MERCK FOREST hiking, skiing, & cabin camping in Vermont
Merck Forest & Farmland Center website
Oct 10, 2015 - MOUNT ANTONE hike. Merck Forest & Farmland Center, VT. Went up the direct way via Antone Rd (a wide fairly smooth trail) - 2.5 miles; 800' climb. Wonderful views to the distant Adirondack High Peaks from a lookout past the actual summit - foliage close to peak - red-tailed hawks. Steeply down on the Beebe Pond Trail then L past Ned's Place cabin & its view of Mt Equinox, then Lourie Trail back to Antone Rd & out past the farm with more Adk views - 3.2 miles out. 4+ hours.
Mar 9 - MERCK FOREST. Mount Antone.
Mar 8, 2015 - MERCK FOREST. Gallop Peak.
Feb 19, 2014 - MERCK FOREST. Temp in 20s to low 30s. Gain of 800' to Mount Antone (el 2,610') took 1.5 hours, trail broken out - very windy & snowing, no view today. S on Masters Mountain Trail, a fairly wide trail with no recent use so had to break trail in 30" of powder - after a short moderately steep climb we dropped 1,600', steeply thru windblown drifts & cornices at first but soon switchbacks made the skiing less challenging - sunk in quite a bit, wished I had wider skis than the S-Bound 88s for this section. As we dropped in elevation the snow showers turned to rain showers & the snow was wetter & gloppy. Looped back on Old Town Rd climbing 1,000' gently, a snowmobile had packed the trail down, stopped for a break at Dunc's cabin on the way. Dropped 200' to the farm & out. 10.3 miles, 5.2 hours.
Feb 19&20, 2013 - MERCK FOREST, West Rupert, VT. Up to 3" of powder, no base. Poor skiing on trails near visitor center; ok skiing in fields (off Discovery Trail & hay meadows at the farm). Moved into Barn Cabin then went for a hike (using traction devices) which included going up & over & around Spruce Peak - some very nice views along the way incl. Dorset Peak, Mt. Equinox & way out to Gore Mtn in the Adks. Very steep & icy going up the N end of Barton Trail - Hombrua lost his footing & slid down 50'. Took our time packing up in the morning (somewhat hung over) then easy half mile hike out. Drove to Woodford hoping for more snow.
Jan 1 & 2, 2012 - MERCK FOREST cabin camping - a tale of two Spruce Peaks. Day 1: Well above freezing, no snow, some mud & ice. 2 mile backpack along woods roads to Ridge cabin. Bushwhacked to the Spruce Peak in or near Rupert State Forest SE of Merck. Signs of old logging roads along the way but whacking thru mostly open hardwoods was relatively easy. Thru-trees views in all directions from the 2,803' summit (Mother Myrick & Bear Mtns stood out & Batten Kill valley to the E) - gain of over 700' from the cabin, 1-2" snow on N facing slope above 2,500'. Dropped down to old woods road (extension of East Hollow Rd) & then back up Hatch Trail near a pretty brook to cabin. Climbed at least 1,500' of gross elevation for the day. Rain at night then temp dropped below freezing. I won at RUMmy. Day 2: Colder & windy, ground frozen hard. Backpacked over Merck's Spruce Peak (2,585'; shown as "The Gallup" on most maps other than Merck's map) on trails climbing ~500' from the cabin. There is a good lookout near NW end of the ridge with view of Mt. Antone plus West Mt & the Adirondacks in the distance. The Bartman Trail then drops very steeply (don't plan to ever ski it) to Lodge Rd. Stopped to visit new Viewpoint cabin (view good, cabin lousy) then down Viewpoint Trail ducking under maple syruping lines, passing thru a logging area to Barn cabins & out. Nice view to the Adirondacks from the farm.
May 10, 2010 - MOUNT ANTONE hike. Merck Forest, VT. Up Antone Rd, down via Lookout, Buechner (passing Ned's Place cabin & its view of Mt. Equinox), Lourie, stop at Spruce Cabin, up & over Viewpoint. Cool & breezy (no bad bugs); sunny & clear - views to snow-capped Adirondack High Peaks, some snow on Gore Mtn ski trails, farm below... Wildflowers mostly violets incl. white & yellow varieties. 6 miles, 820' el, 4.5 hours.
Jan 18, 2010 - MERCK FOREST. Couple inches of new; wettish powder, over foot total. Old Town Rd, Spruce cabin, down the open field back to Old Town, Birch Pond, Schenk Rd (nice views while climbing), Nenorod cabin, Beebe Pond lean-to for lunch (could pick ou Mt Equinox peeking out over yonder ridge), up Beebe Pond Trail, Buechner Rd, Ned's Place cabin, Lourie Trail (some nice short runs with views), part way down McCormick but looked too steep for me this day, Antone Rd, Wildlife & Discovery Trails (a snowperson on skis blocked our way). Lots of elevation changes. 7.2 miles, 4.3 hours.
