:17am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail/Bridge]

I truly made it to the bridge in no time and then dealt with the bit of uphill I had to do, which did pack a little bit of a punch! I signed the reigster on the way out, since I missed it on the way in due to Skittles & Co.

[8:23am - Tunket Road]

I made my way out of the woods and back onto Tunket Road, passing the meadow and then posted private property belonging to Waite, which is the name of the road I parked on, how fun! Near the end of Tunket Road, I passed a guy walking in dresssed in all camo and holding a rifle. I did not care for this, but I also know and acknowledge that this is a hunting area, too. 

[8:34am - End of Hike]

I ended my hike a few minutes later back at the car! I wasn't overly sweaty due to the shorter lenght of the hike and the wonderful weather, so I only swapped my shirt and socks before my next hike on Mt. Antone. I waved to a farm car that appeared to be hunting in a field, and I was on my way! 

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Tunket Road.

- At trailhead, turn left onto the Comby M. Chester Memorial Trail.

- Follow trail to the top.

- At the summit, turn around and return to car.

Map of North Pawlet Hills Natural Area

Photo Album

Zion Major & Minor, Moot Point, Japanese Garden, & Meadow Ramble (Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park)

Zion Major & Minor, Moot Point, Japanese Garden, & Meadow Ramble (Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park)

Hike Type: Spaghetti Loop

Distance: 2.49 miles

Elevation: 554 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 14 minutes (1 hour, 11 minutes moving)

Book Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Parking: Parking for 10-12 cars at Zen Garden Trailhead.
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

And now for something COMPLETELY different! It had become a beautiful, hot, sunny day with minimal clouds and 75 degrees of warmth. The access road to the park felt a bit like a personal driveway, but signs were clear that I was correct. I was happy to see that even though it was a state park, there was no entry fee. The main parking area was at the end of the narrow access road. There were a couple of other cars and FRESH porta potties! There were lovely views to nearby peaks and down into the valley from the parking area. The required peak, Zion Hill, for the Taconic 12er patch was a super short hike, so I was open to exploring. I got my life together, and I was off!

"Welcome to Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park

This State Park was the generous gift of "Kit" and "Mickie" Davidson in 2016. After purchasing this property in 1966, they created a Japanese garden, hiking trails and other amenities and invited the public to share this Vermont landscape.

The property is comprised of 420 acres of former farmland and woodlands. The northern hardwood forest is a mix of maple, birch, beech, and ash, yielding brilliant fall foliage. The varied terrain includes wildflower meadows, fern groves, stands of white pine, steep cliffs, glaciated boulders and waterfalls. A hike to the top of Mt. Zion is rewarded with a sweeping view of Hubbardton Battlefield, the site of the only Revolutionary War battle fought in Vermont.

Carson "Kit" Davidson was born on June 24, 1924 in Washington, D.C. He served in the Army in World War II as a blood analysis technician. After attending Antioch College, he moved to New York City and found work at Dynamic Films. Using borrowed company equipment, he began a long, awward-winning career as an independent filmmaker, incluidng two Academy Award documentary nominations. 

Kit married Margaret "Mickie" Compere and together they lived in Greenwich Village. Mickie was a celebrated children's book author, with a specialty in biographies of inspirational historical figures, including Martin Luther King, Louis Braille, Jackie Robinson and Frederick Douglass, Annie Sullivan and Hellen Keller.

In the 1960's, the couple began looking for a place in the country to get away from the New York hustle. They purchased this 420-acre property in 1966 from farmer Clayton Calvin for $69 an acre.

Kit was inspired by Japanese gardens that he had visited eleven years earlier while on a film project. He created his own Japanese garden on the property, a preoccupation that lasted for more than forty years. In addition, they build an extensive trail network.

The couple moved to the proeprty full-time in 2002. They continued a tradition of opening the property to hikers and visitors that wanted to come and share the beauty of the place. This was made permanent just before Kit's death in 2016, when the property was transferred to the State of Vermont to become a new state park.

The State of Vermont ackowledges the contributions of Ellen Oppenheimer, a longtime family friend and Trustee of Kit's estate, for her assistance in making this wonderful donation possible."

[1:44pm - Start of Hike]

I walked past the trailhead kiosk which detailed the history of this park and turned right to backtrack on the access road. There was a lovely view across a meadow on the right, and I soon turned left to enter the woods on Alyssa Trail.

[1:45pm - Alyssa Trail]

Alyssa Trail followed light blue balzes that appeared to have been red in the past. This was by far the narrowest trail of the day, which rose gently and crossed a few wet spots on stepping stones, passing pretty pink flowers. Further into the woods, I began to pass beautiful mosses and ferns surrounding impressive boulders. I was especially enjoying this lesser-used trail because of how soft the footbed was on my tired feet!

My inner thighs were starting to chafe - I always forget how unnecessarily painful chafing is! The trail scrambled through a cool rockfall area and then turned under a cool rock overhang before crossing an Acadia-Beehive-like bridge with some short, steep scrambles up to the top of Zion Hill, listed on trail markings as Zion Major!

[1:57pm - Zion Major & Jan Trail]

I noticed some discrepencies between the PDF trail map I had and the actual trail layout, and then realized they must have done some reblazing and closing of redundant trails recently. The view from Zion Major was beautiful! Basically the parking lot view, but higher up, and with hazy views on the left to the Adirondacks! There were two friendly woman up there that were absolutely blown away by the view.

The Jan Trail led from Zion Major to the Top of the Ridge viewpoint, which was more of the same just a bit smaller. PeakFinder said I was basically looking at nothing of significance - pretty though!

[1:59pm - Springs Trail]

The Springs Trail led from the Top of the Ridge back into the woods. I passed a closed trail junction that seems to have gone over, around, or through the cliffs. I descended via short, easy switchbacks and crossed a few boards to get back down to the forest floor. 

[2:08pm - Kits Trail]

[2:10pm - Moot Point Trail]

[2:12pm - Zion Minor Loop]

I turned right onto Kits Trail to check out Zion Minor, which was accessed via a short uphill on the Moot Point Trail. The Zion Minor Loop was a little tricky to follow, but again had a nice, limited view to the meadows and the Japanese Garden down below. I passed some painted trillium near the end of the loop, and then decided to continue on the Moot Point Trail to Moot Point, which might have another view?

[2:17pm - Moot Point Trail]

[2:22pm - Moot Point]

The Moot Point Trail was pretty flat with a few gentle ups and downs, crossing a woods road in the middle. To my delight, there WAS a view from Moot Point! It looked down into the valley, which was really pretty. According to PeakFinder, they were still mountains that had no significance to me (yet!). There was a single red columbine flower, too. This hike was so different than the last two, I was really enjoying it (and little did I know, the best was yet to come!).

[2:28pm - Moot Point Trail/Zion Minor Loop]

[2:32pm - Kits Trail]

My return on the Moot Point Trail was nice and easy, passing the Zion Minor Loop soon. I continued onto the rest of Kits Trail, which descended along and through the rocks walls of Zion Minor, which was really cool! They were MASSIVE boulders. I wonder if they're erratics or if they've been eroded off the hill? Kits Trail terminated at the Japaneses Garden, which was...

