Local Walking & Hiking Trails
Springfield has a number of scenic local trails for day hikes, ski touring/snow shoeing, mountain/fat biking, and casual walking. Generally, the public trails are woods roads or dirt footpaths through meadows and woodlands. Trail details and maps are shown below.
Hartness Park Trails
Hartness Park is an 85-acre town forest accessed from trailheads close to downtown Springfield. The wooded trails are used primarily for hiking, running, and snowshoeing. They include short easy walks and steeper trails for aerobic workouts. Unique features include the park’s history as a ski jump site and groups of towering pine and oak trees. Some trails are suitable for mountain biking, horseback riding, or cross-country skiing.
Length
The park includes 3 miles of trails.
Difficulty
Mostly easy, with some short steep options
Directions
The park can be accessed from Dell Road or Route 143 (Summer Street). Please park without blocking gates or driveways.
To get to the Dell Road entrance, take Summer Street from the center of town. Turn left on Summer Hill, following the road when it makes a right turn after the cemetery. Turn right on Dell Road, and park at the cul-de-sac (43.29914, -72.47064).
The Route 143 entrance is 1.2 miles from downtown, just before the intersection of Maple Dell Road (43.29169, -72.46392). When the gate is open, turn left into the park, and drive uphill 0.1 miles to the parking area near the water tower.
Trail Details
Hartness Park trails are wide woods roads and narrower hiking paths. They are marked by colored blazes and numbered signposts. Use the map to design your own visit, or take one of these loops:
The Blue Loop is a flat, 0.9 mile hike round trip. Starting at the parking area off Route 143, it includes access to picnic tables and the top of the historical ski jump.
The Red Loop is more strenuous, including some steep sections and covering most of the park. Total distance is 1.7 miles whether accessed from the Dell Road or the Route 143 parking area.
The Hilliard’s Trail Loop is a short 0.7 mile hike. Starting at the Dell Road entrance, it includes large trees and ski jump sites. Take the red-blazed Lena’s Landing to Signpost 11 and turn left on yellow-blazed Hilliard’s Trail. At signpost 13, take the red-blazed Double Creek Trail back to Dell Road.
History
Hartness Park has been open to the public since the early 20th century when it was purchased by James Hartness. His daughters donated the park to the Town of Springfield in 1934. The park and adjoining property were a popular ski location in the 1920s and 30s, with multiple trails, 10- and 20-meter ski jumps, a rope tow, and regular winter carnivals. A 40-meter ski jump was completed in 1961, and thrived under the enthusiasm of the high school ski coach, Jack Hilliard.
Special Features
The old ski jump take-off and landing sites are marked where they intersect current trails.
A viewpoint off the Inner Loop trail looks southwest across Clinton Street towards Breezy Hill.
Along Lena’s Landing are stately white pines over 120 feet tall and massive red oaks with trunks up to 10 feet in circumference. They escaped damage from the 1938 Hurricane, which blew down many trees at the top of the hill.
Along the Spring Trail are remnants of a jack pine plantation, which is quite unusual for Vermont. Most remaining trees are dead “snags”.
Hartness Park is linked to Muckross State Park by a 0.8-mile connector trail through private land. Start across Route 143 from the Hartness Park entrance. Pass the chain barrier onto a woods road along the south boundary of the campground. Continue to follow trail markers into the woods and to the state park boundary.
Maps
Download a Hartness Park trail map
The Toonerville Rail Trail
Lower Clinton Street, Springfield, VT
The Toonerville Trail is a multi-use trail built on the railroad bed of the former Toonerville Trolley. It generally follows the Black River between a trailhead near downtown Springfield and the Connecticut River. Most of the trail is a ten-foot-wide paved path closed to motor vehicles, except for short stretches on low-volume roads. It is used for walking, biking, running, pushing baby strollers, dog walking, and rollerblading. Benches interspersed along the trail afford views of the river, waterfalls, and wildlife. Parts of the path are wheelchair accessible. It is also used for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing when snow conditions allow.
Length
3.2 miles from end to end.
Difficulty
Easy
Directions
Trailhead parking is off Vermont Route 11.
