Mount Ascutney State Park

Mt Ascutney’s South Peak and the old Hang Glider Launch are hidden gems, not very far from the top parking lot.  They might just become one of your favorite places to view the foliage in a few weeks.  Meet at the top parking lot at 10:30am.  It is a short, fairly easy hike to the launch pad.

Earn a badge and have some fun on the mountain!  Join the Park Interpreter for a moderate, two mile hike with views, different habitats, cool mushrooms, huge cliffs, beautiful turning leaves, and a treasure hunt with a compass. We’ll climb the tower to see the mountains near and far.  There is even the possibility of watching a hang glider launch off the mountain. Everyone is welcome - family, friends, and community members. Meet at the parking lot at the top of the toll road at 11AM. Entrance to the park is free for anyone participating in the Girl Scout gathering.

Notes:  Bring a lunch in your backpack.  If you use a mobile phone, it probably already has a compass built into it. If you have a minute, check it out before you come.  We will use the compass for the treasure hunt. 

Hike on the Norcross Trail with the Park Interpreter, from the Brownsville Trail to the Windsor Trail. (It was designed for both hiking and  mountain biking.) The only significant elevation gain is from the Brownsville parking lot to the Norcross junction.  Meet at the Windsor Trail parking lot to carpool to the Brownsville Trailhead.  About 3.5 miles of moderate hiking.  Come explore a little-known hiking trail! 

Note:  The Mt Ascutney toll road will be closed this weekend for a car race.

As you climb the mountain on the Brownsville Trail, you are welcome to stop for a breather at the Norcross Quarry to see pictures of the time it was a working enterprise.  There is also a rich history from newspapers and newsletters about the ups and downs of the quarry.  Why are there rails?  What was that huge beam used for?  Why did they have a water pit at the quarry?  Why are the stone angles so precise?  How did they get them down the mountain?  The Park Interpreter will be at the site, and will share any information about the quarry that interests you. In addition, she will have a good sample of the famous Ascutney green granite.

Note:  The Mt Ascutney toll road will be closed this weekend for a car race.

When: Saturday 9/14/24 at 11:00 am

Where: Mt Ascutney State Park Summit trailhead parking lot, Windsor, Vermont

What: Join Park Interpreter, Pat, on a guided hike on all the summit highlights of beautiful Mt Ascutney State Park. This moderately difficult hike is a two-mile exploration of the habitats, geology, and forest life, and includes a treasure hunt with compasses on Mt Ascutney peak. Pack your lunch for a picnic while exploring all the lookouts and the observation tower. Girl Scouts are welcome to participate with their troops and/or friends and families. Participating Girl Scouts receive the 2024 Girl Scouts Love State Parks patch and the official Girl Scouts Love State Parks passport. Park entrance fees are waived for all participants.

For more information on Mt Ascutney: Mt Ascutney information website

Cloud Spin is a little known, easy trail that begins on the south side of the park campground.  Join the Park Interpreter for a brisk half hour to 45 minute walk on a woods road to get your day started.  Meet at the RV/trailer dump station in the south loop of the campground.

Wake up September with a walk on an easy rolling loop across from the campground.  Cool and shady. One or three miles depending on the wishes of the group. Join the Park Interpreter at the trailhead across the road from the Park gate, at 10am.

A naturalist from the Southern Vermont Museum of Natural History will keep you spellbound with live birds of prey, their stories, and facts about their life in Vermont. See these beautiful birds up close.  Owls, hawks, falcons or other big birds may be part of this special event.

Offered rain or shine.  Held in the parking lot at the top of the toll road, or in the pavilion/shelter in case of rain.        Park events included in the day use fee.

The oldest of Mt Ascutney’s four quarries, the Tyler location was first used in 1768, more than a century before the better-known Norcross Quarry.  Join the Mt Ascutney Park Interpreter for a bushy walk up an old quarry road to a bushwack around the three Tyler quarry sites. We'll learn about how the granite was quarried and how it was used.  2+ miles, moderate difficulty.  Meet at the parking lot across the road from the Park entrance for carpooling to the beginning of the hike.

The Enright Quarry, one of Mt Ascutney’s four quarries, is a forgotten part of local history.   Join the Park Interpreter to bushwack to the quarry, explore the site, and imagine how the quarry operated.  About three miles, moderate difficulty.  Meet at the parking lot across the road from the Park gate.