Mountain Biking

Within a ten minute ride from the Middlebury College campus, there are numerous opportunities for mountain biking.  Chipman Hill Park, Means Woods and Battell Woods provide a large area of both singletrack and wider trail riding accommodating all levels of skill and fitness.  Although there are other riding options available this guide will focus on the network of trails known as TAM. The recently established Trail Around Middlebury (TAM), developed by the Middlebury Area Land Trust, runs through all three areas. These trails are marked with small square yellow signs picturing the TAM logo. Some, but not all, are marked with very basic directions.

Snake Mountain: 1 hour (without singletrack exploration)	The Chipman Hill Horse Shoe:35 minutes
The Chipman Hill Loop: 50 minutes	Battell Woods Loop:45 minutes
Chipman, Means, Battell TAM:1 1/2 hours	Blueberry Hill Beginner’s Loop: 30 minutes
Hogback Mountain Loop: 1 hour	Sucker Brook-Stewart Loop: 1 hour
Romance Mountain Loop: 3 hours	Leicester Hollow Trail: 2 hour

The Chipman Hill Horse Shoe
Approximate Time: 35 minutes

The rough and broken asphalt road climbs moderately snaking to the top of the hill. Although technically quite easy, your legs will burn. Once past the clearing and wooden barriers, the asphalt gives way to a dirt and rocky jeep road. Follow the road as it turns south and downhill over more uneven ground to the Springside Drive entrance. Return to campus bombing down Springside then right on Washington Street toward Grand Union and back to town.

Directions: Access to the area via High Street can be reached by following Route 7 north out of town for 1/4 mile to Seminary Street on the right (east) and subsequent turn left (north) onto High Street. Follow High Street to the end where you will find a metal gate preventing motor vehicles use of the road.

The Chipman Hill Loop
Approximate Time: 50 minutes

Follow Chipman Hill Horse Shoe directions to the top of Chipman Hill jeep road. As the road bends south find the TAM dropping east (left) onto singletrack.  The trail falls steeply before leveling out under power lines and traversing south across the hill.  Pay attention to follow the yellow TAM signs as the trail continues south and skirts above a gravel pit.  Pass the first branch on the left to Washington St. and Means Woods before reaching a three-way intersection.  Take the fork left which climbs gently up and completes the loop emptying out onto Springside Drive.  Return to campus as mentioned above.

A slightly shorter loop can be made by following the jeep road further downhill until a second spur is found to the  east (left).  Similarly this trail drops steeply through the woods until it reaches the three way intersection mentioned above.  Follow the loop as mentioned above.

Chipman Hill, located north of town on the east side of Route 7, is a microcosm of the prevailing natural history of the area. Created during the last ice age around 10,000 years ago, the hill was formed by glacial till. Then as the entire area between the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains was filled by Lake Vermont, the pre-cursor to Lake Champlain, Chipman Hill remained visible as an island. The soil on the hill is different than the rest of the Champlain valley because glacial sediment was not deposited on top of the island. In more recent history, the succession of land use has been evident on Chipman Hill.  At the end of the 19th Century, the hill had been cleared and was used for cattle grazing. In the 1920’s, when the forest had returned, Chipman Hill was birthplace to the skiing tradition at Middlebury. In 1924 a ski jump was completed and served as a source of competition and entertainment during the winter months.  An extensive networks of trails was cut and at one time there was even a rope tow on the east side of the hill. Chipman Hill was the primary site for skiing and even hosted the first Middlebury Winter Carnival.

The road which winds up Chipman Hill was open until 1980 when raucous parties at the top clearing forced the town to close it for safety reasons. The road had originally been constructed in the 1930’s to access a fire tower which afforded a view of much of the valley. Other man-made features still visible include the natural gravel pits on the east side which were actively mined in the 1920’s and 30’s. Also the reservoir near the Springside Road entrance was the original version of a water tower for the town. In 1976 a new 1.5 million gallon enclosed reservoir was built higher up on the hill. In his will Joseph Battell, the same Battell of the dorm namesake, Battell Woods and the donator of the Breadloaf area, left his 125 acres of Chipman Hill  "to be used, improved and maintained as a public park forever."

