HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN VT & DEERFIELD RIDGE TRAIL TO MOUNT SNOW skiing & hiking

 

Southern Vermont near Wilmington.

Mar 3, 2013 - DEERFIELD RIDGE TRAIL from Upper Dam Rd in Wilmington VT.  Elevation 2,390' at the trailhead.  Trail climbs over 600' in 2.1 miles to junction of 0.3 mile spur to Haystack Mtn.  The ridge trail continues above 3,000' to Mt. Snow.  As of Dec 14, 2012 motorized vehicles incl. snowmobiles not allowed.  Stopped for lunch & turns at top of the private Haystack Ski Area.  Continued N to a 1,055m summit & a bit beyond, over a mile short of Mt. Snow, before turning back.  Some moderately steep terrain, some challenging hills with moguls, trail generally fairly wide & good for turns.  A few limited views along the way - high up the trail tends to be bordered with thick stands of red spruce heavily laden with snow.  Some crusty base with 1-2" powder down low (ok skiing); excellent skiing above 3,000' with 5" powder on good base.  At least intermediate+.  1,000' net elevation change, 5.8 hours. 

Jan 22, 2006 - HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN hike, near Wilmington, VT. 0"-20" icy hardpack, some wet spots but not a major problem. Carried snowshoes on pack but for the most part did not break thru the hardpack & did not use. Spent a sunny, wind-free hour enjoying the views from the summit (1,030' gain in 2.4 miles) - mostly N & E but if you move around you can get limited views in other directions - nearby Mt. Snow across from Haystack Pond below; White Mts of NH, Catskills & more. Walked further N on the Deerfield Ridge Trail (views W across Deerfield River to Appalachians incl. Glastenbury Mt.) to top of Haystack Mtn Ski Area (now closed) - good views E from the chairlift. Delux did ski part of the way. 7.5 miles, 5.5 hours. 


Mar 2, 2003 - HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN, Vt. near Wilmington. From Rt.9 take Haystack, Chimney Hill & Binney Brook Roads 2.6 miles to trailhead. Rain, sleet & snow at 2,400' trailhead, all snow higher up. Trail receives some snowmobile use - deep hardpack with 1"-3" of fresh wet powder. Some folks used skins some of the way up & down - I did not (some herringboning/sidestepping needed). Mostly spruce on ridge with some birch - on a clear day would have nice views. Skipped side-trail to summit (best on snowshoes) & around W side of summit to top of Haystack Ski Area. Another 2.5 miles along the ridge would take you to the top of Mt. Snow - save it for a nicer day. Great run back out - fell twice today on downhills - can't remember when that last happened. 600' el. change, 5 miles, 3.5 hrs. Karhu Pyxis with Garmont Excursion plastic boots handled the hills well - wish I could say the same for the Nehasanemobile as we inched down icy, unplowed Binney Brook Rd.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HUDSON RIVER paddling, Thurman to Hadley.

Image
The Bear Slides on Butternut Brook is a half mile hike from the river at Darlings Ford. In summer, tubing is popular in the 2nd half of this trip. Oct 20, 2021 - Hadley gauge at 3.8' - a very nice level.  Sunny & temp rising into the lower 70s.  Some very nice fall foliage in the yellow/orange range but past peak for reds.  Moving water, fast water, riffles up to 1' - the current made it easy to keep a 3.5-4mph pace.  Steep hills on both sides.  Bald eagles, lots of Canada geese, a lone merganser.  14.5 miles, 5 hours (incl an hour-long lunch break near 1000 Acres Ranch).  However, what may have been a perfect day of paddling was diminished by a reminder that not all folks are having an awesome day - enough said - details below but BE WARNED , it ain't pretty . *After paddling downstream for 10 minutes, we spotted some debris on river R that looked like some clothing, a dummy, or something.  After a closer look, it was determined to be a de...
Read more

KAYADEROSSERAS CREEK paddling, Saratoga County NY

Image
Kayaderosseras Creek and Lake Lonely Outlet. The Kayaderosseras is a lovely meandering lowland stream. The 3-mile stretch between the Northway (I-87) and Saratoga Lake is often paddled, and a side trip up and down Lake Lonely Outlet can add another couple of miles. A good access point is a small beach at Waterfront Park on Crescent Ave. This does require paddling along the north side of Saratoga Lake for a half mile to reach the mouth of the “K” - this may be undesirable on a windy day or during the height of the motorboating season.  An alternate put-in, just upstream from the mouth of the creek, can be found at the Arrowhead Casino Archaeological Preserve at the end of Arrowhead Road, 0.7 miles from Crescent Ave. You will have to carry your boat along a trail for up to 200 yards and it is likely to be muddy, although possibly less so slightly downstream to the left. For a fee, one can launch at the boat shop on Crescent Avenue where the road crosses over Lake Lonely Outlet. One c...
Read more

HENDERSON LAKE, PRESTON PONDS & DUCK HOLE canoeing.

Image
June 2021 - The carry to Henderson Lake is now 0.1 miles longer because the old parking area has been closed & there is a new parking area that is a bit further south. Sep 14, 2014 - HENDERSON LAKE.  Easy 0.3 mile carry from Upper Works trailhead.  Explored the S inlet, Santanoni Brook & Indian Pass Brook.  Awesome High Peaks views.  Foliage ~20% change, mostly red & purple maples.  Very little wildlife, no bad bugs.  Saw just 1 kayak & 2 pack canoes.  7.8 miles, 4.4 hours. Aug 4 & 5, 2013 - HENDERSON LAKE, PRESTON PONDS, DUCK HOLE canoe camping, from Upper Works trailhead Sunday: Wheeled canoe & gear (incl. comfy chair) 0.3 mi. to the put-in on Henderson Checked out all 3 designated campsites (none occupied) before deciding on the southeasterly one. Campsites have fire ring & thunderbox. The site on W shore is further S than shown on the map at the put-in - it's lousy anyway. After setting up ...
Read more