[2:33pm - Japanese Garden]

Absolute insane?? There were Adirondack Chairs on dirt mounds with a few ponds that were fed by cascading water features off of tall boulders. I may or may not have held my head underneath one to cool off... (it felt so good). There was a series of sketchy ladders to a giant boulder that led to a hidden Adirondack chair, too?

In the main pond, a turtle was swimming around and when I got closer, I saw a salamander! Wait, no, at least 50 salamanders! This place was actually insane.

[2:41pm - Meadow Path]

After a few minutes I continued onto the Meadow Path, following signs for "to Eastern Trails." My only real goal here was to bring the hike to two miles. This trail went into the woods and then followed a cut path through the meadow, which was recently mowed, which did make following the trail a bit confusing. I could hear a tractor, but never saw it thankfully. It was significantly hotter in the sun, which was amplified by the slight uphill walk I was doing once I turned around. I decided that was enough fun, and I made my way back to the Japanese Garden.

[2:51pm - Japanese Garden]

[2:53pm - Garden Trail]

I gawked at the salamanders again before making the slightly steep climb uphill back to the car along the Garden Trail. This trail passed a private residence and a plaque dedicated to the former owners of the land.

[2:58pm - End of Hike]

Back at the car I changed my clothes and started my journey south to Manchester, where I would be staying the Brittany Motel. I was the ONLY person there when I arrived just after 4:00pm. The whole place was pretty interesting. It was basically an AirBnb/Motel hybrid. There was no front desk, just a LOT of emails detailing check in. One interesting thing was that one of the rooms was like a big living room with a kitchen and free snacks, yay?

I showered, got in a power nap, and then drove to the grocery store to pick up some snacks (and taquitos!) to round out my night. A few more people showed up to the motel, and I had a nice night's sleep before my next batch of adventures! 

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Alyssa trail.

- Summit Zion Major.

- Continue on Jan Trail.

- Summit Top of the Ridge.

- Continue on Spring Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Kits Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Moot Point Trail.

- At jct., hike Zion Minor Loop counter-clockwise.

- After loop, continue on Moot Point Trail.

- At Moot Point, turn around.

- At jct. with Kits Trail, turn right onto Kits Trail.

- Explore the Japanese Garden, then hike toward sign for "Eastern Trails."

- Follow trails around meadow, returning to Japenese Garden.

- At garden, follow Garden Trail back to car.

Map of Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park (outdated)

Photo Album

Equinox Mountain, Lookout Rock, Deer Knoll, & Equinox Pond (Equinox Preservation Trust)

Equinox Mountain, Lookout Rock, Deer Knoll, & Equinox Pond (Equinox Preservation Trust)

Hike Type: ----O- Loop

Distance: 9.06 miles

Elevation: 3,278 feet

My Time: 3 hours, 51 minutes (3 hours, 45 minutes moving)

Book Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes

Parking: Parking for <10 cars at red gate. Parking for many many cars at Blue Trailhead (outside of school hours)
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, New England 100 Highest, New England 50 Finest

The Hike 

My drive from Stratton Mountain to Equinox Mountain was nothing short of delightful! I followed Kelly Stream Road through the Green Mountain National Forest (over just a few sketchy bridges), which was a beautiful, winding, gravel road. I continued along, following a brook/river, and eventually landing on VT-7a, passing the Skyline Drive to Equinox Mountain, which was fun to see (and I definitely thought about just driving up, but nooooooo...). 

The parking area at the Red Gate of the Equinox Preservation was full, but there was ample parking down at the student parking area. I was in the parking lot at 11:30am and had to really psych myself up to hike with all the people, since it was noontime on a relatively nice Saturday. I had to artfully apply some chafing/diaper rash ointment on areas where the sun don't shine and slowly got ready. The real driving force to get me going wasn't necessarily the Taconic 12er patch, but just that this had been a bucket list hike for me since college when a friend drove me to her hometown of Manchester, VT after I told her I had not been to Vermont before - it's cool to be finally climbing this mountian!

[11:45am - Start of Hike]

I blasted off from my car toward the Blue Summit Trail right at 11:45am, trying to get past a family that was also getting started. My body was definitely feeling a little mad, but all things considered, I was feeling good!

[11:49am - Blue Summit Trail]

I soon passed a gate and entered the woods at the official trailhead for the Blue Summit Trail. I was continuing to prepare for a very different social experience from my last hike. I caught up to and passed an unfriendly solo hiker ahead of me and heard more kids screaming up ahead. I passed another duo and then the screaming family in an area with many trail junctions.

[11:53am - Blue Summit Trail/Red Gate Trail]

[11:54am - Blue Summit Trail/Flatlanders Trail]

[11:54am - Blue Summit Trail/The Snicket]

[11:57am - Blue Summit Trail/Red Gate Departs]

To my delight, most hikers were taking these trails on the left to the Equinox Pond area - horray! The Blue Summit Trail continued ahead on a very wide old roadbed that reminded me of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. I forced myself to slow down a few times becuase I knew it was going to be a much harder climb than Stratton, but I was still on "get away from these people" mode. I also found myself wondering about a little loop around the pond post-hike... one thing at a time.

The Blue Summit Trail entered an interesting area of private land, marked by a sign that read: "You are now leaving the Mount Equinox Preserve and entering private land. Please respect our neighbors when hiking across their property- Use of these hiking trails is dependent on our neighbor's generosity & willingness to leave their land open. Thank you for your cooperation!" followed by another sign that read "Thompson Acres" - maybe the family that owns the land?

The trail wiggled up and down slightly, passing another sign for "Thomppson Flats" with a driveway/trail. Just after was an old cabin on the left named "Thompson Camp II." I crossed paths with a downhill hiker right at the cabin, so I did not get a photo of it. 

While hiking the Thompson Flats, I heard a loud siren coming from town. I was worried this was a warning of weather, so I momentarily broke my airplane mode rules to check the weather, and it did say chance of rain (which was brand new). It was also noon on the dot, so maybe the sirens were just a time check? Who knows!

[12:04pm - Blue Summit Trail/Maidenhair Trail]

I crossed paths with another solo hiker at the Maidenhair Trail junction (fun name!). Afterwards, the trail narrowed to the width of about one ATV and began to steepen. I couldn't help but admire how seriously the Equinox Preserve takes their waterbars, they were aggressively well-defined and cleared. I was fully dripping in sweat at the one mile mark and slowly caught up to and passed a duo after a particularly steep section.

The trail briefly mellowed but I (correctly) feared that that was only the beginning. I wish I had a lighter shirt on - I was still in a long sleeve since it wasn't overly warm out, but I was COOKING. The first mile of this hike was more difficult than all 13 miles of Stratton!

I climbed up the relentlessly steep trail, daydreaming of what would probably be quite lovely tree views in the winter. There were "significantly fewer flowers on this dreadful climb than Stratton" (as I wrote in my notes). I crossed paths with an unfriendly duo at the 1.5 mile mark, where there was a slight reprieve in grade. The trail contoured along the steep slope with hardwoods on the left and softwoods on the right, which was a fun dichotomy.

