Mount Ascutney State Park

Treasure hunting fun! Whenever you want!

There are now six geocaches hidden in Mt Ascutney State Park, all over the mountain.  Each cache contains a sticker to collect. 

• Pick up a “cache map” at the Mt Ascutney State Park gate.
• Go to the general location of a cache using the indications on the map (Norcross Quarry, Hang Glider Platform, etc.)
• Use a compass or your cell phone compass to find the exact location of the coordinates.
• Look within 20’ of that location to find the cache. It may be camouflaged,  hanging in a tree, or partially covered.
• Take a sticker and put the cache back the way you found it.

                       LEAVE NO TRACE

SEE IF YOU CAN RETURN WITH ALL OF THE STICKERS BEFORE OCTOBER 19th FOR A SMALL REWARD!   IT'S A GREAT WAY TO EXPLORE THE PARK, AND HAVE FUN!

POSTPONED  Learn or review basic map and compass skills.  We will practice orienting with a compass or iPhone (iPhones come with a compass app) to places within sight. Then we will undertake a small geocaching/treasure hunting challenge in the campground. It’s great family fun! Meet at the picnic table inside the park entrance at 10:30am, and bring a compass if possible.  POSTPONED

Did you ever take a picture of a beautiful view or a mushroom and when you got home realized that the picture just doesn’t capture it? If you don’t have a fancy camera, your cell phone has filters and many features that can bring your pictures to life.  Join a professional photographer on a short hike at the top of the mountain while we learn about cell phone capabilities and how to set up a shot, so that your photos can match your memories.  2 miles, moderate.  Meet at the parking lot at the top of the toll road at 10:30am.

Watch the best meteor shower of the year in the big open sky above the haze.  Bring a blanket or reclining chair to watch one of nature’s beautiful events.  We’ll settle in the parking lot at the end of the road.  There will be an optional short, night hike to the observation platform, for which head lamps or flashlights are required.  The rain date is Monday, August 12th.

The toll road closes for up-hill traffic at 8:15pm so be sure to be on your way up by then.  Everyone must leave the top by 10:00 at the latest, camping or overnight parking is not allowed.

After Hurricane Debby’s rain on Saturday, we may have a great opportunity to see the Crystal Cascade at its best. Hike and explore the old Weathersfield Trail to the bottom of the amazing Crystal Cascade Falls.   The trail then makes a short but tricky climb up the side to the top of the falls.  We will return to the parking lot on the new Weathersfield Trail. 2.5 miles. Moderate to difficult. Meet at the Weathersfield Trailhead at 11am.

Mark your calendars for a meteor shower event next Saturday, August 10 (with a rain date of the 11th.) Perseid meteors can be very colorful and leave long tails.  Special guests with large telescopes have been invited so we can look at planets as well.  All skygazers are welcome!  Watch for event details next week.

Hop, Skip and Jump into a book on a hike in Mt. Ascutney State Park.  Join your librarians and the Park Interpreter for a short hike and fun stories on the trail. Explore the woods and listen to a good book. A collaboration of Mt Ascutney SP and the Mary Blood Library, and co-sponsored by the Windsor Public Library.

1-2 miles of easy hiking.  Meet at the parking area across the road from the main Park entrance.  All are welcome.

Join local librarians and the Mt Ascutney State Park Interpreter, for poetry reading and creating on the trail. Feel free to bring a favorite poem to share, or even your own! We will be creating poems along the way, so participants are encouraged to bring a small notebook and writing utensil. This poetry program is designed for adults.  Co-Sponsored by the Mary Blood Library, the Windsor Public Library, and Mt Ascutney State Park. Meet at the Windsor Trail parking lot for this terrific 2 mile poetry hike to Gerry’s Falls.  Moderate difficulty.

Join the Mt Ascutney State Park Interpreter and park staff to learn or review basic map and compass skills.  We will practice orienting with the compass to places within sight, and then undertake a small geocaching challenge in the campground. Great family fun! Meet at the picnic table inside the park entrance, and bring a compass if possible.    

Within a few weeks a park-wide geocaching challenge will be set up for hiking enthusiasts.  Stay tuned for those details.

Co-sponsored by the West Windsor Historical Society and the Mt Ascutney State Park, this hike takes us through time to Mt Ascutney’s most well-known of its four quarries. How was the quarry found?  Who ran it? How was the granite quarried and transported?  What was special about it?  Why did it close?  We will explore these questions and many more as we hike up the old quarry road on the Brownsville Trail. 2+ miles.  Moderate difficulty.  1.5 hours.  Free.  Meet at the Brownsville Trailhead at 10am.  Or, meet at the Albert Bridge School by 9:45 for ride sharing.