Our Stories

Provided by the Middlebury Area Land Trust

The North Country Trail’s journey through Middlebury began nearly two decades ago, with a phone call to MALT.

Today, parts of the North Country Trail (NCT) follow the TAM, as you may have noticed from the NCT’s distinctive blue trail signage along the way. The sections of the NCT around Middlebury are managed by MALT, making the trail an important part of MALT’s broader trail stewardship work. But that connection did not happen overnight. It is the result of nearly two decades of planning, collaboration, easement negotiations, and trail building.

In 2006, the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) reached out to MALT to ask if we would be willing to host informational meetings about the trail and whether we had any ideas about how a route could connect from the Crown Point Bridge toward the Green Mountains. MALT began hosting meetings over the next several years, including gatherings at the Weybridge Church and at the MALT office. At the time, Tom Gilbert, the Executive Director of the North Country National Scenic Trail, was particularly enthusiastic about making the connection happen.

But figuring out exactly where the trail would go was no easy task.

By 2010, MALT and NCTA were working through several potential routes. One idea was to take the trail over Snake Mountain, but Vermont Fish & Wildlife did not support that option. The challenge then became finding an overland route that could avoid roads while also navigating the many different private properties between Middlebury and the Green Mountains.

In 2012, John Derick and MALT’s summer intern, Emma Loizeaux, helped move the conversation forward. They began talking with Monument Farms about how the trail might cross their property and connect to Prunier Road while minimizing the amount of road walking. One possibility was to follow the Lemonfair River, but the area proved far too wet. Instead, the route was eventually shifted onto an existing farm road.

Even with a route identified, there was still work to do. MALT needed to negotiate easements across private properties to connect the trail to the Jackson Trail. In 2012, a boardwalk was built to help make that connection possible.

“Without Monument Farms’ support, we wouldn’t have been able to do it,” John said.

The work continued east of Middlebury several years later. In 2019, MALT began looking more closely at a potential route through East Middlebury. One parcel was owned by a lumber company, which was understandably uncomfortable with allowing public access across its property. At the same time, the property was for sale, creating another possible path forward.

When the property changed hands, the new owners were willing to work with MALT to allow the trail across their land. Two years later, in 2022, MALT secured the easement.

That opened the way for a new section of trail connecting from the Middlebury River Bridge up toward Upper Plains Road. Some of the route followed old ATV roads, but they covered only about a quarter of the desired trail. MALT had to carve new sections of trail through the woods to complete the connection. Elise Heppell was a major help with this work, and much of the trail construction took place in 2022 and 2023.

There are still gaps to fill. Between Middle Road and East Middlebury, MALT continues to look for opportunities to establish a trail that would reduce the amount of road walking. The area presents a particular challenge because of its wet terrain, as well as the need to work with multiple landowners.

That is part of the reality of building a National Scenic Trail. While the North Country Trail stretches from the Dakotas all the way to Vermont, large portions of the route still follow roads. Moving the trail onto dedicated off-road corridors takes time, particularly when it requires negotiating easements and building relationships with private landowners.

The North Country Trail is also part of the National Trails System and is administered by the National Park Service, which means that establishing new sections involves a number of steps and approvals.

Today, the North Country Trail through Middlebury represents years of work that happened largely behind the scenes: meetings, route planning, conversations with landowners, easement negotiations, grant support, trail construction, and plenty of persistence.

What began with a question from the North Country Trail Association in 2006 has grown into a trail connection that links Middlebury and the Champlain Valley to a much larger national trail stretching across the country.

And, as John’s story makes clear, none of it would have been possible without the willingness of local landowners and partners to work together to make the trail a reality.