Jan 11, 2010 - MERCK FOREST, VT just across the border from Salem NY. 30 miles of forest roads & trails. Lots of powder. Old Town Rd had packed snow (occasionally plowed), breaking trail on Hammond Rd. Dropped 1,100' on Gallop Rd (wheeee! what fun!). Lunch in lean-to. Up Old Town & Antone Rds then plummeted down Clarks Clearing Trail (expert, rest intermediate if good snow). Lost Silviculture Trail & got tangled up in some maple syrup lines. 7.5 miles, 4.3 hours, 1,800' gross elevation change.
Nov 9, 2009 - MERCK FOREST hike. Woods roads, old roads & trails to Spruce Peak where there is nice view W & SW without much evidence of civilization. Rentable lean-tos & cabins. Maple syruping. Good view to Adirondacks from the farm. Warm (60s) but windy. 5 hours.
Feb 2, 2009 - MERCK FOREST from little-used S entrance at end of plowing on Hidden Valley Rd. Poor skiing - over a foot of snow topped with icy crust. Old Town Rd never far from a stream. Dunc's Place. Long lunchbreak in one of lean-tos with view to the S. 800' gradual elevation gain in ~2.5 miles to Birch Pond. Workers getting maple sugaring apparatus ready - will tap trees in a couple of weeks. Easy intermediate in good powder conditions; intermediate+ today. 3.5 hours.
Jan 29-31, 2006 - MERCK FOREST. 2 nights of "soft" winter camping in Spruce Cabin. Wood stove for heat but there are so many holes in the cabin that cold air leaks in. Nice views of small mountains to S & W.
Jan 29, 2006 - 4" of wet powder. Skied the 1 mile (half is uphill) along farm & forest dirt roads to the cabin. Dumped the big backpack & strapped on fannypack. Skied 1.5 miles to summit of Mt. ANTONE (over 800' el gain from parking lot) where, despite cloudy skies, there were some wonderful views especially N & W (drop down to the W of actual summit for best views). Went part way om Masters Mt. Trail then back to cabin. Some rocks showing. Rain late in the day pretty much wiped out all the snow.
Mar 20, 2005 - MERCK FOREST. Bit hard & hint of iciness early; turning to soft wet powder as day progressed - depths in 15"-25" range - temp rising thru 30s into the 40s - mostly sunny. 800' climb to Spruce Peak via Gallup trail - first half is steep, second half moderate - wished I had brought the skins but made up with herringbones & sidesteps - view from lookout of Mt. Antone & lowlands beyond. Down Gallup across Hammond (great views), across Meyer, visit Ridge Cabin, down Old Town (nice run, semi-groomed), around on Silviculture (signboards gave me an education in forestry), partway on Antone then back out on Old Town. Maple syrup is running. Intermediate to advanced intermediate. Karhu Dorado skis, cable bindings, plastic boots - a good heavy duty set-up makes sense when attacking spring snow conditions.
Feb 13, 2005 - MERCK FOREST ski, W Rupert, VT. Merck has 28 miles of hilly forest roads & trails - pick up free map at gate. Blue skies - temp 20-25°F. Joining me today: the Masochistic Institute of Ski Tourers And Keg Emptiers (MISTAKE). Thru the farm & up Old Town Rd then R on Antone Rd. At a cabin a ski trail makes a moderate climb along the side of a knob with valley views (Antone Rd climbs steeply over the knob then drops to junction with ski trail). Snow was piled on overhanging trees - winter wonderland. Skied S a ways over Masters Mt. & down a little to get a look at a trail that drops 1,500'. Turned around & made the final steep climb to top of Mt. Antone (gaining over 800' from start in 2.4 miles). View N from the summit. Skied W a little to a large open area with super views of Green Mts & eastern Adirondacks + a gap in trees with views SW - could make out the ski trails on West & Gore Mts. 2' of powder here. All MISTAKErs fell on the drop off the top - Nehasane stayed up. Skied back down Antone Rd with some nice runs (the steep drop off the knob was a bit hairy, next time I'll take the ski trail). Headed over to Spruce Cabin which has nice views across an open field & catches the warm afternoon sun. Field has a perfect slope to play with telemark turns - burned off a few calories yoyoing up & down the hill. Off along Meyer Rd to Gallup Rd which then winds & drops (sweet intermediate run) eventually to Old Town Rd. Mostly gentle climb back up OT Rd. With over a mile to go a binding tore out of the ski! Experimented with single ski touring - scootering, boarding with 2 feet on one ski, boot drag on downhill - the last part of the downhill was a bit too steep & I took off the ski & walked the rest of the way. At the farm there is an open view to the W - a post-sunset multicolor glow silhouetted the Adirondacks - ahhh! MISTAKErs breathed words like "Heaven" & "Nirvana" throughout the day. Advanced intermediate to Mt. Antone; rest of route intermediate. 8++ miles (repeated several hills & detoured offtrail a bit when glades beckoned), 7.5 hrs. Karhu Orion skis, plastic boots. Used Swix F4 wax to improve glide.
