After several months of careful planning and trail work a new route to the top of Wheeler Mountain is ready to open. The new Wheeler Mountain Trail climbs the mountain ridge from the south and replaces the former Red and White Trails, which were plagued by issues of overuse and are now closed. The project was spearheaded by NorthWoods Stewardship Center in cooperation with the landowner and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
“NorthWoods is in the business of expanding recreational access to public lands”, states Luke O’Brien, the NorthWoods Trails Director, “so it was a very difficult decision to close these old trails. Hopefully, hikers will come to enjoy the new route as much as the old ones.”
The decision to relocate the lower Wheeler Mountain Trails was precipitated by chronic issues of high traffic, illegal fires, unauthorized camping, vandalism, and inadequate parking. Much of Wheeler Mountain is on private land.
“The landowner felt that a change was needed”, states O’Brien.
With funding through the Vermont Recreation Trails Program, NorthWoods was able to complete four weeks of trail work through its NorthWoods Conservation Corps. The crew, consisting of 8 local youth, cut over 1-mile of new trail—clearing sapling growth to establish the trail corridor and preparing the tread by installing sidehilling, steps, and drainages. New blazes and signs are going up this week.
“The benefits of the new trail”, according to O’Brien, “is that it is now located, in part, on Willoughby State Forest lands and the landowner has agreed to an easement that ensures long-term public access to the upper trail and mountain. It provides much greater security for the trail when, in fact, it could have been closed entirely.”
A new, larger trailhead parking area was recently installed by the State about a half-mile down the road near the old Moose Mountain Trailhead. It will include new signage, an informational kiosk and parking for roughly 20 vehicles.
Final closeout of the old trails on Wheeler is taking place this week and NorthWoods is asking hikers to respect the wishes of the private landowner and heed the trail closure signs.
“We understand that many people feel strongly about the Wheeler Mountain Trail but the new route represents the best path forward for preserving access to the mountain.” He adds “The new trail also includes many interesting features such as rock shelters, ledges, and overlooks.”
For more information on the Wheeler Mountain project, including the NorthWoods Conservation Corps, the Vermont Recreation Trails Program, and other hiking opportunities in the Northeast Kingdom email trails@northwoodscenter.org.