To access the northern trailhead near downtown, park at the Robert B. Jones Industrial Center, 280 Clinton Street, with space for 20-50 cars. From Interstate 91, take Exit 7 and follow VT Route 11 west for approximately 2.5 miles; the trailhead is on the right. From downtown Springfield, follow Route 11 (Main St. and Clinton St.) east for 1.2 miles from the downtown traffic light; the trailhead is on the left.
To access the southern trailhead near the Connecticut River, park at the designated area on Young's Road, (43.26460, -72.42898) with space for 7-10 cars. Look for the “Trailhead Parking” sign on Route 11 several hundred yards east of I-91 on the right. Trail users are asked not to park at Hoyt’s Landing.
The trail can also be accessed where it intersects the Paddock Road.
Trail Details
Starting near downtown at a kiosk at the Robert Jones Industrial Center parking lot, the trail heads gradually downhill along the river, passing waterfalls shortly before connecting with an iron bridge at 1.3 miles. After 0.7 miles along the Paddock Road, the trail returns to a paved path, hugging the river as it passes under Route 11. After crossing Route 5 and I-91 the trail follows Young's Road, overlooking a cove at the mouth of the Black River. After meeting the trailhead parking area, the trail crosses Route 11 to continue to the Connecticut River.
Kiosks at both trailhead parking locations, and at the Iron Bridge Memorial Garden, provide additional information.
There is poison ivy growing along parts of the trail, so users are advised to stay on the paved path.
History
When Thomas Edison gave America industrial-grade electrical generation, the abundance of power made electric trolleys possible nationwide. The construction of a trolley line in Springfield reduced the five-mile journey to the train station at Charlestown from two to three hours, by stagecoach, to less than half an hour. The line was nicknamed “The Toonerville Trolley” after a popular newspaper comic of the early 20th century. Even after the trolley stopped running in 1947, the rail line remained in use until 1984, bringing in raw materials for the industries of Precision Valley and shipping out finished machine tools of almost unimaginable size and weight.
The railbed lay dormant until a group of citizens organized to purchase the land from the Boston and Maine Railroad and convert it to a recreational path. With Transportation Enhancement Program funding and a lot of volunteer labor, the trail was completed in 1999 and designated a Community Millennium Trail as part of the White House Millennium Trails 2000 Project.
Special Features
The Black River is visible from much of the trail. Ducks, kingfishers, and herons are often active, and sometimes beaver or mink. A particularly scenic stretch includes waterfalls marking the site of the hydropower dam that first gave Springfield electricity. The falls can be viewed from along the trail or from the Iron Bridge Memorial Garden and Walkway at the east end of the Goulds Mill Bridge on Paddock Road.
The trail passes through a variety of vegetation types, including over three dozen tree species.
Geologic rock layers squeezed together by plate tectonics can be seen on the face of the cliff between the Best Western and SSCF Drive. To the left, the gray-green rock layers are from what is known as the Vermont Sequence. To the right, the near-vertical and reddish-brown striations are rock layers from the New Hampshire Sequence. Hundreds of millions of years ago plate fragments carrying volcanic islands collided with the eastern margin of proto-North America near present-day Springfield. These collisions turned sediments to rock as in the right side of the cliff, forced surface layers into vertical folds, and produced the volcanic rocks on the left side.
Just off the trail: The parking lot at Robert S. Jones Industrial Center hosts the Springfield Farmers Market on Saturdays between June and early October. On the west side of the iron Goulds Mill Bridge, a detour to the end of Perley Gordon Road leads to the Eureka Schoolhouse, the state’s oldest one-room schoolhouse. Midway on the trail, after it joins the Paddock Road, is the entry to Muckross State Park with its own network of trails which will connect to Hartness Park and thence to downtown Springfield. A truck stop where the trail crosses Route 5 is convenient for picking up something to eat or drink. At the east end of the trail is the entrance to Hoyt’s Landing Fishing Access Area on the Connecticut River.
