Mount Mansfield State Forest covers in seven towns in Chittenden, Lamoille and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

counties in Vermont. The towns are

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

and Underhill in Chittenden County,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

, Morristown and

Stowe Stowe may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Stowe, Buckinghamshire, a civil parish and former village **Stowe House **Stowe School * Stowe, Cornwall, in Kilkhampton parish * Stowe, Herefordshire, in the List of places in Herefordshire * Stowe, Linc ...

in Lamoille County, and

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

in Washington County. Mt. Mansfield State Forest is the largest contiguous landholding owned by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

Recreation

There are four state parks located in the forest: Little River State Park, Smugglers' Notch State Park, Underhill State Park and Waterbury Center State Park. Activities include camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, bicycling, wildlife watching, and winter sports. The alpine ski resorts of Smugglers' Notch and Stowe Mountain Resort are located in the forest. There are two Nordic ski centers – Mt. Mansfield Touring Center and Bolton Nordic Center at

Bolton Valley Bolton Valley is a mid-sized ski area in the town of Bolton in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. It is located in close proximity to Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. The community around the base of the ski area was ...

. The Catamount Trail Association manages backcountry ski trails in the Forest. There are over 36 miles of

VAST Vast or VAST may refer to: * ''Vast'' (novel), a 1998 science fiction novel by Linda Nagata * ''Vast'' (2011 film), a Dutch film, winner of the 2011 Golden Calf for Best Television Drama * Vast Broadband, an American cable and internet compan ...

snowmobile trails throughout the Forest and mountain biking trails in the southern end. There are numerous miles of hiking trails that include the

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 ...

and hikes up and around Mount Mansfield. The 880-acre Waterbury Reservoir features three motorboat access points and one car-top boat access point. There are remote campsites along the shores of the Reservoir that are being developed as the Department partners with the Friends of Waterbury Reservoir. Primitive camping is allowed on various portions of Mt. Mansfield State Forest, following the developed guidelines. Hunting, fishing and trapping are allowed throughout the Forest.

Features

Mt. Mansfield State Forest features and is named for

Mount Mansfield Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in Vermont with a summit that peaks at above sea level. The summit is located within the town of Underhill in Chittenden County; the ridgeline, including some secondary peaks, extends into the town of S ...

, the highest peak in Vermont at 4,393-feet. The 400-acre summit ridge is actually owned by the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

. The forest contains two State Natural Areas - Daniels Notch Natural Area () and Mt. Mansfield Natural Area (). Smugglers' Notch Proper is listed as a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

Vermont Route 108 Vermont Route 108 (VT 108) is a north–south state highway in northern Vermont, United States. Its southern terminus is at VT 100 in Stowe, and its northern terminus is at the Canada–US border in Franklin, where it continues i ...

between Stowe Mountain Resort and Smugglers' Notch Resort is a federally designated Scenic By-way.

References

External links

Official website
Vermont state forests Protected areas of Chittenden County, Vermont Protected areas of Lamoille County, Vermont Protected areas of Washington County, Vermont Bolton, Vermont Underhill, Vermont Cambridge, Vermont Johnson, Vermont Morristown, Vermont Stowe, Vermont Waterbury, Vermont {{Vermont-protected-area-stub