[12:34pm - Blue Summit Trail/Upper Spring Trail]

I came to an unmapped but clearly signed junction with the Upper Spring Trail, which looked flat ahead, so I decided to go on a short side quest. The Upper Spring Trail was indeed nice and flat and followed the old road that the Blue Summit Trail had been following until this point. At the terminus, there was a 12" diameter pipe draining a spring into a series of mossy cascades down below - quite lovely! I was tempted to put my head under the torrent, but didn't want to tempt fate. I could also just barely make out the tiniest peekaview to Stratton Ridge and the fire tower!

[12:38pm - Blue Summit Trail]

Back at the junction, the Blue Summit Trail veered off and up onto a footpath that was much narrower and more characteristic of a hiking trail. I could hear the hum of VT-7a down below as I crossed paths with another duo and I got the ping for hitting two miles - almost there (kind of)! I will say, this hike was not as awfully social as I was emotionally prepared for. I crossed paths with a solo hiker who said "good morning" at 12:50pm, which gave me a good giggle (usually I'm the one to make that mistake!).

While flirting with a heart attack, my lower GI tract was also flirting with a different kind of attack... 

I could start to see Manchester through the trees down below as I crossed paths with a tourist couple hiking with just one water bottle just before I turned a corner to start the final segement of this climb. There was a duo weirdly off-trail on the right, but they clearly saw me, so maybe there were on a side quest of sorts? The woods here was of a different character, and more importantly, featured painted trillium and a sea of pre-flowering trout lilies!

The grade was also easier up here, but still not easy. I was fighting the urge to check the map - I didn't want to hurt my own feelings. The temperature started to cool down and I could start to see the sky through the trees, so I knew I was making positive progress. The forest slowly densified (is that a word?) and there were a few red squirrels running around like menaces - a good sign. I passed an abandoned-looking trail/path and began to hear a hum of a communication tower and voila! I made it to the ridge! (EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: It looks like the abandoned trail I passed used to be a yellow-blazed trail, which was a part of a series of trails in the summit area. Not sure when or why they were abandoned).

[1:16pm - Lookout Rock Trail]

I was greeted by a large man who, respectfully, clearly drove to the top peeing on a fence blocking off the communication tower before turning right onto the Lookout Rock Trail. I opted to go to the Lookout Rock first just so I don't lose steam after hitting the summit. I hiked past a unique area with a memorial bench for a cow(?) and across from it was a tombstone for a dog. The bench for the cow(?) had a poem:

"In Loving Memory of Creamer

1989 - 1997

I come to this sacred place -

Where, 40 years ago, the love of man and beast intersected

Boundless, timeless

Across genetic space

Knowing only one language

But spoken by both

Now I stand here where stood another so long ago

Fresh in grief, inconsolable" - left side of trail.

Here lies Barbo

Loved by master unknown

Whose grief 40 years ago

strikes again

Like a virulent germ, long-dormant

Now infected

Grief-stricken

Benefit of understanding, I ask

Why nature, inconsonant with the sentiment of man

Uncaring, unthinking, 

Turns to love to grief

Milk to sour?

Creamer...

The mystery of life deepened now

I burnish your memory daily

Now; carefully

I reach down - one final time

And scoop you up

Your fire against my face

Your tail held

High

***

In tribute to the love which knows no end no time to space

June 28, 1997"

The headstone for Barbo the dog read:

"Mr. Barbo

Born April 20, 1943

We loved him and he repaid that love with an adoring devotion that only a dog could give."

Interesting! From here, the trail easily descended and I crossed paths with a family of four that also clearly drove up. The trail was actually super pretty and partway down had some rock graffiti from 1883. There were occasional patches of super soft dirt that felt amazing on my tired feet and a few herd paths on the left to grown-in views. 

[1:24pm - Beartown Gap/Lookout Rock Split]

[1:25pm - Lookout Rock]

The trail came to a sign pointing to Beartown Gap on the left and Lookout Rock on the right, and Lookout Rock was just after the split! The views very small but lovely and featured a bench (and MANY people). I could see Manchester and Stratton from the lookout, but I took my photo and got out of there due to the number of people in a small area. 

I chose to follow a little herd path that paralleled the main trail but hugged the ridgeline on the return path, which in hindsight was likely the same abandoned yellow trail from before. Once it got too overgrown for my taste I hopped back on the main trail and cracked another Two Chicks canned cocktail for some civilized hiking to the summit.

[1:36pm - Equinox Mountain Summit]

I crossed paths with at least 20 folks on this trail, which was a bummer, but also totally fine. The trail easily rose to a clearing with another communication tower and soon to the summit area, which was fascinating! Surrounded by grass, the primary summit feature was a building with some biblical-looking stained glass? 

I took a counter-clockwise route around the building first. I enjoyed seeing a cloudy/hazy view up toward the Adirondacks, Killington, and Ellen. Then I walked through the parking lot toward what appeared to be the true summit, which was really just a grassy knob. Below there were two (or three) old towers that were posted as private property, so I turend around.

Next, I checked out the building, the "Saint Bruno Scenic Viewing Center." There are viewing decks around the building and inside the main doors is a history of the mountain and little snack/gift shop on the right, some sort of chapel in the middle, and a history of the Order of Carthusians, who are apparently the monks that make Chartreuse and have their only monestary in the USA on Equinox? It was FASTCINATING. They also had bathrooms, which I made use of nearly immediately.

[1:52pm - Lookout Rock Trail]

I looked around the summit area one last time for and discs, found none, and started my trip back! I grabbed a bag of salted cashews I had for a snack and noshed on them on the short walk back to the Blue Summit Trail.

[1:54pm - Blue Summit Trail]

I darted back into the woods and started my descent. The woods up here were so pretty. I was delighted to see that it was officially after the rain window was supposed to end and I was still dry, even though some fresh water sprinkled on me would have felt nice... I slowly began to catch up to a trio of hikers that all seemed to be hiking at different paces? The first guy I passed had an ADK 46er patch on, the second guy was flying down the trail but stopped when he realized I wasn't his buddy - he was actually super kind. He asked me about my 48 patch and we chatted a bit about the Maine peaks (he has only 8 more to get the 115). The third had headphones in and was surprised to see me behind her. 

My pace picked up after this group and WOOF my quads were FEELING it. This is the first time I hit true wobbly-leg in a WHILE. 

[2:16pm - Blue Summit Trail/Upper Spring Trail]

I scooted past the junction for the Upper Spring Trail and passed two seperate families of four, both unfriendly and didn't seem to be overly enjoying themselves. I crossed paths with a women running UP the mountain, which was CRAZY. It was then that I decided to add in the pond loop. I was hoping to find a herd path that connected the Blue Summit Trail or Maidenhair with the Mt. Bluff Trail to add in one last viewpoint, but I'd also be happy with just a pond loop, too.

I hiked past a young couple passionately making out over a water bar runout (incredible) and I began to near the stream I wanted to cut across, but didn't see a herd path or easy bushwhack... I continued on, accepting defeat.

