The addition could create new opportunities for hiking, climbing, and cross-country skiing.
Nearly 500 acres of private land that feature bright quartzite cliffs and a trail network has been added to the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont. And the addition could create new recreational opportunities for hikers, climbers, and cross-country skiers.
White Rocks Gateway was added to the national forest in March following a conservation effort led by the Trust for Public Land that began in 2019.
Located southeast of the Wallingford town center, the 464-acre parcel will be managed as Green Mountain Escarpment, a guideline centered around dual priorities of biodiversity protection and outdoor recreation, according to a statement by the Trust for Public Land.
Rising more than 1,000 feet in elevation from Otter Creek lowlands to the western flank of the Green Mountains, White Rocks Gateway is adjacent to 270,000 acres of national forest and other public and private conservation lands.
Known for striking vistas of the Otter Creek Valley, the Taconic Mountains, and the Adirondack Mountains, the area contains significant habitat for black bear, moose, bobcat, deer, turkey, grouse, and other game birds.
Under the ownership of a local family, White Rocks Gateway’s trail network was informally open to the public for decades. It contains numerous stone walls and trails that connect to the Ice Beds Trail and then on to the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail.
The addition also provides the forest service with an opportunity to adopt new access to Butternut Falls, the Ice Beds Trail, and the Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area. These potential trail additions to the Green Mountain National Forest could enhance the hiking experiences for both long-distance trekkers and day hikers, while creating new opportunities for cross-country skiers, climbers, wildlife-watchers, hunters, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
Besides the work of the Trust for Public Land, the conservation effort was funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as a broad coalition of partners including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Wild East Action Fund, the Conservation Alliance, Altra Running, Athletic Brewing Company’s Two for the Trails grant, and many individual donors.
Within the same six-year time frame, Trust for Public Land also expanded the Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area, which is near White Rocks Gateway and was transferred from private ownership to Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in 2023.
