On the one-year anniversary of last year’s catastrophic flooding, Vermont experienced another storm that devastated local towns and communities. With most of the damage occurring north of Middlebury Gap, we ask the members of the hiking community to keep the following in mind while planning your outdoor adventures. Here is hiking guidance in response to the July 2024 flood:
Access to Trails: Vermont is a rural state with many steep dirt roads that lead to our popular trailheads, many of which are narrow and in need of repair to begin with. Road crews are hard at work conducting temporary fixes to allow for resident and emergency access.
These Long Trail-adjacent trail towns were affected most by the flooding: Richmond, Duxbury, Huntington, Stowe, Bolton, Fayston, Waitsfield, Moretown, Waterbury
Trail Updates and Closures as of 7/17/24 (not a complete list)
- Monroe Trailhead from Camel’s Hump Road in Duxbury is closed – no road access
- Travel on Camel’s Hump Road in Huntington (access to Burrows Trail) is not recommended.
- Hedgehog Brook Trail in Fayston – no road access
- Duck Brook Trail in Bolton – the Bolton Notch Rd is closed. Access from Stage Road is possible but not recommended.
- LT from Duxbury Window parking lot to Winooski River footbridge – use Duxbury Road to avoid a closed portion of trail where a landslide occurred.
- Lake Mansfield Trail in Stowe – no road access
- Stowe Pinnacle, Pinnacle Meadows, Bingham Falls, Moss Glen Falls in Stowe – no road access
- The Lamoille River floodplain area is OPEN, follow orange flagging for the best crossing route through the high water channel
Hiking:
Many summits and trails were not impacted by flooding and welcome your hiking excursion. Any trail south of Middlebury Gap, for the most part, is open for hiking. Try:
- Hikes in the Killington Area
- Bromley Mountain
- Stratton Mountain or Stratton Pond
- Jay Peak for northern Vermont views
- Silver Lake or Falls of Lana in Branbury State Park
How Can I Help?
Help and support are needed in affected communities as they face recovery efforts. Here are a few ways you can help by offering your time or financial support:
- Sign up to volunteer through www.vermont.gov/volunteer to be dispatched to areas in need by the state
- Participate in local volunteer clean up efforts like Barre Up and Plainfield Flood Response
- Donate to relief funds like the Vermont Community Foundation’s VT Flood Response and Recovery Fund or Farmer Emergency Fund – NOFA VT
Where Can I Swim?
Rivers and lakes are a dangerous place after heavy rains and floods. Currents are moving fast, there is debris in the water, and waters are contaminated with chemicals and bacteria. Here are a few places that may be suited for swimming right now:
- Some Champlain beaches (check Burlington Parks for daily water quality testing)
- Public pools in Winooski, St. Albans, Montpelier, Barre, Essex Junction, and others
- Ponds and swimming holes in southern VT including:
- Little Rock Pond
- Stratton Pond
Hiking trails and recreation infrastructure are secondary to our homes, businesses, roadways, and communities, of course. But they are an important part of what makes Vermont special and a place we all love to call home. Thanks to your support of the trails, we can continue to conduct trail work that can withstand severe weather and changes in use patterns.
We are thinking of our hiking community in the aftermath of last week’s flooding, and already preparing for the ongoing work of building climate-resilient trails and structures system wide.
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