Avid bicyclists who wish to extend their trip have several choices. They could head south on Route 5 seven miles to the Herrick's Cove Wildlife Area, returning the same way; or, as a loop, they could continue north on Route 103 from Rockingham to Chester, then back to Springfield. As an alternative. they could continue north along Route 5, looping back to downtown Springfield via Route 143, or take a much longer loop by continuing to Route 131 in Ascutney.
Download a Toonerville Trail map with historical information
Muckross State Park
Brief Overview
Muckross State Park is an 204-acre park three miles south of downtown Springfield, with woods roads and trails for hiking and non-motorized use (biking, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing). The park is under development, with additional trails planned. A trail on private property connects Muckross to Springfield’s Hartness Park trail system.
Length
The park currently includes two miles of trails, which are mostly out-and-back trails.
Difficulty
Trails are mostly easy to moderate, for both hiking and biking.
Directions
The park address is 26 Muckross Road, just off the Paddock Road.
From Interstate 91, take Exit 7 and follow VT Route 11 west for approximately 1/2 mile, and turn right onto the Paddock Road. Muckross Road is 3/4 mile on the right, just before the iron bridge.
From downtown Springfield, follow Route 11 (Main St. and Clinton St.) east for 2.5 miles from the downtown traffic light. Turn left onto the Paddock Road. Muckross Road is 100 yards on the left, just across the iron bridge.
Follow Muckross Road for 0.1 miles to a small parking area with a kiosk and space for 6 vehicles.
The park can also be accessed on foot or by bicycle via the Toonerville Trail, with parking at the Toonerville Trail trailhead or at the Exit 7 Park & Ride.
Trail Details
From the parking area, a gated paved road continues mostly uphill through the woods for 1/2 mile. After a sharp bend in the road (0.35 miles from the parking area), the road descends to a bridge crossing. Just beyond the bridge, turn right to access the west shore of Muckross Pond, or continue straight to the historic homestead compound.
Two out-and-back trails begin at the sharp bend in Muckross Road.
- An unmarked generally flat woods trail continues straight north from the bend for 0.4 miles to the park boundary.
- Just beyond the bend, a short walking trail marked with blue blazes continues for 0.1 miles to an access point on the east shore of Muckross Pond.
From the homestead compound, an out-and-back hiking trail marked by yellow signs with black arrows begins at the end of the paved road beyond the main house. Turn right just after the salt shed. At 0.5 miles, there is a trail junction
- A 0.2 mile spur trail, marked with blue blazes leads to a view of Muckross pond and a stone chimney remaining from a former cabin.
- Or, at the junction, continue follow the black arrows for 300 yards to the park boundary. At the boundary, a connector trail continues for 0.9 miles through private land to Route 143 and an entrance to Hartness Park.
Informal trails in the wooded area just south of the homestead compound provide views of the Black River and the Muckross tributary.
History
Muckross State Park is part of an estate of nearly 1,000 acres that was originally developed by W.D. Woolson in the early 20th century as a retreat and for livestock breeding. W.D. was born in 1866, the eldest son of Amasa Woolson, one of the inventors behind the Parks & Woolson Machine Company. Through his inheritance, he acquired a controlling interest in the Jones and Lamson Machine Company, and was its treasurer for 56 years. The estate was named after Muckross House in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. The name was chosen by lottery when Woolson invited dinner guests to write a name of their choice on slips of paper which were then put into a hat.
The current park was donated to the State of Vermont by Edgar May, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and state senator who lived at Muckross for over 50 years, in order to ensure the property would remain open to the public for recreation and education.
Special Features
The park includes a compound of historic buildings including a large main lodge plus several cottages and other outbuildings. The buildings are being repurposed, and are not open to the public at this time.
A small pond on a small tributary of the Black River is impounded by a concrete hydroelectric dam. There is an impressive 80-foot waterfall downstream of the pond. There are also several vistas of the Black River from roads and outcroppings.
Overview Map
Download a printable Muckross State Park trail map
North Springfield Lake/Springweather Nature Area
Trails around North Springfield Lake are within the 1,361 acres in Springfield and Weathersfield managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Many are wide multi-use trails used for walking, running, bicycling, and horseback riding, and, in winter, for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. There are also a variety of footpaths, especially in the Springweather Nature Area. It’s possible to go 8+ miles all around the lake under some conditions. Shorter segments of the trail provide vistas and water access.