Jan 11/12, 2004 - MERCK FOREST, Rupert, Vt. ski, camp - E of Salem, NY - 60 miles from Albany NY. Pick up a map at entrance by the visitor center - big map by the register shows trail difficulty but handouts do not - you may want to make note of which trails are "most difficult" - most trails here are intermediate or harder. Day 1 - mostly hardpacked powder with some bare spots & rocks, some trails better than others. From the parking area, a plowed road takes you thru the farm then onto unplowed (but sometimes traveled by tractor) Old Town Rd & a long moderate uphill climb - not a big deal with a daypack, but a bit of work with a backpack full of overnight gear & "survival libations". Head for Ridge Cabin via Meyer & Gallup Rds (most "Roads" at Merck are unplowed dirt roads) - 2 miles from start. Cabins can be rented by anyone - Ridge is at the end of a dead-end trail & is a 1 room cabin with wood bunks, a table & a couple of benches - a wood stove provides plenty of heat given some time & firewood is provided - thru the trees views of surrounding mountains in the N Taconic Range - no running water - an outhouse sets back away from the cabin - what I call "soft winter camping". Took an afternoon spin down Gallup (some thin spots) to the Glen, up Old Town (some ice) & Merck (nice) to "Viewpoint", down Lodge (nice), up Hammond (nice snow & views) & fast run down Gallup back to the cabin - intermediate skiing with 800' of elevation change. Day 2 - snowed lightly overnight & all day Monday adding 3"-4" making for some good skiing. Morning run: Up Gallup, down Hammond, up Lodge (steep hill between Lodge & Viewpoint may be side-stepped), down Merck, down Kouwenhoven ("most difficult" with long steep hill, some rocks & blowdown, hairpin R turn at bottom - best done with 2' of snow), up Old Town, back via Meyer. Packed up & the ski out was quite pleasant - the downhill on Old Town was so much fun I had to go back & repeat at least part of it 3 times after dropping pack at bottom of hill. Leaving most of weight at the car, skied Discovery trail (nice) which soon drops fairly steeply (intermediate) then parallels an open field. Field has a slope to it that is excellent for practising tele & other turns - spent quite some time here. Ventured out onto the Wildlife trail (some blowdown & rocks) & turned around at a difficult brook crossing (will do sometime I have more time). Karhu Dorado skis with Chili cable bindings & leather boots.
Mar 22-24, 2003 - MERCK FOREST , Rupert, VT.
Sat - 2.5 mile backpack (w/65lb. pack - incl. 3-season sleeping bag, beer, but no tent) into Ned's Place cabin - 7:30pm start. Road to farm was dirt, Old Town Rd was packed hard, Antone Rd's snow was variable so didn't put on the snowshoes til Clark's Clearing. The side-trail to the cabin was narrow & hard to follow - could not see markers but could detect some snowshoe prints. Princeton-Tec Solo headlamp worked well. Starry sky - I was heading toward Orion. Dagang had arrived earlier - Oblivia got separated, missed a turn & was lost for a few hours - Hombrua, Ceebotar & Oceebota set out to search - all turned out well. Rain at night.
Sun - Sweet view from Ned's Place across clearing to Shatterack & Bear Mts. & Mt. Equinox. After a short ski in the area of the cabin, snowshoed/hiked Mt. Antone (no view, in the clouds). Dropped down to the S on Masters Mtn trail which was soon snow-free. Many switchbacks make grade gentle to moderate as we lose 1,500' - gonna come back & ski this trail in good snow. Picked up Old Town Rd at Merck's S entrance then returned on Lookout Trail with a side-trip to the lookout which had nice views to the E (Merck's map does not show this side-trail accurately - less up & down than shown - wait til you see a good sign for it on the Lookout Trail). Saw couple of deer.
