Vermont’s Mud Season Hikes
Mud Season-Safe Hikes Statewide
Bright sunshine and warmer days beckon as spring brings birdsong and buds on trees. When snow melts, trails get muddy, and hiking through or around wet areas can damage the land and the ecosystem. Protecting Vermont’s trails and fragile alpine areas is everyone’s responsibility, so when you’re tempted to hit the trails, keep trail stewardship in mind. Low-elevation trails dry out sooner, so they’re better options in early spring, as are Vermont’s paved paths and rail trails. As spring progresses and more trails open, hikers can venture higher. Remember that conditions can change with elevation, and a warm day near the base of the trail can turn cold and even snowy or icy near the top, so waterproof footwear and gators can be helpful as you get out there.
Mud Season Hiking Guidelines
- If a trail is so muddy that you need to walk on the vegetation beside it, turn back and seek another place to hike.
- Plan spring hikes in hardwood forests at lower elevations.
- Avoid spruce-fir (conifer) forest at higher elevations and on north slopes before late May and from the end of October until frozen or snow covered.
- Camels Hump and Mt Mansfield trails are closed from April 15 through the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. Please do not hike here. Stay below 3000 ft during these times of year.
SOUTHEAST VERMONT
- Mt. Ascutney State Park Parkway (PDF) (after mid April, when the ice has melted); Windsor
- Myron Dutton Memorial Loop Trail (PDF) Dutton Pines State Park; Dummerston
- Pinnacle Trail (PDF) Wilgus State Park; Springfield
- Sunrise and Sunset Trails (PDF) Fort Dummer State Park; Guilford
- West River Trail (PDF); South Londonderry
SOUTHWEST VERMONT
- Emerald Lake State Park roads (PDF); East Dorset
- Button Bay State Park roads; Ferrisburgh
- Kingsland Bay State Park Roads; Ferrisburgh
- Bomoseen State Park Roads; Bomoseen
NORTHWEST VERMONT
- The Austin Brook Trail; Warren/Granville
- Trail Around Middlebury (TAM); Middlebury
- Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail; St. Albans
- Cotton Brook Road; Moscow/Stowe
- Alburgh Recreation Trail; Alburgh
- Mallets Bay Causeway; Colchester
- Cambridge Greenway Recreation Path; Jeffersonville
- Mt. Philo State Park roads to summit; Charlotte
NORTHEAST VERMONT
- CCC Road in Willoughby State Forest; Sutton
- Burke Fire Road (CCC Road); Burke
- Burke Toll Road; Burke
- Lyndon State Forest trails; Lyndonville
- The Cross VT Trail; runs west to east across VT
- Thresher Hill Pine Brook Trails (PDF); Rochester
- Liberty Hill Contest Trails; Pittsfield
- Robert Frost Interpretive Trail; Ripton
- Stowe Recreation Path; Stowe
CENTRAL VERMONT
- Universally Accessible Peninsula Trail; Mount Mansfield State Forest
- Universally Accessible Camp Smith Loop Trail; Waterbury
- Dalley Loop Trail; Waterbury
- Elmore Fire Tower Trail (Forestry Road section); Elmore
- Pinnacle Meadow Trail (up to the Pinnacle Meadow Vista); Worcester
The following trails typically open midway through mud season:
- Stevenson Brook – Little River State Park
- Mill Trail to Bingham Falls – Smugglers’ Notch State Park
- Nature Trail – Elmore State Park
- Moss Glen Falls Trail – C.C. Putnam State Forest
Check trail status as you plan your hike, and obey all signage.