Length
A loop around the lake covers 8.4 miles or more.
Difficulty
Full loop is moderate; otherwise, easy
Directions
Park at the North Springfield Dam parking area for access to the trails on the west side of the Black River or near the lake on either side. Take 106 North (River Street) 2.5 miles from the Springfield Plaza. Turn right on Maple Street across from the gas station. In 0.3 miles, the parking area is just before the dam on the right (43.33882, -72.51576).
Park just across the town line in Weathersfield, at the East Access or the Springweather Parking Areas, for access to the trails on the east side of the Black River, including the Springweather trails and the Powerline Trail. Take 106 North (River Street) for 1.8 miles from the Springfield Plaza. Turn right on Reservoir Road, which is the second road on the right past the Springfield Royal Diner. At 1.4 miles, the East Access Parking Area is on the left (43.34493, -72.49959). The next left (closed in the winter) is a short road to the Springweather Parking Area (43.34671, -72.50024).
Limited parking may be available at the North Springfield Lake Project Office (98 Reservoir Road).
Parking is also available in Weathersfield on the Perkinsville side at the end of Maple Street, on the Stoughton Pond Road, and at the Stoughton Pond Recreation Area.
Trail Details
Multi-use trails may be packed gravel, mowed grass, sand, woods roads, or pavement. Some sections are open to cars for part of the year.
Due to its primary mission of flood protection, the area around the lake may be flooded and trails may be closed at any time. Please respect closed gates.
From the North Springfield Dam Parking Area, the trailhead is across the road. Among the possible destinations on the west side are the boat launch (1.6 miles from the parking area) and the “power dam” (2.8 miles from the parking area). To reach them, continue straight ahead from the trailhead. The trail parallels the airport fence for much of the first mile. About 0.4 miles from the north end of the airport, the multi-use trail goes through a gate (43.3540, -72.5060) and meets the packed gravel road.
For the boat launch, turn right on the road to access the water.
For the power dam, continue straight, pass the West Access Parking Area, and follow the road when it turns left, ending just upriver from the dam.
Among the possible destinations heading east across the dam from the North Springfield Dam Parking Area, are a 1½ mile loop returning on the paved sidewalk, or out-and-back excursions to a (sunset-facing) lake view (¾ mi. one way), the Springweather Nature Area (1.2 mi. one way), or a Black River access point (1¾ mi. one way). To head across the dam from the trailhead, turn right immediately beyond the guardrail, or proceed straight downhill through the woods for 100 yards, and turn right at the major trail junction. On the east side of the dam, continue behind the buildings to where the log boom crosses the path (43.34077, -72.50544).
For the return on paved sidewalk, turn right on the driveway to the garage and then right on Reservoir Road. Continue on the road for 0.2 miles to the dam.
For the lake view, turn left at the boom and follow the berm to the bench or take the road to the left and follow it downhill to the lake shore.
For the Springweather area or the Black River access point, cross the boom and continue straight for nearly ½ mile to the junction with the Springweather access road (43.34566, -72.50036). The Springweather trailhead is 500’ ahead on the left. For the Black River access, continue straight 0.6 miles to the turnaround.
The Springweather Nature Area trails can also be accessed directly from the East Access or the Springweather Parking Areas on Reservoir Road. Three trails are marked within the nature area with red, green, or blue blazes. These are primarily footpaths, and meander through 70 acres of fields and forests, with many benches and overlooks. Users should know that the larger Red Trail loop on the printed map is actually blazed green.
The Powerline Trail, a 2/3 mile uphill woods walk begins just across Reservoir Road from the south end of the East Access Parking Area.
There is no designated trail all around the lake because no trail bridges the Black River at the north end. The loop is possible only if the river is frozen, shallow enough to allow safe crossing, or by taking a detour to cross the Black River on the Route 106 bridge.
