mud season

14 05, 2019

Can I Hike? Keeping Our Trails in Shape.

2019-05-14T17:49:40-04:00May 14th, 2019|Highlights, News|

As the weather turns warm and the first flush of color starts to turn the mountains green, many of us start thinking about lacing up our hiking boots and heading to our latest trail to take in the view. But wait! Spring hiking, while tempting, can cause alot of damage to our public trails, as visitors struggle up steep, saturated ground, walk around mud patches onto protected vegetation, and generally tear up soft, wet trails that our crews have worked hard to improve. While you may think 'I'm just one person, [Read More...]

16 04, 2018

Mud Season and What To Do About It

2018-04-16T13:34:31-04:00April 16th, 2018|Conservation Corps, Education, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News|

Mud season has arrived. For many of us that means an extended period of wearing rubber boots and a lingering feeling of concern (or perhaps adventure!) everytime we get in the car for our daily commute across some of Vermont's roughly 8,000 miles of unpaved dirt roads, now ridged into a potentially car-eating quagmire thanks to thawing ground and melting snow. But mud season also means spring -- warmer weather, the first migratory bird arrivals like warblers and red-winged blackbirds, and the emergence of beautiful forest ephemerals like Spring Beauty, [Read More...]

19 04, 2016

Trail Guidelines for Mud Season

2016-12-13T19:11:47-05:00April 19th, 2016|Conservation Corps, Education, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News|

It is mud season in the Northeast Kingdom and NorthWoods is discouraging hikers from damaging local trail during this transitional time of year. In northern Vermont mud season comes early and ends late, often extending into June—much later than other parts of the state. The impacts of hiking during mud season are significant and they should be minimized during any wet spell, not just in the spring. Fragile soils, plants, loose slopes, access roads and parking areas are all more susceptible to rutting, compaction and erosion at this time of year. To reduce impacts to [Read More...]

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