Green Mountain Club Bennington Section

Welcome to the Green Mountain Club Bennington Section. This website is designed to give useful information about the club, local area, resources, and links to make all outdoor experiences richer.
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​Latest Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2022
CORRECTION! - The GMC has REMOVED their 6-Week Mud Madness Instagram Challenge that is mentioned in the newsletter. 
Upcoming Events
GMS Annual Meeting:
​Lower Pavilion Willow Park, April 24, 5:00. See details in the newsletter above.
Mud Season Reminder
Mud season has come early this year! Do your part to protect the trails by avoiding vulnerable areas. 

​We’re asking hikers to stay off high-elevation trails, and any other trails with significant mud, until the conditions dry up. Heavy foot traffic on these muddied trails causes erosion and damages surrounding vegetation. 

The early arrival of mud season has created unique challenges this year, including limiting access. Dirt access roads are extra swampy, causing many cars to get stuck. And with ski season still in progress, alternative trails, including the Mansfield Toll Road and Stark’s Nest Mountain Trail at Mad River Glen, are not available to hike until the resorts close. 

Hikers should respect closure signs and turn around if they encounter any muddy sections of trail, even if they are not posted as closed. 
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Some roads and trails are usable in mud season, especially low-elevation trails with southern exposure, which dry out faster. Conditions are subject to change, but these are some of the local hikes we recommend in our area: 
  • Mile around woods in North Bennington
  • Trail around the lake at Lake Shaftsbury State Park
  • Trail near the Bennington Museum
  • Trail near the Southwest Vermont Medical Center.
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Together, we can protect our beloved hiking trails and still enjoy mud season outside. Visit greenmountainclub.org for more suggestions and creative outdoor activities. Trails typically dry out by late May, and summer hiking can begin.
GMC volunteers doing trail work, like those shown here, should be the only people out on the trails during mud season.
Artwork by Emily Benning

Nature calls. Will you answer?

Contact us if you have any comments, additions, suggestions
Last updated: March 2022