History
The North Springfield Dam was constructed from 1958-1960 in response to the flooding of major industries in and south of Hartford, Connecticut in the early 1950s. It is part of a network of 15 dams which regulate the flow of the Connecticut River to avoid a repeat of those disasters.
To build the dam required moving many Weathersfield farmers off their land. A Weathersfield native, Becky Tucker, wrote a book about their displacement, We Remember: Before and After North Springfield Flood Control Project, available at the Springfield Library. Although many nearby towns have been devastated by Tropical Storm Irene and other flood events, the dam tamed the threat to Springfield.Springweather Nature Area was created in 1978 through the efforts of Eleanor Ellis and Hugh Putnam of Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society as a cooperative effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Springweather is so named for its siting in the towns of Springfield and Weathersfield.
Special Features
North Springfield Lake is an impoundment of the Black River. With water levels controlled at the dam, its size varies, but is normally around 100 acres. The lake is popular for fishing, boating and birding. Visitors may see eagles, osprey, and wood ducks, among other species.
The North Springfield Dam is 120 feet high and 2,940 feet long. The dam can hold back over 16 billion gallons of water, if needed, to prevent flooding.
The power dam across the Black River, two miles north of the flood control dam, now backs up a popular swimming hole. It used to supply power to the Jones and Lamson machine tool shops in Springfield.
One of the Hartness State Airport runways parallels the trail on the west side of the lake. You may see gliders being towed into the air or other air traffic.
The northern tip of Springweather connects with the Stoughton Pond recreational area in Weathersfield which provides picnic, swimming and walking opportunities.
Links
https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/North-Springfield-Lake/
https://goo.gl/maps/XAAjYKPcG7qGErzm8
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/vermont/north-springfield-reservoir-trail
Map
Litchfield Hill Area Trails
Length
Jordan Road Trail: 1.4 miles
Ruusunen Road Trail: 0.9 miles
Difficulty
Moderate, due to some steep or rough sections.
Directions
The Jordan Road Trail is accessed from Breezy Hill Road. From the traffic light at the junction of Routes 11 and 106, turn west onto Route 11 (Chester Road). In 2.0 miles, turn left onto Breezy Hill Road. In 1.4 miles, take a sharp left onto Monument Hill; in 0.1 miles turn right onto Jordan Road. In 0.4 miles, past the Stellafane observatory on the left, is a small parking area on the right.
The Ruusunen Road Trail is accessed from Pleasant Valley Road. From the traffic light at the junction of Routes 11 and 106, turn west onto Route 11 (Chester Road). In 3.1 miles, turn left onto Pleasant Valley Road. In 1.3 miles, turn left onto Ruusunen Road. In 0.2 miles, there are signs indicating the start of the public trail. Parking is along the road.
Trail Details
The Jordan Road Trail continues straight from the town road, generally uphill. The trail gets occasional use by 4WD vehicles and may be muddy in places. In just under a mile, after passing a wetland and small pond, there is a gated road on the left. To meet the junction with the Ruusunen Road Trail, continue straight an additional 0.5 miles. About 80 yards before the junction, the road forks; take the right fork. The Ruusunen Road trail is on the right, marked by a “Public Trail” sign.
The Ruusunen Road Trail is marked by white blazes and blue reflectors. From Ruusunen Road, the trail winds gently uphill through woods and along field edges. In ¾ mile, it passes the site of a shepherd’s hut. At 0.9 miles, it crosses a stone wall and meets the Jordan Road Trail.
History
The Stellafane Observatory near the beginning of the Jordan Road Trail is maintained by the Springfield Telescope Makers, a group that had its beginning in 1920. More information is at https://stellafane.org/.
The Ruusunen Road Trail is named after the Ruusunen family who lived along the road. The name means “little rose” in Finnish.
Special Features
A 5.3 mile loop, begins at the Jordan Road parking. From the Jordan Road Trail (1.4 miles), turn right on the Ruusunen Road Trail until it meets Ruusunen Road. Turn left and continue downhill (0.2) miles to the end of the road. Turn right onto Pleasant Valley Road; use caution as this paved road is more heavily used than the other segments of the loop. In 1 mile, turn right on Breezy Hill Road. This unpaved road begins with a steep uphill climb, and continues with more gradual ups and downs with views to the north of Mount Ascutney. In 1.2 miles, the main road forks to the left. At this fork, bear right onto Monument Hill Road, and at 0.1 miles, turn right onto Jordan Road. Continue 0.4 miles to return to the parking area.
