The Green Mountain Club is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Vermont's

Long Trail The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont, running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. The club remains the primary organiza ...

. The Long Trail is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in America and stretches from the

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

state line to the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

, along the main ridge of the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is in ...

History

Conceived on March 11, 1910, by James P. Taylor who was at the time the Assistant Headmaster of the Vermont Academy in Windsor, Vermont. Taylor lobbied other Vermont residents who shared his dream of a mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people by protecting and maintaining the Long Trail system and fostering, through education, the stewardship of Vermont's hiking trails and mountains". In 1910, work began on the construction of America's first long-distance hiking path known as the

. The club completed the Long Trail in 1930.

Today

With 10,000 members, the club remains responsible for the trail, and is recognized by the state legislature as "the founder, sponsor, defender, and protector" of the Long Trail System.gmcburlington.org
/ref> In addition to being the steward of the Long Trail, the Club's advocacy and education efforts also protect

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

's many other

hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

s. Through its land protection program in northern Vermont, the Club has protected almost 80 miles of the Long Trail System, conserved 25,099acres, and completed 89 land and easement acquisitions since 1986. Moreover, The GMC publishes guidebooks, newsletters, and other printed media that serve hikers who wish to walk the Long Trail. The Green Mountain Club maintains the 272 mile

in cooperation with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation,

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

Appalachian Trail Conservancy The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) (formerly Appalachian Trail Conference) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Appalachian Trail, a route in the eastern United States that runs from Maine to Georgia. Founded in ...

, and private landowners. The Green Mountain Club also manages the section of the Appalachian Trail that passes through Vermont. The Appalachian Trail follows the Long Trail from the Vermont/Massachusetts state line to Route 4, at which point the Long Trail continues north and the Appalachian Trail heads eastward towards the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The GMC also manages other hiking trails in Vermont's

Northeast Kingdom The Northeast Kingdom (also, locally, "The Kingdom" and abbreviated NEK) is the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, approximately comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties and having a population at the 2010 census of 64,764. ...

region.

GMC chapters

The Green Mountain Club separates out into chapters, called "sections" — since they maintain sections of the Long Trail and its side trails — are located throughout the state. Below are a complete list of the GMC chapters: *Bennington *Brattleboro *Bread Loaf *Burlington *Connecticut *Killington *Laraway *Manchester *Montpelier *Northeast Kingdom *Northern Frontier *Ottauquechee *Sterling *Worcester

References

External links

Green Mountain Club
{{Authority control Hiking organizations in the United States Appalachian Trail Organizations established in 1910 Non-profit organizations based in Vermont 501(c)(3) organizations

History

Today

GMC chapters

See also

References

External links