Mon - Short hike to tiny Beebe Pond & visit the new cabin, Nenorod, which sits on a height of land with excellent winter views (on snowshoes). Wonderful clear & warm day. After packing up, ski up Wade Lot Rd. to Mt. Antone Rd. Drop pack & ski lite up Mt. Antone . Great views W across farms to the Lake George mountains & N across VT. Ski back to pack was fun. Ski out on Mt. Antone ski trail with full 55lb. pack was shaky but I stayed on my feet using climbing skins to slow me down. Skiing pleasant again after Clark's Clearing. In general the higher up in elevation (best above 2,000') you go the more snow you see. South facing slopes & valleys can be snow-free. Best skiing when temp is above 50 & snow is less than foot deep - snow offers less flotation for snowshoeing when temps get warm. Karhu Pyxis skis . MSR Denali Classic snowshoes - day trips without tail, but added the tail for extra flotation on the way in.
Jan 5-6, 2003 - MERCK FOREST, cabin "camping", Rupert, Vt. 8-10" of powder on top of a good hard base. Skied 2 miles to Ridge cabin with 60lb. pack. Only had to herringbone a short distance on the long uphill on Old Town Rd - think the extra weight helped push the skis' nowax pattern into the snow for good grip. From Old Town, took Lodge, Meyer & Gallup Rds over rolling terrain before turning into the dead-end trail that leads to the one-room cabin in a remote area of the forest. After dropping off most of the excess weight, skied down Gallup Rd to Dunc's dropping close to 500' in about a mile which even the novices were able to handle in the powder conditions. Below Dunc's, Old Town Rd crosses a wide stream without the aid of a bridge - nice spot, tho, at the bottom of the ravine. Long but moderate uphill on Old Town Rd broken up by some play with telemark turns on an open hillside. Back at the cabin it takes a while to warm up the wood-burning stove (wood is provided). The evening passed easily with the help of microbrews (incl. the "world's strongest beer" Samichlaus) & wine - most of us stripped & made snow angels outside (but not for long). A couple of mouse attacks at night - Hombrua finds gorp in his ski boot! In the morning, I ski N on Gallup Rd & take the Barton Trail up Spruce Peak, the 2nd highest peak in the forest. Skis not gripping well in fresh powder & I slap on some climbing skins which made the rest of the 450' climb easier. A small opening affords views of Mt. Antone (see Mar 24 trip below) & the valley below. The climb took about 1 hour but the return to the cabin just 15 wonderful minutes. Packed up & headed out after a hot lunch. Dropped the heavy pack just past Spruce cabin & skied trail to "Viewpoint". No semblance of tracks & trail is sparcely marked - I lose it but bushwhack uphill thru open woods with the help of climbing skins again til I run into Merck RD then take it N to the viewpoint which looks W into NY State. The ski back down Lodge Rd is straight & sweet, dropping about 250'. Tractor tracks made the long downhill on Old Town Rd a bit more difficult. Said hi to the horses at the farm before skiing the level road back to the car. Great downhill control with Fischer Outtabounds, Chili cable bindings, Garmont Excursion plastic boots. The only time I fell all weekend was when I tried to remove the skins without taking the skis off.
Nov 18, 2002 - Merck Forest cross country skiing. In Rupert, VT just across the NY border near Salem. Feels soooo gooooood! Get map at gate - may I suggest you mark on it difficulty level of each trail unless, of course you are an expert skier. Road to farm is roughly plowed & so is Old Town Rd to Birch Pond. From Old Town I turn L on unplowed Lodge Rd & take a side-ski to visit Spruce Lodge which has a nice view. At least 6" of snow - bottom half wettish, top half nice powder - some blowdown on trails. Mostly hardwoods. Take a R on Meyer Rd & drop some easy elevation - some wet spots. L on Gallup Rd then R to Ridge Cabin where I spend some time lunching & reading the log - good remote feel - plan to revisit in Jan. for a couple of nights. Back to Gallup Rd & ski W - sweet downhill run with easy turns to Dunc's Place (The Sugarhouse?). Feel a grin stretch from ear to ear. Saw a few deer along the way. R on Old Town Rd to leantos then NE on Kouwenhoven Rd with stream on R. Trail switches back away from stream & climbs steeply (expert in other direction), finally moderating along a ridge flanked by Spruce Peak to the R & Mt Antone to the L. Wind howling high up. R on Lodge Rd then R on Hammond Rd (to avoid climbing Spruce Peak). L on Gallup Rd. Good views NE thru selectively logged woods. At junction with Lodge Rd trail drops steeply & continues dropping - thighs begin to feel the constant snowplowing but I maintain control. Farm comes into view & back on Old Town I stop to enjoy the view NE to the Adirondacks. Karhu Vela skis (set up with NNN-BC bindings) did everything I asked of them. Very happy with the Masters 2pc adjustable poles. Most trails are rated moderate to difficult - dirt roads are not as bumpy as true wilderness trails, tho - beginners should stay away (or use snowshoes). Elevation varies from about 1,400' to 2,600' - temps are colder - expect a long ski season here. 4 hours. Great start to the ski season.
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