The Ruusunen Road Trail crosses a network of private trails. Requests to use these trails may be made through the Wild Trails Farm app.
Map
Cathedral Rocks
Brief Overview
The Cathedral Rocks are two huge boulders of granite deposited by glaciers. They are reached by a short hike uphill on a woods road off of River Street.
Length
0.3 miles from the end of Carley Road to the Cathedral Rocks. 0.5 miles in the winter.
Difficulty
Easy
Directions
Take Route 106 (River Street) north from downtown Springfield. About, about 1.3 miles from the Plaza, take a right on Carley Road, and drive 1.6 miles to the end, bearing right at the forks. Park at the turnaround at the dead end (43.33619, -72.48894). The last ¼ mile of the road is unplowed in the winter.
Trail Details
The trail is a woods road starting just to the right of the pasture gate. (A different trail further to the right crosses a bridge shortly after leaving the road.) Continue uphill. At 0.3 miles (43.33965, -72.48537), before the road heads downhill, Cathedral Rocks are on the left, about 200’ from the stone wall. In season, they may be screened by vegetation. For a longer hike, the road continues to Stokes Road in Weathersfield.
History
The Cathedral Rocks are glacial erratics, boulders carried far from their site of origin by glaciers. These came from Mount Ascutney on the north. At the time they were moved to their new location, glaciers in New England were five miles thick. Photos from the early 1900s show Cathedral Rocks in the middle of a pasture. The trees around them grew up after the pastures were abandoned.
Special Features
Although there are many other glacial erratics in the area, these are the biggest; each boulder is estimated to weigh over 500 tons. Efforts by New Age enthusiasts to move the Cathedral Rocks into more propitious alignment with the solstice have proved unavailing.
This trail is a little-known downhill run for skilled cross-country skiers who start at its beginning on Wellwood Orchards Road.
Map
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North Springfield Bog
The North Springfield Bog is a boreal kettle bog, located within a small wooded town forest not far from Riverside Park. A boardwalk through the bog allows close-up viewing of this unique ecosystem. A short walking trail leads to the bog, and walking trails loop around the bog through surrounding spruce, pine, and hemlock groves.
Length
0.1 mi. from the trailhead to the boardwalk
0.2 mi. loop around the bog via the Outer Bog or Red Pine Trails
Difficulty
Easy
Directions
From downtown Springfield, take Route 11 west to Riverside Middle School. Turn right onto Fairground Road. Drive approximately two miles to a large pull-off on the left side of the road just before the town garage (216 Fairground Road). The short trail to the bog begins at the gray “BOG” boulder.
Trail Details
From the south end of the parking area, the trail goes uphill through a wooden gate, then turns left on a wider roadway. Turn right through the woods at the kiosk to take a loop trail, or go straight through a second wooden gate to visit the bog or to continue on the loop trails in the other direction. The trails around the bog are marked with occasional white blazes on trees or posts.
History
This “kettle bog” originated from the last ice age 10,000 years ago, A block of ice left behind by the retreating glacier caused a depression as it melted, with no water inlet or outlet. Sphagnum mosses became the dominant plants in the acidic water, forming a thick layer of peat.
The bog was discovered in the 1970s by a town forester while showing a new biology teacher around the town-owned land. She realized the special qualities of the site and moved to protect and enhance it. Community service organizations donated generously to provide the floating boardwalk, installed in 1989.
Special Features
The bog is an ecosystem which is unusual in the region. Given the saturation of development, it is surprising it was untouched for 200 years. Fifty plant species have been identified within the bog, including remarkably large pitcher plants and wild cranberries.
Many visitors enjoy the boardwalk, whether to allow close-up viewing of the bog plants or just for the fun of it. This floating boardwalk was constructed by the Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society. Because it’s floating, watch where you step to keep your feet dry.
Maps
