Vermont Long Trail: Final road segments face relocation

The Green Mountain Club announced on October 27 that it has secured the final necessary easement to reroute approximately three miles of the Long Trail in Lamoille County. This agreement allows hikers to leave West Settlement Road in Johnson and enter the woods, a change that concludes more than 30 years of negotiations with local landowners.

Currently, hikers traverse about half a mile along West Settlement Road to cross the Lamoille River valley. This section is one of the few remaining paved stretches on the 272-mile route. Two other road segments remain, consisting of roughly one mile each in the Winooski River valley and near Manchester. Mollie Flanigan, the club's director of land conservation, noted that these river valleys present persistent challenges due to fragmented property ownership and competing land uses.

The reroute in Johnson relies on seven separate agreements with landowners in the Lamoille River valley. The new path will follow Dry Ridge, a forested area owned by Forest Investment Associates. The landowner will retain logging rights on the surrounding property, while the club gains the right to manage forest within 20 feet of the new trail. Flanigan described the site as an active part of the Vermont timber landscape under private ownership.

Construction on the new trail is scheduled to begin in 2030. The club will coordinate with the landowner to finalize the route, which is expected to wind through the woods while avoiding a wetland and pond. This easement brings the percentage of the Long Trail with protected status to more than 98%. Approximately four miles of trail along 13 properties currently lack legal protection.

In a separate development this fall, hikers in Eden can access a rebuilt section of the Long Trail on Belvidere Mountain. The old route, built 100 years ago, followed a steep logging road that was eroding due to heavy foot traffic and rainfall. The new path moves about a quarter mile of the trail from private land onto the Long Trail State Forest.

Keegan Tierney, the club's director of field programs, said the redesign accounts for climate change by preventing the trail from becoming a streambed during rain. The new route also avoids a swath of bear habitat. Hikers may notice bear-scarred beech trees along the 6-mile round trip hike to the summit, which features a 70-foot fire tower.