COVID-19 ResponseJune 26 UpdateTrails and Shelters: Shelters and privies on the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail in Vermont are open under modified use guidelines. As of June 26, all trails and facilities on the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail in Vermont are open.
Backcountry Overnight Sites
The rugged and remote nature of backcountry overnight sites are one of the things that make hiking the Long Trail special. As these sites are remote and rustic, visitors are being asked to be self-sufficient and prepared to minimize the potential for spread of COVID-19. Focus will be on maintaining physical distance between unrelated visitors and to manage, reduce, or eliminate common touch points.
Thank you for being a partner in this endeavor and doing your part to minimize the risk to yourself and others
Visitors to backcountry overnight sites are being asked to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Postponing a visit unless you’re healthy and have not been recently exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
• Bringing your own hand sanitizer (the CDC recommends at least 60% alcohol content) and CDC-approved sanitizing wipes/spray for all high-touch surfaces: facilities are not cleaned or sanitized
• Maintaining at least 6 feet physical distance from anyone you did not travel to the facility with
• Leashing your dog at all times
• Wearing a cloth mask or face covering is strongly recommended whenever you might encounter other visitors
• Adhering to Leave No Trace principles during your visit: Pack It In, Pack It Out, Plan Ahead and Prepare: expect to change plans based on the circumstances
• Engaging in the Prepare, Park, Play and Move On mentality
• Being kind and considerate of others: we’re all doing our best

Privies

• Privies at shelters and remote campsites will be operational but not cleaned or sanitized. Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer
• Users should avoid or sanitize high-touch surfaces
• Privies are confined and enclosed spaces: allow for time to pass if possible, between non-household members using privies
• Masks/cloth facial coverings are recommended while in the enclosed space of the privy
• Please use privies if available: this will eliminate human waste risk to staff and other visitors

Overnight Camping at Developed Sites (Shelters/Cabins/Leantos/Tent Platforms)

• Campers coming from out of state will be subject to the latest cross-state travel requirements including any quarantine requirements prior to starting their activity. Read the requirements here.
• Campers will be strongly advised to assume responsibility for protecting themselves from transmission via touch points, including packing and making regular use of CDC approved hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.
• Expect shelters to be occupied by other visitors: campers must be prepared for all overnight camping with a self-standing shelter such as a tent, hammock or bivouac. If you are not comfortable staying in a shelter with other hikers, be prepared to hike onward to a suitable camping area.
• Except in emergency situations or inclement weather, visitors should plan to use their tent, hammock or other shelter if non-household members are already occupying the structure.
• Visitors should avoid using these structures for anything other than overnight camping (snack or meal breaks should be taken in other open-air locations)
• Please check this page and Forest, Parks and Recreation’s page for general COVID-19 information as well as food storage and other related information.
• Caretaker fees will not be collected in person this season: The Long Trail system is managed (including composting human waste in privies) by the Green Mountain Club, which encourages people to support this work by becoming members.
• Trail users planning overnight trips should evaluate primitive camping guidelines for their chosen destinations to ensure that they will be able to locate adequate locations for tent camping. Some designated overnight sites on the trail system do not have adequate space outside of the shelter, including Taft Lodge, Butler Lodge, and Montclair Glen Lodge. You can find information on shelter capacities in the Long Trail Guide or Long Trail End to End Guide. If you are not comfortable staying in a shelter with other hikers, do not plan on staying at a shelter with no external camping options.

Listen to a Podcast about the writings in the Melville Nauheim Shelter Log Book
Thank you to our Log Book readers: Ham, Lorna, Ann, Billy
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​Click the recording below. (You will have a slight pause while the audio file is downloading.)

Note: In the podcast you will hear a short portion of the song "Happy Wanderer" by Frank Weir, a British orchestra leader. The "Happy Wanderer" was quite popular in both Britian and USA in 1954.

Some scans from the Log Book for your review.

Trails and Shelters: Trails on state and federal lands are open, but caution is still needed: staff and volunteers have not been able to perform the normal levels of spring trail maintenance or assessments. We will be operating with very limited field staff this season and will need your help in stewarding the trails.
To protect public health, shelters and privies on the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail in Vermont are closed. Trail managers are developing guidelines for the safe use of backcountry facilities and hope to open some facilities in a reduced capacity by June 26. If you plan to stay in the backcountry please familiarize yourself with and follow primitive camping guidelines for camping on state and federal land and know what land base you are on.  This is especially true for the private land that hosts the trail where primitive camping should be avoided altogether.
The Green Mountain National Forest food storage order geared toward minimizing black bear and human encounters and interactions put in place in July 2019 is still in effect in 2020.  What it means for backpacking is you need to either hang your food and other smellable items, or use a bear box (available at a limited number of shleters) or personal bear can, and you need to carry out any and all trash that you create, including food scraps.  Learn about the order and bear can options here.
Out-of-state visitors: The state restriction for out-of-state hikers to quarantine for 14-days is lifted for residents of certain counties across New England and New York that have a similar active COVID-19 caseload to Vermont (less than 400 active cases of COVID-19 per one million residents).  These residents may enter the state for leisure travel without quarantining.
Hadsel-Mares Camp at Wheeler Pond: On June 15th at 10:00 AM, we will open Hadsel-Mares Camp to new bookings between June 26 and October 31.  We plan to open the cabin for late fall and winter rentals on October 15th (subject to change).  A one-day “maintenance day” in which the cabin is free of guests will exist between all bookings.
New COVID-19 Camps Policy: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GMC is taking the following measures to comply with State of Vermont requirements and promote renter safety.

1. Renters are required to complete this Certificate of Compliance on the day of their reservation.  Please complete before leaving for the cabin since there is unreliable cell phone service at the cabin.
   1. Guests who can not certify that they met the State of Vermont’s current residency or self-quarantine requirement may cancel their reservation and receive a full refund from GMC
   2. Guests who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should not stay at the camp and may cancel their reservation and receive a full refund from GMC
2. Renters are responsible for cleaning all touch surfaces at the cabin, outhouse, and picnic pavilion before and after their stay at the camp. Guests acknowledge that they are staying at a remote cabin that is not serviced or cleaned by GMC on a daily or weekly basis. GMC will make every effort to stock the camp with hand sanitizer, cleaning agents, and disposable gloves. However, guests should bring these items as well in case of an unexpected shortage.