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Bolton Lodge Restoration

September 7, 2017 by Mike Debonis 3 Comments

Historic Bolton Lodge

In 1928, members of the Burlington Section set out to build a new shelter near Joiner Brook in Bolton to replace the deteriorating Dunsmore Lodge. What they constructed was probably the best and most inviting camp built on the freshly minted Long Trail System – Bolton Lodge.

The lodge was designed after the cottages of Wales and Ireland, four feet of cobble stone at the base, white stucco above, and a four-sided roof with round corners. Red and black shingles, trimmed irregularly, give the effect of a thatched roof.

For decades, this lodge welcomed countless hikers and outdoor enthusiasts to the forests and trails of Bolton Valley.  (Read more about its history here.)  Eighty-nine years later, Bolton Lodge is still standing and soon, because of some hard work and generous support, will reopen for overnight use.

Before we can get there though, we need help raising the final amount to complete this project.

GMC’s Construction Crew at Bolton Lodge

A couple weeks ago I was out visiting the construction crew as they were hard at work tethered to the top of Bolton Lodge roof to cover it in new sheathing. Originally, they thought they could just remove the old asphalt shingles and reuse the original wood sheathing, but we weren’t that lucky… such is the way with restoring almost 90-year-old structures in the backcountry of Vermont.

To ensure we complete the historic restoration, we need to raise $10,000. Specifically, this support will help us install a new wood floor, restore the historic wood bunk beds, and finally build a wood shed to supply the modern wood stove on cold winter nights and a modern moldering privy to meet the needs of four season guests to the cabin.

We are excited and proud to restore this historic structure and bring it back into the Long Trail system and hope that you can help us complete the restoration by donating today!

Filed Under: Camps, From the Field, Hiking, History, News

Comments

  1. Sherwin Start Ph.D. says

    September 9, 2017 at 8:38 pm

    I HAVE spent Many a Nite in BOLTON LODGE
    From 1955 t0 1976. IT is one of the FINAST that the GMC Owns !! IT is most certainly worth the time, effort and money to keep it up and maintained !! GOOD JOB – LTC !!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Bolton Lodge Restoration | Friends of Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry says:
    September 27, 2017 at 8:00 am

    […] progress has been made on restoring Bolton Cabin. You can read about it here. There is a final fund raising effort to complete the restoration. Here is a direct link to […]

    Reply
  2. Bolton Lodge, Restored But Still Rustic - Green Mountain Club says:
    December 7, 2017 at 8:36 am

    […] (or Wabi-Sabi) is just how the Green Mountain Club construction crew found this place—Bolton Lodge—in May of this year. And, after much time and work, “rustic” is how we’ve left it. This is […]

    Reply

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Big News for Strategic Conservation of the Long Trail System

May 1, 2025

This article appears in the 2025 Spring Long Trail News and was written by GMC Director of Conservation Mollie Flanigan. In previous editions I've described the process of developing the Green Mountain Club Strategic Conservation Plan that outlines our road map to permanently protecting the Long … Read more

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Mission

The Green Mountain Club is the founder and maintainer of the Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Established in 1910 to build this trail stretching the length of Vermont, the club now also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in the Northeast Kingdom in its mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people." Read more...

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