Winter is often characterized as a slow season, but there is still plenty to do! In addition to classic outdoor activities like winter hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing, there are lots of opportunities to connect with the outdoors, other hikers, and yourself and enjoy the season. Looking for things to do? Here’s GMC’s round-up of community events and things to do this winter. (Event details are current at the time of publication; please check with event organizers for any updates or questions).
Learn
Snow Birds of New England
Virtual presentation
February 13, 12-1 p.m. | Audubon Vermont
Not all birds fly south for the winter! Learn about four bird species that spend their winter in New England. This online event by the Bobolink Project features four speakers from Audubon Vermont, Mass Audubon, and UVM. Registration is free.
Great Backyard Bird Count
February 14-17 | Audubon Vermont, Birds of Vermont Museum, North Branch Nature Center, other outdoor locations
Take part in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count, a global-scale community science effort that takes place over four days in February each year. Bird watchers, citizen scientists, and outdoor enthusiasts around the world spend at least 15 minutes within the 4-day period identifying, counting, and submitting data on local birds to help scientists better understand and protect global bird species and populations.
This year’s count takes place February 14-17. Learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count and how to participate from your own backyard, or join a community bird counting event with local conservation groups such as Audubon Vermont (2/14), the Birds of Vermont Museum (2/15), and North Branch Nature Center (2/16).
What Land & What Next? How to Protect Forests in Changing Times
In-person presentation
February 18, 6:30-8 p.m. | North Branch Nature Center
Caitlin Cusack, a forester with the Vermont Land Trust, will share her expertise and experience surrounding how land conservation and stewardship practices must adapt in the face of climate change and other ecological threats. This presentation is part of NBNC’s annual Naturalist Journeys Winter Presentation Series and registration is free.
Wildlife Tracking
Sundays from 10-11:30 a.m. through February 23 | North Branch Nature Center
Spend time outdoors and search for signs of wildlife with North Branch Nature Center naturalists and other tracking club attendees. The weekly wildlife tracking club is a weekly opportunity on Sundays throughout January and February to learn or brush up on track identification while enjoying a 1-mile walk around the nature center property.
NCBC is also hosting a Youth Wildlife Tracking Workshop on February 24, and Winter Wildlife Tracking 101 workshop on March 2.
GMC’s Outdoor Adventure Speaker Series
Thursdays through February and March | Green Mountain Club
There are still several speakers left in our 2025 Outdoor Adventure Speaker Series lineup! Join us to hear from foresters, climatologists, trail professionals, and ultra-endurance athletes! Registration is free and open to all.
Upcoming speaker events:
- How to Love a Forest: The Surprising Story of Vermont’s Forests and What it Means to Care For Them with author and forester Ethan Tapper
Thursday, February 20 at 7 p.m. | Shelburne Old Town Hall - Vermont’s Climate and Adapting to a Changing Future with UVM climatologist Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux
Thursday, February 27 at 7 p.m. | GMC Meeting Hall - No More Pits: A New Era of Waste Management on the Long Trail with GMC Field Coordinator Nigel Bates
Thursday, March 6 at 7 p.m. | GMC Meeting Hall - Setting the Overall Speed Record on the Appalachian Trail with ultrarunner Tara Dower
Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. | Zoom
Can’t attend events day-of ? This year all speaker series events, both in-person and virtual, are recorded and available to watch afterward on the GMC YouTube channel. Watch this year’s event recordings here.
Wilderness First Aid Certification
March 8-9, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Green Mountain Club
Add to your backcountry safety skills at the next wilderness first aid course led by an instructor from Solo Wilderness Medicine at GMC’s headquarters in Waterbury Center, Vermont. In this 16-hour course, participants learn and practice how to prevent, recognize, and treat injuries and illnesses in the backcountry. CPR certification and Wilderness First Responder recertification are also available. Register here to join the course and take your backcountry safety skills to the next level.
Community
St. Albans Winter Carnival at Hard’Ack
February 15, 2025, 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.| Hard’Ack Recreation Area
Free outdoor fun for the whole family, with sled dog rides, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice carving, music, and fireworks.
All Persons Trail Grand Winter Opening
February 22, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | NorthWoods Stewardship Center
Celebrate the winter opening of the All Persons Trail, an accessible 0.88 mile long loop trail around the NorthWoods campus built for trail users of all abilities and friendly to adaptive equipment. The celebration will include a demonstration of adaptive equipment by Adaptive Sports Partners, exploration of the trail on skis or snowshoes, and food and live music at the NorthWoods Lodge. The opening is free to attend, find more info and register here.
Wintervale
February 23, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Intervale Center
This community event is organized by the Intervale Center and co-hosted by Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront, Winooski Valley Parks District, and Burlington Wildways. Celebrate access to local outdoor spaces with guided nature walks, skiing and snowshoeing, wildlife education, kid’s activities, and food.
Sign up for guided nature and wildlife walks or to volunteer here.
Hike
Torchlight Snowshoe
February 14, 4:30-6:30 p.m. | Billings Farm and Museum
Snowshoe, ski or walk the torch-lit path through the Billings Farm pastures, and talk with museum staff and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park rangers about local history and wildlife. Warm up with hot drinks, s’mores, and a fire pit. The price of admission varies depending on age and membership. Learn more.
Valentine’s Candlelit Snowshoe
February 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m. or 6:30-7:30 p.m. | NorthWoods Stewardship Center
Snowshoe with friends and loved ones through the candlelit forest around the NorthWoords campus on the new ¾ mile-long All Persons Trail. Snowshoe rentals available, or you can bring your own. Enjoy light refreshments, hot drinks, and live music. Register here.
[Cancelled] Pride Ski
February 16, 1-3 p.m. | Catamount Outdoor Family Center
Skiers of all levels are welcome to join an inclusive day of cross-country skiing around the Catamount Outdoor Family Center, hosted by the Vermont Land Trust, Audubon Vermont, Catamount Trail Association, and Pride Center of Vermont. The group outing will take skiers on beginner-friendly trails, with the aim of providing a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ community members and allies to enjoy the outdoors together. Register here.
Bluffside Farm Ski and Snowshoe Tour
February 22, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Vermont Land Trust
Explore the trails on Bluffside Farm, managed by the Vermont Land Trust, by skis or snowshoes and learn about VLT’s work stewarding the property. This group outing is open to participants of all ages and abilities. Learn more.
GMC’s fourteen membership sections regularly host group hikes and outings of varying length and difficulty around Vermont and New England. You do not have to be a GMC member to join a group hike, outings are open to anyone. View our Calendar of Outings and Events to find an upcoming hike near you! Take on a new or familiar hike with the company of fellow Long Trail enthusiasts.
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