Our Trails
COVID-19 Update:
- We are following the business and travel guidelines posted by VermontVacation.com and the State of Vermont. Let’s take good care of each other!
- Please take extra care: we have limited or no cell service, and trails can be rough or uneven. Please don’t climb anything.
- Please wear a mask indoors as we have visitors from many locales; our community includes vulnerable members and children; and we don’t have a whole building air filtration system.
- Wash hands before and after your visit with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If you don’t have soap and water, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching structures and do not share binoculars or phones if possible.
- If you are not feeling well or have COVID-19 symptoms, please visit later when you are recovered.
- Please, no pets. This is our policy for all of our trails, to protect ground-nesting and ground-foraging birds.
- For additional information about staying safe while enjoying the outdoors, visit the State of Vermont’s website.
The trails and grounds at the Birds of Vermont Museum are open from dawn until dusk, year round. Our property spans both sides of Sherman Hollow Road.
Explore, exercise, and rest in forest and meadow, beside small gardens or a flowing stream. Take a look at the notices posted in our kiosks, and make a donation if you are able to.
There are no toilet facilities nor trash bins on our trails; please take care of those things before you come. Lastly, no pets on our trails! (Trained, leashed service dogs excepted.) We recommend using the road for a dog walk.
Trails
On the side south of the Museum, across the road, trails begin near the guard rail. Wander up the Spear Trail gradually through a small maintained meadow, to our Bird Blind and pond, and further up into the forest. Can you find game trails? An old stone wall? Please be careful not to step on fragile plants in the wet slope above the pond—but enjoy their delicate beauty! This forest is rich with deciduous second-growth trees that colonized what used to be farmland.
On the north side, head down the gravel path that slopes to the stream. Be careful as Bob’s Bridge has no railings! Cross the stream and choose your path: Bob’s Trail starts along the creek then winds up and to the back of property, where there is a drier upland forest habitat. Gale’s Trail takes you directly uphill through white pines and ferns. Overall, this side is a bigger section of property with steep slopes and a great variety of habitats. Watch for tracks!
Our trails are maintained by staff and volunteers; please make a donation to their upkeep if you can.
Need a map? Download th
e PDF or ask at the front desk.
Treehouse
The treehouse and garden areas are fairly accessible for friends with mobility issues. We know gravel isn’t easy, but it is graded appropriately.
Outdoor Safety
There is little to no cell service on this property. We always recommend you dress for the weather, wear good shoes, put on tick protection, and drink enough water. Be careful, have fun, and conserve the land for the next visitors.