[2:33pm - Maidenhair Trail]

[2:34pm - Herd Path]

I turned onto the Maidenhair Trail and the second I accepted defeat, I found a well-beaten herd path connecting to the Mt. Bluff Trail! I was so excited to easily walk through maybe 50 feet of woods, easily cross a stream, and then hop onto the Mt. Bluff Trail. So easy!

[2:35pm - Mt. Bluff Trail]

Only bummer was that now I needed to club up, which felt greuling on my exhausted legs. There were also bugs on this side. I followed the cascading stream (maybe the one fed by the spring?) with a slight exhaustion headache until the trail made a left turn at a laminated sign. I crossed paths with a couple that were dressed like they were from NYC visiting Vermont, and then landed in the wonderful land of flat dirt!

The flat dirt really brought me back to life, but then I decided to go up Deer Knoll, which beat it back out of me. There are two herd paths up - I skipped the first one and took the second, which was shared with th ejunction for the Trout Lily Trail.

[2:47pm - Deer Knoll Herd Path]

The herd path was easy to follow and nice and steep - I was going to die. I passed a red eft and some red columbine flowers, which was nice! The two paths joined near the top, and while fighting for my actual life, I made it to the top!

[2:50pm - Deer Knoll]

The top had a nice view of the pond, the valley, and the shoulder of Equinox. There were a few more columbine flowers around, which I enjoyed. I could have/should have taken a break here, but I was so ready to be done, so I drank some water and turned around to return to the Mt. Bluff Trail.

[2:55pm - Mt. Bluff Trail]

I opted to go on the slightly longer Mt. Bluff Trail versus the more direct Trout Lily Trail simply becasue I didn't want to do another steeper descent. I crossed into Nature Conservancy Land and almost cried when I read a sign that said the trail was steep ahead, but thankfully the sign and I had different definitions on what "steep" actually is. There were a couple "sharp left turn ahead" signs which brought me to the spring house, which was pretty cool. A building with caged-in lattice contained the head of the spring. 

[3:05pm - Mt. Bluff Trail/Spring House]

I passed a bushel of yellow flowers that were new-to-me for the day, Golden Ragwort (thanks, Seek!) and then ANOTHER bushel of yellow flowers, Golden Alexanders (thanks again, Seek!). Finidng some new flowers was a wonderful treat. There were also more red columbines on the trail. I continued along, and nearly started running when I saw the pond through the trees! The nearby woodpeckers cheered me on!

[3:12pm - Pond Trail]

I think I audibly said "thank god" when I made it to the pond trail, even though it was FULL of people. The trailbed was wide and soft, which was a delight. It looked like an unofficial trail went more directly around the lake while the Pond Trail proper took a wider path. The trail became a gravel road and continued to a little lunch-looking boat-house-type restaurant? It was cute! I chose to walk along the dike afterwards to enjoy the view to Mt. Equinox, which was the same view I had when I saw this mountian for the first time back in 2015.

I passed some information at the trailhead kiosk before continuing onto the Flatlanders Trail.

"About the Preserve

The Equinox Preserve covers 914 acres of forest lands on the eastern slopes of Mount Equinox in Manchester, Vermont. It is open to the public for year-round, non-motorized recreation. Over 11 miles of marked and maintained trails provide access to these unique mountainous woodlands.

The land's owner, the Equinox Resort & Spa, first donated conservation easements on 850 acres to the Vermont Land Trust & The Nature Conservancy of Vermont in 1993. An additional 64 acres of conservved lands were placed under the protection of the Vermont Land Trust in 2006. The Equinox Preservation Trust was formed in 1996 to oversee the management of these protected lands. Land and trail maintenance and educational programs in the Preserve are managed by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS).

Private land surrounds the Preserve and several trails cross through privately owned areas. Only through individual landowner generosity are the EPT trails allowed to cross their lands. Please respect the rights of these landowners, do not litter, and stay on the marked trails." from Trailhead Kiosk at Black Gate.

"Ecology of Mount Equinox

Naturalists have long held Mt. Equinox in high esteem for its beauty and natural diversity, a valued source of study by botanists and ecologists since the late 1800s.

It is the home to rare plants and varied wildlife, diversisifed woodlands, marble ledges, springs, wetlands and a pond. And from the upper slopes, there are exceptional views.

The Preserve, extending over a large elevation range, encompasses varied forest types:

- Young hardwood and pines at the lowest elevations once cleared for agriculture.

- Spruce and fir, stunted by harsh climate, at the highest points of land.

- Mid-elevation forests of yellow birch and red spruce, with a lush understory of ferns and mosses (between 2600 and 3000 ft. elevation).

- Rich northern harwood forests (below 2600 ft. elevation).

The northern hardwood forests are perhaps the  most significant forest community on Equinox. This rich mix of forest may well be the largest and best example of its type in New England, attributable to both its typography and geology and the large tract undisturbed by roadways or human development.

Ferns and wildflowers also flourish here. There is an abundance of early spring wildflowers known as spring ephemerals, and naturalists have cataloged a number of rare and unusual species throughout the Preserve.

Early settlers cleared much of Equinox Mountain, and grazing extended high up on the mountain. Old stone walls deep within the fofrest are remnants of that agricultural era. The forest is now recovering from that disturbance, and natural processes are again determining the forest's growth.

The dedication of these lands to permanent protection will insure that this very important forest environment will long provide a natural example of a mature northern hardwood forest for many generations to come, mad eaccessible through a maintainted trail network and by careful management of these lands."

[3:23pm - Flatlanders Trail]

This was another wide trail and right away I noticed lots of logging. Turns out it was due to the Emerald Ash Borer. Thankfully they had a sign describing it right away!

"Attention Trail Users:

In early March 2025, the first ash trees showing symptoms of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation were discovered on the Preserve. EAB is a non-native introduced species, the large of which live and grow in the vascular tissues underneath the bark, creating s-shaped tunnels. As an infestation spreads within an ash tree the  tunneling eventually girdles the tree, choking off nutrient  movement and killing the tree.

- As a non-native invasive species, EAB has no local predators that will curtail its infestation and destruction of ash trees.

- Ash trees infested with EAB become brittle and often come apart in large pieces.

- To reduce the threat to visitors of the Preserve, all ash trees showing symptoms of EAB infestation within 50 ft of a trail will be felled over the next few years.

- While we are removing infested ash trees with the safety of trail users in mind, visitors to the Preserve are adviced that some Preserve trails cross lands that are privately owned, not managed by the EPT, and therefore not subject to this work. Ultimately is it the responsibility of all trail users to ensure their own safety anywhere on the Preserve trail system.

- Visitors to the Preserve should learn to recognize ash trees, identify the symptoms of EAB infestation, be aware of trail conditions, and make a wise choice for their personal safety.

For further background on the Emerald Ash Borer, please consult the VT Invasives website here: https://www.vtinvasives.org/."

I passed my final new flower of the day - the fascinatingly named Herb Robert - a beautiful pink flower with 5-6 pedals. I was meandering, nearing the Blue Summit/Red Gate Trails, when a man asked me if the pond was close - it was! Just after, I kept walking past the rest of his group and heard something I never wanted to hear... "Hi Mr. Thomas?" - ONE OF MY KINDERGARTENERS. Oh my goodness. I said "Hi...? What are you doing here?!" They were on vacation for the long weekend in Manchester and were doing a little hike to Equinox Pond. I was on mile 21.5 of the day, covered in dirt, and absolutely disgusting. I was horrified. The parents were like "so you are...?" Awful. I broke my airplane mode rule afterwards to tell every teacher friend.

