Northeast Wild

  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 c...

Somerset Reservoir is the southernmost lake in Vermont where loons nest.  There is a little motorboat traffic limited to 10mph, no waterskiing, no jetskis allowed and can be fairly quiet.  Scenery is outstanding with views of Stratton Mtn, Mount Snow & Glastenbury Mtn.  Shores are undeveloped except for the big dam at its southern end.  One can paddle a good 15 miles around its shoreline and there are some nice picnic spots, some on islands.  The Catamount Ski Trail runs along its east side.  Camping is not allowed.  Nearest camping is 3 miles away at Somerset Airfield Campground - free car-camping with privies in the Green Mountain National Forest - not a lot of privacy, the sheriff stops and checks on things occasionally. Oct 11, 2015 - SOMERSET RESERVOIR. Water level drawn down a few feet revealing rocky shoreline. 10-15mph winds fron SW so quickly crossed to W side but still had to occasionally deal with wind & waves up t...