Our Cabin by the Green Mountain National Forest
Enjoy views of the Green Mountains from our cabin.
Our cabin is on the edge of the Green Mountain National Forest. Encompassing a boundary area of approximately 821,000 acres, roughly 385,000 (or 62%) of which is federally owned, the Green Mountain is one of only two National Forests in the Northeast.   The Forest's scenic beauty along the backbone of Vermont's Green Mountains offers unlimited recreation opportunities any season of the year. Whether you are a hiker, skier, camper, fishing or hunting enthusiast, or wildlife watcher, the Green Mountain National Forest can provide the recreational experience you are seeking! Primitive recreational opportunities exist within the six Wilderness Areas on the Green Mountain National Forest.   Unlike western National Forests, which were established on land already held by the federal government, the Green Mountain is one of the few Forests that required, and still requires, the purchase of privately owned land. Over the past five decades, Forest Service personnel have worked hard to acquire a land base on which to practice modern forest management, thus providing the state of Vermont and the New England area with wood for local industries; natural recreation areas; a vibrant watershed for local tributaries; game and fish management; and protection of unique ecological and wilderness areas.   The Green Mountain National Forest is a four season recreation experience. The most popular season is autumn when the mountains are ablaze with color. Summer is popular for picnicking, camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, boating, and canoeing. Winter brings out colorfully-clad skiers (both downhill and cross-country), snowboarders, snowmobilers, and snowshoe enthusiasts. In spring, the Forest bursts forth from the grip of winter with emerging leaves on the trees, migrating birds, and blooming wildflowers that are visible along many of the Forest trails. The first fishing days are enjoyed by a lot of people. Mud season is usually short but intense. Mountain biking and hiking on wet trails is not encouraged during this time. Head nets and an effective insect repellant are suggested for black fly season.
Explore sugar-maple, white birch, and conifer forests on the same paths that were walked by Native Americans and French/Canadian fur trappers. Test your bike-handling skills on the rocks and roots of 19th-century carriage paths gone utterly to seed. And ski narrow, twisty trails that tumble down the mountainsides' natural contours like spring-fed streams - but watch out for those patches of rock and black ice.   The Green Mountain National Forest follows the backbone of Vermont north from the Massachusetts border for 100 miles, all the way to Appalachian Gap. Within its boundaries are cold streams and beaver ponds famous for brook and rainbow-trout fishing; the Long Trail, a tramper's treasure; a latticework of remote forest roads and old logging roads, all perfect for mountain biking, cross-country skiing, or simple scenic drives; and major alpine ski areas from Stratton to Sugarbush.   As anyone who's driven Route 100 during foliage season can testify, the proximity of such a special place to the homes of millions can make certain quarters of the forest feel a bit cramped at times. But despair not: Seek ye a quiet corner of the Green Mountains - a lush, green ravine haunted by wood thrushes; a windswept ledge along the Long Trail; an arm of the Somerset Reservoir you'll share with none but a bull moose - and let these old Appalachian hills work their magic on you.   The Long Trail, a rugged, 270-mile footpath along the ridge of the Green Mountains, is the oldest long-distance trail in the nation. In its southern reaches it coincides with the Appalachian Trail; north of Rutland the AT forks off to the east, and the northbound LT grows narrower, wilder, and somehow more wonderful. There's no finer way to see the Greens than to walk a stretch of the LT; you can access it from the gap roads or via side trails that ascend to the ridgeline. See a map of the Green Mountain National Forest.