[3:32pm - Blue Summit/Red Gate Trails]

[3:33pm - Blue Summit Trail]

[3:36pm - End of Trail]

Thankfully my horror got me back to the car in one piece! The Flatlander Trail turned right onto the Blue/Red, and then the Blue Summit Trail turned left to the terminus. The terminus led into the parking lot, and then I was officially done!

[3:39pm - End of Hike]

I de-booted and changed at the car and mentally wasn't feeling as awful as I thought I'd be! My immediate post-hike assessment of my body was that my legs were absolute cooked but I did NOT want to die. My feet were hurting and I was hyper aware that my ankles existed. My larger leg muscles were tingly and I was a bit wobbly untying my shoes. The weakest I felt all day was that faster descent off of Equinox! 

I had a nice, long drive home and more importantly, I got KFC AND Taco Bell. 

Step-by-Step

- Park at Blue Summit Trail trailhead (off-school hours only).

- At jct. higher up, turn right onto Upper Spring trail.

- At Upper Spring, turn around.

- At jct., turn left onto Blue Summit Trail.

- At jct., near summit, turn right onto Lookout Rock spur (unblazed).

- At Lookout Rock, turn around.

- Summit Mt. Equinox

- At summit, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Blue Summit Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Maidenhair Trail (orange).

- When trail turns left to descent, continue straight on herd path and cross stream.

- At terminus of herd path, turn right onto Mt. Bluff Trail (white).

- At Lily Trout jct., turn left onto herd path to Deer Knoll.

- At Deer Knoll, turn around.

- Continue on Mt. Bluff Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Pond Trail (teal).

- At terminus, continue onto Flatlander Trail (yellow).

- At terminus, turn right onto Blue Summit Trail.

- Follow back to car.

Map of Equinox Preservation Trust

Photo Album

Round Mountain, Mt. Frissell, Mt. Brace Loop (Mount Washington State Forest; Taconic State Park; Mount Riga State Park)

Round Mountain, Mt. Frissell, Mt. Brace Loop (Mount Washington State Forest; Taconic State Park; Mount Riga State Park)

Hike Type: Loop w/ Spurs

Distance: 5.78 miles

Elevation: 1,102 feet

Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Parking: Parking for 6 cars at the end of East St. (3 on each side of road), more parking on CT side.
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

...AND we're right back to it! I had a short stop at my car after my Bear Mountain Loop, and now I was planning an out-and-back over Mt. Frissell to Mt. Brace and back. I saw on AllTrails there was maybe a loop option that's not on the official map from the Round-Frissell col back to the trailhead, so I planned to check that out.

[10:16am - Mt. Frissell Trail]

My hike started on the Mt. Frissell Trail, blazed in red. The trailhead sign said 1.0 miles to Mt. Frissell, 1.5 miles to Ashley Hill Trail jct., and 1.8 to the South Taconic Trail. To no surprise, the hike started on a flat old road an a vast sea of, you guessed it, mountain laurel! At least the trail was wide now, I don't think I could have emotionally handled another leg-drenching narrow trail.

I hiked past the loop trail in question that I saw on AllTrails and it was clearly closed and in the process of being taken back over by vegetation - that option was out! The trail turned at this phantom junction and began to easily rise with tree views toward Round Mountain. I could hear people ahead of me, but I did not see them. I came up to a little scrambly section that was steep but fun! I wasn't thrilled that I'd have to come down this, but it was nowhere near as bad as Bear Mountain's scrambles.

There was a brief reprive followed by another steep scramble, which kind of kept steeply climbing until the top. I started to catch up to the voices ahead and could see some nearby peaks from the top of a few of the scrambles. There were some COLD wind gusts that I wasn't ready for!

[10:34am - Mt. Frissell Trail/Round Mountain Summit]

I was almost caught up to the group ahead of me, which was seven-ish people strong, at the top of Round Mountain, which had very nice views to Mt. Frissell on one side and Bear Mountain on the other. This area reminded me a lot of the Wyanokies in New Jersey. There was a brief open plateau walk on Round Mountain before it descended to the col. I caught up to the big group here, and it took me at least 6 "hey mind if I squeeze past you?" to finally get past all of them. At least one guy complimented my hot dog shirt?

Naturally, once I got past all of them I rolled my ankle pretty painfully, but nothing too bad. I saw a little pond off-trail on the right in the Round-Frissell Col and I could hear a grouse thumping while I answered nature's call. The climb up Frissell was similarly steep, but now slabby too, and my watch was being rude about my heart rate (telling me I was at 100bpm when I was closer to 170bpm, ridiculous!). I pushed to the top and hit a very very short spur to the true summit!

[10:49am - Mt. Frissell Trail/Mt. Frissell Summit]

The summit was marked by a busted cairn (I think) and a Summit Reigster. I didn't open it because it was (to no surprise) misting again), but yay! One more peak to go! I was still lamenting about coming down the slabs and scrambles, but we do what we have to do.

The Mt. Frissell Trail descended with rocky footing on sharp rocks, similar to the Kittatinnies in New Jersey, soon opening to what I'm sure would be a wonderful view out into the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, but today it was just more clouds! After a few minutes, I made it to the MA/CT state line!

[10:55am - Mt. Frissell Trail/CT State High Point]

The State Line also doubled as Connecticut's High Point. Writing this now, I do find it fun that I hiked both Connecticut's highest peak (Bear Mountain) and Connecticuts highest point in teh same day. The area was marked by a survey disc with a comically tall pole sticking out of the middle and what looked like another register box (it should also be noted that the Mt. Frissell Trail goes between MA and CT before this point). 

After this point, the trail narrowed and became scratchier and began to descend again over a few tricky wet slabs, bringing me back into the land of mountain laurel. 

[11:03am - Mt. Frissell Trail/Tri-State Monument]

I then came to the Tri-State Monument, which interestingly enough marks the point where MA, NY, and CT meet, but only says MA and NY (the same style monument as at the MA/CT line at the trailhead parking. There was an older piece of broken marble, maybe that used to say CT? A mystery! I ran into the first human in a while just afterwards, and then I was at the other end of the Ashley Hill Trail!

[11:06am - Mt. Frissell Trail/Ashley Hill Trail]

It was fun to see both ends of this trail, it felt like my hike up Alander Mountain was forever ago! The Mt. Frissell Trail continued ahead, the Ashley Hill Trail continued right, and an unblazed herd path to presumably nowhere traveled left, which was labeled "other way ->" in pencil.

Again, the trail narrowed and began to easily rise. I was finding this hike to be mentally a lot longer than it actually was, probably because I was approaching 10 miles in the day, even though this hike was still under two miles. The Mt. Frissell Trail turned a corner, passed a pond on the right, and then came to the South Taconic Trail.

