Take a Hike, Off the Trails
- Details
During Southeastern Vermont’s school spring break, each day WRC is offering some suggestions for hitting the trails safely this week during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Friday, we’re actually suggesting taking a walk someplace other than a trail where social distancing might be easier.
How about an in-town walk? Villages like Bellows Falls and Brattleboro have large street networks with sidewalks, and in low traffic areas you may be able to safely step into the street to keep your distance from others. (In fact, many larger cities have been converting a travel lane or an entire street to pedestrian use because there are more people on the sidewalk and fewer cars on the streets.)
There are guides for touring some of our villages to make your walk more interesting and educational:
- Brattleboro Treasured Trees Walk
- Brattleboro Main Street Walking Tour
- Historic Walking Tour of Putney’s Pre-Civil War Architecture - scroll down in link (much of this follows the Mabel Gray Walkway)
- Bellows Falls Neighborhood Historic District Walking Tour
How about walking on one of the scenic unpaved roads in the Windham Region? We have over 800 miles! (of unpaved roads that is, scenic or not) Wear a safety vest (many area hardware stores are still open for purchases), and walk facing traffic. You can uses WRC’s road name maps to find unpaved roads that might make good walking loops.
How about walking in a big open field? The Retreat Farm’s Upper Dummerston Road trailhead in Brattleboro provides access to the Ice Pond Trail, which in this area is really a walking route through a field. You can wander anywhere and really keep your distance from others. The ski hill at Living Memorial Park is another possibility. Just remember to be Tick Smart.
