PROTECT THE TRAILS DURING VERMONT’S SPRING MUD SEASON 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 31, 2026
CONTACT: Chloe Miller, Communications Manager at Green Mountain Club
[email protected], 907-632-7405 

PROTECT THE TRAILS DURING VERMONT’S SPRING MUD SEASON 

Waterbury Center, Vermont – As spring arrives and snow melts, Vermont’s mountains and trails are quickly transitioning to mud season. 

The Green Mountain Club encourages trail users to avoid muddy trails, follow any seasonal trail or road closures, and help protect the treadway and vegetation during this sensitive season. As a reminder, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (VTFPR) issues trail closures on state land as conditions change, available on TrailFinder.  

“During mud season, hikers can help us do the important work of protecting the trails and fragile mountain environments,” said Keegan Tierney, GMC’s Director of Field Programs. “This time of year, muddy trails are oversaturated with moisture and more vulnerable to erosion, while the rare and fragile vegetation in the mountain’s alpine zones lose their protective winter layers of snow and ice. We thank the Vermont hiking community for being good stewards of mountains and keeping the trails in good condition for hiking season by avoiding high elevation muddy trails and exploring low-elevation durable surface alternatives.” 

Follow GMC and VTFPR to stay up to date on official mud season trail closures over the next several weeks until the end of mud season, which is typically Memorial Day weekend.  

Make the most of mud season with these resources from GMC: 

• Find closures through TrailFinder and GMC’s Trail Updates. Stay up to date on trail access and closures. Not all active road or trail closures may be listed, so always follow posted road signs or signage at the trailhead, and evaluate conditions on the ground as well: if a trail or road is overly saturated, turn back and find a different place to hike. 

• Recommended Hikes:. While many high-elevation trails close during mud season, there are tons of mud season-friendly hikes. Check out mud season hike recommendations  

• Prepare for hiking season with workshops and resources from the Green Mountain Club Visitor Center. Want to do an End-to-End hike? Attend the upcoming End-to-Ender’s Panel. Learn about the Side-to-Side Hiking Challenge or gear up to hike the VT5 this year.  Want to connect deeper with the hiking community? See if our Volunteer Trail Steward role is right for you. 

• Learn more about why Vermont trails get so muddy and how GMC manages mud. Interesting? Join a volunteer trail work day to help get the trails ready for summer hiking season.  

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About the Green Mountain Club: The Green Mountain Club was founded in 1910 with one goal: to build a long-distance hiking trail that spans the length of Vermont’s mountains. The Long Trail was completed in 1930. Today, Green Mountain Club staff and volunteers care for roughly 500 miles of trail in Vermont, and take a sustainable approach to trail building and maintenance in the face of climate change impacts and increased year-round use of the trails.  We support the hiking community with education and access to enjoy Vermont’s beloved trails.