[11:15am - South Taconic Trail (North)]

[11:19am - South Taconic Trail (South)]

There were finally good views! The South Taconic Trail/Mt. Frissell Trail junction had a wonderful view down to the farmland below with a glimpse at a few Catskill slopes beneath the clouds. I was curious about the pond, so I followed the South Taconic Trail northbound to see if I could get a better view. Turns out 1) I was not on the South Taconic Trail, just an old road that parallels it, and 2) there was now view of the pond. I came to the spot where the South Taconic Trail turned off of the road bed and turned around there, now actually following the blazes and enjoying the beautiful views.

[11:24am - South Taconic Trail/Mt. Frissell Trail]

[11:27am - South Taconic Trail/Mt. Brace Trail]

I was mentally gearing up for the climb up Mt. Brace, which looked not-too-far but not-too-close. I could see some flag and structure up top, which felt exciting! My hip belt continued to keep popping off, which was very frustrating, but thankfully the hike up Mt. Brace was pretty gentle. I came to an unmarked junction with the unblazed Mt. Brace Trail. Naturally, my brain started thinking about turning it into a loop hike, but that would add at least a mile and I was nervous not knowing how that trail would be. Later problem!

[11:30am - South Taconic Trail Mt. Brace Summit]

I crossed paths with a duo just before the summit, which appeared before I even knew it! The climb was actually delightfully easy, and the top was neat! The structure was a massive rock cairn with a wind catcher on a flag pole. The summit was motly meadowed with flagging tape all about (curious about that). I loved seeing Bear Mountain, Mt. Frissell, and even Alander Mountain! It was chilly and I was tired, so I of course didn't stay long. I think I might go for the loop?

[11:35am - Mt. Brace Trail]

I descended off the summit, and decided to do it! The grade looked easy the whole way, and time-wise it would probably be the same because I'd have to go slow over the scrambles down Frissell and Round. I also didn't want to see the group of seven again... Here goes nothing!

I did see the humor in that by making this a loop, and turning Bear Mountain into a loop, I effectively added mileage to my day and was essentially doing the originally planned hike, but I didn't care! The air was starting to warm up as the skies CONTINUED to drizzle. The trail was one big long old road with loose rocks and occasional streams. The wet part of the upper trail eventually drained into and crossed a real stream, and was better afterwards with wonderful flat dirt.

I then saw a red eft, took a bunch of photos, and offically killed my phone battery. Tragic! I started hiking even faster, just grateful that I knew where I was going. I also dropped my phone immeaditely after it died, scratching the screen protector.

I caught up to a trio in a very wet, flat spot, as they were admiring frog eggs. The trail continued to descend, getting progressively wetter and wetter, which kind of sucked. It reached a low point, crossed a bridge, and climbed up through more wet trail. Eventually, it flattened out and dried out, which led to the gate onto Mt. Washington Road!

[12:06pm - Mt. Washington Road]

[12:22pm - Mt. Washington Road/Bear Mtn. Road]

There were a bunch of signs for the Mt. Riga Corp. Inc. on Mt. Washington Road, basically saying "stay off of our land." It also made it seem like some people may reside on land owned by the corporation? It's very hard to find info on it online. Thankfully, the road was in great shape and I was able to truly cruise! The walk to the Bear Mtn. Road junction was longer than I thought, but the Bear Mtn. Road junction to the car was significantly and wonderfully shorter than I thought!

[12:28pm - End of Hike]

Naturally, I ended my hike with blue skies and a shining sun. Either way, it was a fun day of exploring this little corner of Massachusetts. It was fun to hit the CT high point, and hike in three states in a day! I've also now finished the Taconic 12er peaks outside of Vermont - yay! I had a nice long drive home, and then off to the Belknaps with Christien tomorrow!

One fun thing that happened on my drive home - a Mercedes SUV from New Jersey was weaving in and out of lanes on I-90 (there were people on the road, but all driving at highway speeds) WITHOUT using a blinker. Five minutes later, I saw that same car pulled over getting a ticket. Karma!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Mt. Frissell Trail.

- Near summit, turn right onto summit spur.

- At summit, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Mt. Frissell Trail.

- At jct. with Ashley Hill Trail, continue straight on Mt. Frissell Trail.

- At terminus, do a quick loop northbound on the South Taconic Trail, then hike south towards Mt. Brace.

- At summit of Mt. Brace, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Mt. Brace Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Mt. Washington Road.

- Follow Mt. Washington Road to car.

Map of Mount Washington State Forest

Photo Album

Bear Mountain Loop via AT, Bear Mtn. Rd., Bog Trail (Mount Riga State Park)

Bear Mountain Loop via AT, Bear Mtn. Rd., Bog Trail (Mount Riga State Park)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 3.17 miles

Elevation: 597 feet

Time: 1 hour, 21 minutes

Parking: Parking for 6 cars at the end of East St. (3 on each side of road), more parking on CT side.
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, Appalachian Trail 14-State Challenge

The Hike 

The drive from the Mount Washington State Park HQ trailhead to the Mt. Frissell Trailhead was an easy 10-minute drive. Soon after leaving HQ, the road turned to dirt, and had some patches of deep gravel that was simply unpleasant to drive over. There was parking on the right side of the road signed as the Mt. Frissell Trailhead for 2-3 cars, and room on the left side for another three cars. 

The original plan was to go up Round Mountain and Mt. Frissell, then traverse over to Mt. Brace, then a long trip down and up Bear Mountain with a steep descent to close the loop. I simply did not want to deal with a wet, steep descent, so instead I decided to start with Bear Mountain and ascending the steep portion and then simply seeing what happened next!

[8:53am - Start of Hike]

I started my hike by crossing into Connecticut (marked by a cool, old monument), and continuing for maybe 100-150 feet to another parking area at Northwest Road, which was signed as leading to AMC Northwest Camp. Google Maps said the gate on Mt. Washington Road in CT was closed, but it was definitely open today!

[8:55am - Northwest Road]

I turned onto blue-blazed Northwest Road, which was an old, gated road, and hiked in, soon passing more signs for the AMC Northwest Camp. I was greeted by a sign saying:

"WELCOME

You are entering land owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club. To insure your continued use and enjoyment of this wilderness area, the following regulations will apply.

1. Camping permitted in designated areas only.

2. Wood burning fires are specifically prohibited.

3. Foot travel only - no motorized vehicles.

4. Carry out everything you carry in.

5. No hunting permitted.

AMC ridgerunner monitors area on regular basis."

Just after there were stacks of fire wood, a few wheelbarrows, and a kiosk with a brochure that was too foggy to read. 

The AMC Website reads: "Northwest Camp is a rustic backcountry cabin, secluded on a remote section of Bear Mountain in Salisbury, Connecticut. The cabin provides access to many hiking trails leading to New York and Massachusetts." Some more information by the CT AMC Chapter can be found here and here.

[8:57am - Northwest Road/AMC Northwest Camp]

Northwest Road passed the AMC Northwest Camp on the right, rock hopped across a small stream, and continued on, basically paralleling the MA/CT State Line and rising gently as rain began to fall again. My hip belt was becoming more and more of a bummer and this trail was in muddier shape than Alander Mountain. I ascended into a mountain laurel grove and I put the rain jacket back on (crankily), and soon landed at the junction with the Appalachian Trail!

