SVT Foot Trails

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 Trailhead: Visitor parking at Castleton University is behind the Stafford Academic Center in the Stafford lot.

Guidelines:  

• Open to the public from dawn to dusk. 
• Walking, running, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing are all allowed. 
• No motorized vehicles please.
• Snowmobiles are allowed on the rail trail in the winter. 
• Please be respectful of private landowners and stay on the marked trails as some portions of these trails cross private land.
  

Map:  Access a pdf of the trail map here.

Trail Descriptions:

The Castleton University Trails are easy and well marked.  

There are two trails:

• Spartan Trail – 1.6 miles (green markers)
• Lady Spartan Trail – 0.3 miles (red markers), which is a connector trail in the longer Spartan Trail loop (see map).
  

To Access the Trails: 

• Begin in Castleton Village on Main Street (also 4A). 
• Starting from Castleton Village head west. 
• Take the third left onto South Street. 
• In about 1/3 of a mile, (just after Jeffords Science Center), take the next left into a large parking lot.
• Immediately turn right and park at the end of the smaller lot adjacent to South Street. 
• The D&R Rail Trail passes just to the north of this parking lot. There is a rail trail informational kiosk about 100 feet to the east. 
• To access the Castleton University trails, cross South Street and follow the D&R rail trail south. It passes to the west of the Spartan Pavilion and Stadium.  There are two entrances (marked with signs). One is about 1,500 feet from South Street and the second is about 3,000 feet from South Street. See map for further details.
  

Other Tips: 

• These trails can be hiked or biked in any direction. The trails are suitable for beginner mountain bikers, joggers and those looking for an easy hike.   
• The CU trails are popular.  All users, please be aware and exercise caution around curves and blind turns in the trails.  
• The terrain is gentle with no significant climbs. The footpath is well maintained but there are plenty of roots and rocks to watch out for.
• In the spring there may be several wet and muddy sections. 
• The trails wind through forest, cross Glenbrook twice and skirt the edge of athletic fields and Glenbrook Pond. The varied environments provide for an interesting outing but there are no major overlooks or views.  
• The trails are used by the University cross-country team in the fall. 

Every town needs a 10 kilometer running and walking loop!  

This loop is a popular and pleasant route that uses the sidewalk along East Main Street to East Poultney, several dirt roads and the D&H Trail.  The road up the hill just east of Route 30 was called Cheaters Hill in the 1800s as it allowed people to bypass the brick house that was once the toll house for the Poultney Turnpike.

The 6.5 mile loop begins and ends at the D&H kiosk on Church Street in Poultney village.  If you go around the route in a clockwise direction you’ll get a good workout going up Cheater’s Hill.  If you do it in a counter clockwise direction you will enjoy a nice long run down the hill. 

Delaney Woods Map

Delaney Woods on Trailfinder

Description:   Delaney Woods, owned by the Town of Wells, is part of the the conserved Delaney Farm.   Volunteers and professional trail builders constructed about 3.5 miles of multi-use single track trails over the past couple of years.  The trails were designed for all kinds of HUMAN powered fun such as hiking, snow shoeing and mountain biking.   

Directions: Enter Delaney Cross Road off North Street in Wells, across from the Lakeside Park, and look for the official parking area. From there, continue on foot or bike up the road for about 0.2 m, stay right and you should see the sign for SVT Rt 1 trailhead.

Endless Brook Map

Endless Brook on Trailfinder

Trailhead

The trailhead and parking is located on Endless Brook Road across from the Lewis Deane Nature Preserve (~975 Endless Brook Road in Google Maps).

Description

These beautiful trails are entirely on private property and are open to the public through the landowner's generosity and their partnership with Slate Valley Trails.  The majority of the trails are singletrack and designed for mountian biking.  However, the trails are open to any non-motorized use including hiking, running, and snowshoeing.  Once you reach the highest point on Hardy's Hill the views of Lake Saint Catherine are amazing, and so are the fast berms and rolls as you head back down the long descent. Please do not ride the trails if they are wet and tire ruts are visible.

Guidelines:

• Welcome sunrise to sunset - no camping
• Share the trails - bikers yield to hikers
• Leave no trace - carry out your trash
• Stay on marked trails - we went to a lot of trouble to build them
• No motorized vehicles or horses -  they can damage the trails
  No firearms or public hunting - for everyone's safety
  No camping or fires - to respect the landowner's wishes
  

Trail Descriptions:

• Farm Road (0.2 mi) This short woods road connects from the trailhead to Franz's Falls Trail.
• Franz’s Falls (0.7 mi) This twisty singletrack trail is the main access point for all the other trails in the network. Expect technical steep side-hills after the long bridge over a beautiful gorge.
  Rusty Bucket Loop (1.4 mi) This narrow singletrack trail loop climbs and descends through open forest, featuring many tight turns and a beautiful overlook from the summit ledge.
• Hardy’s Hill (1.9 mi) This trail is recommended as an out-and-back, but can also be ridden along with Rocky Ridge or Shale Shifter to make a loop.  Once you reach the highest point the views of Lake Saint Catherine are amazing, and so are the fast berms and rolls as you head back down the long descent.  This trail is slightly wider and less technical than Rocky Ridge, Franz’s Falls and Rusty Bucket Loop.
• Hi Roller (0.6 mi) This is a fun, rolling trail that offers additional loop options.
• Rocky Ridge (1.1 mi) This hand built single track trail is technical, with some exposed sections, recommended for expert riders.
• Shale Shifter (1.1 mi) This trail offers a great double track option for those looking for a hill climb workout with some steep sections, or walking with a group. It can be combined with Hardy’s Hill to make a loop.
• Dayton Hill Connector (0.7 mi) This Class 4 Road and is a great way to connect from the trailhead to Hardy’s Hill, or vice versa. Please limit all parking to the designated parking lot on Endless Brook Road.

Howe Hill Map

Howe Hill on Trailfinder

Trailhead

Parking for the Howe Hill trails is in the parking lot next to the East Poultney Baptist Church on the green in the center of the village of East Poultney.  The parking lot may be full on Sunday mornings during church service.  To access the trails from the parking lot walk south across the Poultney River on to Thrall Rd.  The trails start at the Howe Hill sign on the left side of Thrall Rd. about a quarter mile from the parking lot.

Description

This trail network represents a partnership between two generous landowners and Slate Valley Trails.  Howe Hill trails are open to walking, hiking, running, and snowshoeing when the snow falls.  There are some short steep climbs on Laird's Loop, some of which may be dangerous in icy conditions.  The trails consist of Laird's Loop (1.9 miles round-trip) and the Upper Loop (1.0 miles). Please wear bright colors during all Vermont hunting seasons.

Trailhead:

Maps:

• East Trails
• West Trails

Description:  The Poultney River and Rail Trail is a 3.3 mile multi-use trail around downtown Poultney, which has been under development since 2001.  
The trail features portions of the D&H Rail Trail, Poultney River and a corridor bordering the Poultney Elementary School.

Recently, Slate Valley Trails has partnered with the Town of Poultney, the Poultney 20/20 Committee and the Poultney-Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District to bring the plans to completion. 

Map:  Access a pdf map of the River and Rail Trail here.