Mount Ascutney State Park

Finding the nine geocaches on Mt Ascutney and the three in the State Park Campground was a great summer challenge and a great deal of fun.  A few people from out of state returned to the State Park several times to meet the challenge to find them all. These are only a few of the many who combed the mountain to find the caches:

Stephanie Lawrensen            Chelmsford, MA

William Hamson                     West Tisbury, MA

Mikayla Rypkema                   Fairfax, VA

Ashley Dion                            Windsor, VT

Izzy Emmons                          Starksboro, VT

Ethan Sausville                       Vergennes, VT

Jim Congdon                           Brownsville, VT

Andrew Correia                       Brownsville, VT

Melyssa                                   Hudson, NH

Brian Rivard                            Hinesburg, VT

Owen Gagne                           Concord, MA

Kelly Kentigian                         Saco, ME

Margery Storey                        Rome, NY

Lauren Clough                         Greenfield, MA

Special congratulations to Ava age 6 and Sara age 8 who, with help from their parents, hiked to and found almost all of the caches.  Congratulations everyone!

Look for another geocaching challenge next summer, take the challenge, and join the fun!

Couldn’t go on one of the night hikes?  Or a bushwacking trip to one of the hidden mountain quarries?   There is still time to join the Park Interpreter on a hike of your choice.  You pick the location, time of day, day of the week, and you decide on the number of people you would like to have along!

Contact the Park front gate to set something up.

The Park is open for one more week, and your last chance to find all of the geocaches is almost here. There is still time to pick up a map from the Park gate for the 6 caches on the mountain, and/or one for the three caches in the campground.  If you have found them all, check back with the gate.

Join the many who have been on the mountain for the geocache hunt!

Celebrate the end of a great Fall day with a night hike on the top of the mountain, and an exciting chance to see the Aurora Borealis.  We will hike in the dusk with the Park Interpreter, from the upper parking lot to the Observation Tower and return in the dark.  1 ½ mile round-trip.  Moderate difficulty.  Warm clothes and a flashlight or headlamp are required.  Meet at the parking lot at the top of the toll road at 7:00pm.

The mountain toll road closes for uphill traffic at 6:30pm, so be sure to leave before then.  All hikers must stay with the Park Interpreter during the hike, and return to the parking lot at the same time.  (No one can stay at the top when the group leaves.)

A short hike on a little-known and hardly-used trail to Ascutney’s South Peak and a terrific view.  It’s a unique opportunity to see the countryside and the foliage from a whole new perspective.  Meet the Park Interpreter in the parking lot at the top of the toll road.  A hike with no elevation gain, about 0.6  mi round trip.

Hike and explore the old Weathersfield Trail to the base of the Crystal  Cascade Falls.  There are two brook crossings with opportunities to take photos of floating fall leaves.  Even without a full cascade of water, a view from the bottom of the 70’ sheer drop of the falls is a treat. The trail then makes a very short but tricky rise up the side to the top of the falls.  We will return to the parking lot on the well-known Weathersfield Trail. A circular hike of about 2 miles. Moderate. Meet at the Weathersfield Trailhead at 12:30pm.

Find six geocaches hidden along the park trails using your cell phone compass.  Pick up a map at the park entrance, hike to the general location, and pull up the coordinates to find the cache.  Something you can do on your own time and any day.  Join dozens of others out on the trails geocaching, and see how many you can find!

Thousands of birds flew over us last night.  Where are they going?  Why do they fly at night? How many birds actually migrate? Stop by the tent in the parking lot at the top of the toll road to learn and chat about the amazing migration of birds. Mid-day Saturday and Sunday.

Hike the Norcross Trail from the Brownsville Trailhead to the Windsor Trailhead.  After some elevation gain to Norcross on the Brownsville Trail, it’s an around the mountain, moderate hike, which is new to many hikers.  3 miles.  Meet at the Windsor Trailhead parking lot for shuffling of cars to the Brownsville Trailhead.

Curious about the geocaching you have heard about?  Join the Park Interpreter on a hike to find one of the hidden caches on the mountain. Meet at the parking lot at the top of the toll road, from which we will hike down the Windsor Trail to the log shelter.  There is a cache nearby, and the Interpreter will show you how to find it using your iPhone compass.  We will return  to the parking lot by the Futures Trail and Futures Link. Moderate and rocky.

Note:  Most mobile phones come with a compass, and it will be good to check before you come.  If you don’t have one, free basic compass apps are available for download.