[9:10am - Appalachian Trail]

The Northwest Road trail terminated at the Appalachian Trail, although the old road continued straight and was mostly obstructed. The AT was marked by a seafoam green sign, which was fun! The AT soutbound starts off by climbing easily along the side of the mountain before making a turn and climbing right up the side. The rocks were plentiful and exceptionally slippery. I heard a grouse thumping and my flatulence was giving me a nice boost as I scrambled up!

There were some nice tree views to the north and I passed my first person du jour right at the steepest spot - he was wearing baggy cargo shorts, a hoodie, and listening to some podcast out loud. The scrambling was physically challenging but super fun! I was SO GLAD I went up this way instead of down.

The tree views became more interesting the higher I climbed with MANY clouds on nearby peaks - thankfully it looked like this mountian was still in the clear. I pushed on, slightly gassing myself, and soon came to the summit area! First, there was a summit sign and a little herd path that branched off to the right to what was maybe an old trail or maybe the true summit or maybe just a grown-in viewpoint?

[9:27am - Bear Mountain Summit]

The main summit area was marked by a giant pile of socks and a plaque saying: "THIS MONUMENT MARKS THE HIGHEST GROUND IN CONNECTICUT. 2354 FEET ABOVE THE SEA. BUILT A.D. 1885. OWEN TRAVIS MASON." I guess this was before they identified the shoulder of Mt. Frissell was taller?

There were a few people of a hiking group showing up, so I kept on moving on (also it was still rainy and windy. The rain coat was off again because of the sweating, but it was still wet everywhere.

[9:32am - Appalchian Trail]

The AT from this point on was an absolute treat! Easy, descending grades. I only had to be careful of puddles and an occasional slippery rock. I passed a few folks hiking up, all of whom appeared to be day hikers. I kept stopping as more and more viewpoints over towards Mt. Brace and Mt. Frissell began to open up. Nearby bushes were starting to bloom, and the sun kept trying to poke through, but it was generally not successful. I noticed after using PeakFinder my phone battery plummeted to 19%, so I threw it on airplane mode and low power mode in hopes of keeping it alive!

The trail entered an eroded section as the trees began to grew taller. I also realized I forgot chapstick... The descent continued into an endless sea of mountain laurel with birds singing everywhere (I was thrilled to recognize the Eastern Towhee, thank you, Merlin!). Eventually, in the sea of mountain laurel, I came to the junction with the Bear Mountain Road, which would bring be back to Mt. Washington Road.

[9:49am - Bear Mountain Road]

This "road" was actually a narrow footpath with ankle-tickling and ankle-soaking mountain laurel on both sides - it was unpleasant. It was also somehow still misting out when the rain was supposed to be long since done... I traversed a wet spot and wondered how long I would be stuck in this laurel-ous hellscape, but thankfully after about 10 minutes I came to a junction. Only plus of this stretch was seeing Bear Mountain through the trees.

At the junction, I could decide what my next move would be. I could turn right onto the Bog Trail, which said closed on AllTrails but was very clearly open, and close this loop before starting a seperate hike up Mt. Frissell and Mt. Brace, or I could continue the loop onto Mt. Washington Road and up Mt. Brace, ending with Mt. Frissell. The thought of dealing with more mountain laurel and the unknown road walk and Mt. Brace Trail had me convinced to close the loop, so I turned right.

[10:00am - Bog Trail]

To my delight, the Bog Trail was a dream! To no surprise, it circled a bog! On a bog boardwalk! The boardwalk was super slippery, so I had to go nice and slow. I followed the yellow blazes along, enjoying the sounds of peepers in the bog. I was enjoying it, until a grouse scared the LIFE out of me! Awful little birds... There were small interpretive signs throughout the trail, which were just lovely, and there was a sign saying "BOG BRIDGE 2015" at the end of the boardwalk nearest the camp.

Now back at the camp, I hiked past a fire pit and a cabin with a sign indicating that this was an old growth area, whic was pretty neat! I hiked down around the cabin and over a nice bridge back to Northwest Road, closing the loop.

[10:10am - Northwest Road]

[10:12am - Road Walk to Car]

The stem of the lollipop loop was nice and easy. I had a short walk to the gate and another short walk back to the car, which was already at the next trailhead! There were two new cars total in the area.

[10:14am - End of Hike] 

I did a quick stop at the car to drop a water bottle and throw on some chapstick. The main plan was to out-and-back Mt. Frissell and Mt. Brace, but I was open to a loop option if it spoke to me. Time will tell!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike by walking south on East Street (MA)/Mt. Washington Road (CT).

- At trailhead, turn left onto Northwest Road.

- At jct., turn right onto Appalachian Trail (southbound).

- At jct., turn right onto Bear Mountain Road.

- At jct., turn right onto Bog Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Northwest Road.

- At terminus, turn right and return to car.

Map of AMC Northwest Camp & Area

Photo Album

Alander Mountain via Alander Mountain Trail (Mount Washington State Forest)

Alander Mountain via Alander Mountain Trail (Mount Washington State Forest)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 5.95 miles

Elevation: 1,194 feet

Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes

Parking: Parking at Mount Washington State Park Headquarters for many cars.
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge, 52 Hike Challenge 2026

The Hike 

I had the day all to myself and it was flirting with being kind of nice out with a bit of residual rain first thing in the morning. I had my sights on the four southern Taconic peaks on the Taconic 12er Challenge: Alander Mountain, Mt. Frissell, Mt. Brace, and Bear Mountain. Planning looked like I could do these in two hikes, and the trailheads were just a few minutes apart! I set a comical 3:00am alarm and was out the door at 3:20am. It was naturally pouring on my drive, but I was staying optimistic! The further west I drove the drier the roads became, thankfully. Originally it said 8:00am would be the end of the rain, but as I got closer it got bumped up to 7:00am - yay! I needed gas once I got off the pike and was horrified to see that it was averaging $4.50/gallon in the Berkshires, but I eventually found one for $4.20... ugh. 

I made my way towards Mt. Washington State Forest and East Street was down to a one-lane road in two sections due to road work, but since it was so early there was no one else out. I passed four deer and two turkeys living harmoniously on the side of the road, and eventually made it to the parking area at the State Forest Headquarters - with a porta potty! My stomach had been in a bad mood (I got a half and half pizza from Bertucci's last night and had two slices of Verde and two slices of Nolio for dinner and brought the other four slices for today, but I think the Nolio is now on my "treats my body like ricotta cheese does" list). I had my breakfast pizza, used the porta potty, which was in pretty good condition, and got started on adventure #1!

[6:25am - Alander Mountain Trail]

It was a brisk 41 degrees out with a few residual raindrops, but peeks of blue skies! There were endless birds singing, including a rooster (Merlin said White-throated Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Chipping Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, and Common Ravens). I was back with my orange 32-liter pack (versus my blue 40-liter pack) for spring - I did a little hiking pack restock last night for the warmer seasons. The Alander Mountain Trail started right at the parking area and traversed a nice, open meadow and is marked with blue blazes. 

Following the meadow, the trail entered the woods on a wide, well-blazed trail that felt like an old road. The trail turned left at a closed section of trail (but recently mowed) at another meadow and then crossed a stream on a bridge at another unmapped intersection. The trail had been averaging flat with minor easy ups and downs so far. Footing got a little muddier after the bridge, but nothing was too bad so far!

[6:35am - Alander Mountain Trail/Charcoal Pit Trail]

I soon passed the junction with the Charcoal Pit Trail, which did not look appetizing to me. It looked wildly wet, muddy, and grassy. I did have a couple option to extend this into a loop hike, but now I have eliminated one option! The Alander Mountain Trail crossed another stream and then came to the junction with the Ashley Hill Trail, which looked to be another wide road.

[6:38am - Alander Mountain Trail/Ashley Hill Trail]

I would keep this one in mind for my return trip if I was feeling inspired to extend my hike! I took my fleece off here, but kept my Frogg Togg jacket on as the rain had mostly stopped, but the leftovers from treetops were still falling. Off-trail, I saw a little herd path to a nice waterfall that was only a little sketchy to descend to - it was so pretty!

The Alander Mountain Trail descended for a minute to an area where two brooks meet - Lee Pond Brook, which had the waterfall from before, and the Ashley Hill Brook. I crossed over Ashley Hill Brook on a nice, large bridge and enjoyed the beautiful area. The water was so beautifully clear! There were also old stone foundations, maybe an old dam or mill?

The trail began to gently rise from this point, so I officially took my rain jacket off. Higher up, the trail entered the clouds (bummer) and passed a sign indicating the campground was a half mile away. There were a few cars from Connecticut at the trailhead, I wonder if they were camping?

After the sign, the trail flattened out in a really pretty area of open woods and young spring greens dotting the floor. The clouds were really trying to burn off, but without much success. I climbed a little steeper (but not steeply) to the junction with the Campground Trail.

[6:58am - Alander Mountain Trail/Campground Trail]

I pinned the Campground Trail for a possible return loop, as it links up with the Ashley Mountain Trail later on. The birds were back singing as I descended gently after the junction (I kept singing "the birds are back" to the tune "the boys are back" from High School Musical 3) before crossing a flat wet spot that led to a mountain laurel grove.

The climb officially-officially began when the trail momentarily became a literal stream. I kept thinking about how pretty it would be when the mountain laurel is in bloom! A massive bumblebee zoomed past me as the trail began to parallel a stream in a really lovely conifer grove. There was a metal sign with "last water in dry season" "written" via pinholes, and then the trail opened up again on a now rocky and eroded footbed.

The trail entered a very confusing wet, eroded area just after - some bird was trying to tell me which way was correct, but it wasn't overly helpful. Higher up, I re-entered the clouds as the trail steeply climbed up to the ridge. To my surprise, I came to a building!

[7:23am - Alander Mountain Trail/Watchmen's Cabin]

The building was the Alander Fire Watchmen's Cabin, thankfully indicated by a sign. It looked like the door could be opened, but I have a firm policy of not f-ing around to find out what creepy things may be lurking inside. The sign read:

"Historic Structure

Alander Fire Watchmen's Cabin

c. 1920's

Please respect this historic structure!

Alander Mountain Fire Tower, 1928-30 and associated Fire watchmen's Cabin at Mount Washington State Forest. The former site of this tower, located just tenths of a mile within Massachusetts from the state line, was managed by New York State froom 1928-1930. It was then dismantled and stored at Taconic State Park. In 1933 the tower was again erected on Washburn Mountain in Copake Falls, NY. Moved once more in 1963-64 to Beebe Hill, where it stands today.

Although the fire tower is gone form the original site on Alander Mountain, the 4 concrete footings remain. Also, this original Watchman's Cabin is actively used as a campsite for the Mount Washington State Forest.

Please be respectful, carry out all trash, and be diligent about your fires!"

There was a short, steep, ledgy push just after the cabin, which led to the terminus of the Alander Mountain Trail! I turned left onto the South Taconic Trail, which would lead to the summit of Alander Mountain.

[7:25am - South Taconic Trail]

This South Taconic Trail was fully socked in, but a beautiful short walk! It had tall bushes lining much of the stretch and puddles on the trailbed, kind of like Buck Hill in the Blue Hills, but I could tell there would be some nice views if I weren't in a cloud. 

[7:27am - Alander Mountain Summit]

And just like that, I was at the summit of Alander Mountain! The true summit is marked with old fire tower footings, an USGS marker, and a summit sign that was off on a tree slightly in the woods. I didn't stand here for long, in part because the only view was of the cloud I was residing in, but it was also damp and cold up here with a breeze. Plus, I had more hiking to do! I took a swig of Nuun and started my trip back to the Alander Mountain Trail and back to the car, still unsure if I was going to do a loop or not.

[7:33am - Alander Mountain Trail]

I wiggled down to the cabin and started... well, attempted to blast off back to the car! I made it to the top in one hour and one minute, I wondered if I could match it, or be faster on the return... I was also noticing I was two minutes ahead of the schedule I set for myself for the day - yay!

Back in the woods, the clouds were visibly higher up and if I stuck around for maybe 30 more minutes I would have caught a view, but oh well! I had work to do! I had been noticing all day the hip belt on my pack was feeling weird, and I learned why on the way down - the bottom tooth on the main buckle snapped off at some point in the past! That also explained why it unbuckled a few times. Bummer.

My toe got a little wet in the wet, eroded section, and I was moving slower than I wanted because of the water and footing, but overall it was good-going. 

[7:57am - Alander Mountain Trail/Campground Trail]

I decided to not do a loop at the Campground Trail junction since I had another hike to do just after this one. It smelled like a pine candle after the campground junction, and to my delight I saw some of the first red trillium of the season! I noticed first the three leaves, and then the droopy flowers! No pink lady slippers, though... There were also some droopy purple flowers in the area.

I was still impressively gassy throughout most of this hike, and it was really giving me a boost on this descent. I could start to hear the Ashley Hill Brook and soon made it back to the low point of the trail where the two brooks met. I crossed the bridge and started huffing it back uphill, which I was really cranky about, but it was also literally fine. 

[8:14am - Alander Mountain Trail/Ashley Hill Trail]

[8:17am - Alander Mountain Trail/Charcoal Pit Trail]

I hiked past the Ashley Hill and Charcoal Pit Trails through some wonderful rambling pine forests, passed the second meadow, rambled some more, and then finally entered the trailhead meadow. I didn't see a single human on this hike, and even with the wet trails, it was an absolute delight! I'd love to come back sometime to see the view, or even flirt with hiking the South Taconic Trail in it's whole (EDIT: wait of course that's what I want to do, it's only 14 miles).

[8:57am - End of Hike]

Back at the trailhead, I used the porta potty once more for good measure, changed into another set of dry hiking clothes, had my second two slices of pizza, and started my trek down to the MA/CT state line at the Mt. Frissell Trailhead!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Alander Mountain Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto South Taconic Trail.

- At summit, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Alander Mountain Trail.

- Return to car.

Map of Mount Washington State Forest

Photo Album