Note:  The times given for the Chipman, Battell and Mean’s rides are based on round trip from campus.  Also these two suggestions are just a few of the rides possible on Chipman Hill.  The area’s proximity to the town and well marked trails allow for ample exploration without the worry of becoming lost.  Most trails will either loop around or empty out onto recognizable roads.

Directions: Follow the directions above.

Battell Woods Loop
Approximate Time: 45 minutes

The singletrack trail enters the woods as part of the TAM. Follow the relatively flat and rough trail south until it curves east. Be watchful for an unmarked trail diverging from the TAM right and up a short rocky hill. Take this trail through the woods ignoring any branching trails. Stay on the main, obvious trail as it loops clockwise and becomes a wider gravel path. Continue on the trail with houses bordering to the west. The trail empties onto Seminary St. a few hundred yards closer to town than the parking area. Return to campus as you came.

Directions: To reach the access to Battell Woods take Washington Street (past Grand Union) to confusing 5-way intersection. Here fork right onto Seminary St. extension for 1/2 mile to the Battell Woods parking area on the right (Means Woods is directly across the street on the left).
 

Chipman, Means, Battell TAM
Approximate Time: 1 1/2 hours

Follow the Chipman Hill Loop to the Washington St. and Means Woods turn-off just before the three-way intersection. From the turn-off there is a short downhill section which is very steep and difficult (don’t be ashamed to walk it). An alternate route cuts left (east) off the traverse a hundred yards earlier down and through the gravel pits and then right onto a wider trail. The TAM continues down across the aforementioned wide trail and out into a cleared field. Follow the obvious singletrack along the edge of the field until the TAM hits Washington Street Extension. Cross the street to Peterson Terrace and pick up the TAM at the back of the cul de sac. Enter Means Woods on singletrack which rises gently before merging onto a fire road halfway through Means Woods.  This wide and flat section of the TAM dumps out onto Seminary Street Extension. Cross the street to Battell Woods where the TAM once again enters the forest. Follow the marked TAM out onto the edge of farm land where it skirts a field and passes some farm buildings before exiting out onto Route 7 south of Middlebury across from the used car dealership. Follow Route 7 right (north) to town. 

Directions: Use the Chipman Hill Horseshoe directions.

Means Woods and Battell Woods were given to the town by Elinor Means, a longtime resident of Middlebury, and Colonel Joseph Battell respectively. Means Woods now serves as a nature preserve used by local students, the college and community members for nature study and general recreation. Former college professor of Biology, Howard Woodin, conducted extensive ecological research of the area in the mid to late 1970’s. He determined that the forest make-up is a deciduous forest biome with several subdivision climax forest types. Common species of trees include beech, birch, maple, oak and hickory as well as some coniferous trees. Means Woods is unusual in that it offers a mix of not only species common to the coniferous forest biome which is a large band stretching east-west generally above 50° north latitude, but also the deciduous forest biome which spreads south of Vermont. The full report by Professor Woodin can be found in the archives of the library.

Moosalamoo Area

The trails in this section are centered around the Blueberry Hill Inn and Churchill House.  Both are very helpful in offering information and highly encourage the use of these trails.  lthough it is possible to ride to this area, we reccomend driving the 14 miles to the Blueberry Hill Inn.  Blueberry Hill is a very popular cross-country ski area in winter, but is open to both hiking and mountain biking.  The well-marked network of trails uses an easy-to-follow numbering system where each intersection is marked with either blue or yellow numbers.  The intersection numbering system is as follows: the top number at each intersection marks the location.  The farther out you go the higher the number.  If at any point you don’t know where you are just follow signs pointing you to lower numbers. The inn is at #1.  

Blueberry Hill Beginner’s Loop
Approximate Time: 30 minutes

This fairly easy trail leaves from the backyard of the Blueberry Hill Inn and loops around Irven Field clockwise. Go right at intersection #3 and continue making rights at subsequent intersections #23, #4 and #2.  The trail will finish directly across the road from the inn.
 

Hogback Mountain Loop
Approximate Time: 1 hour

This scenic loop begins behind the Inn taking a left at intersection #3 following the trail up to intersection #7. Go right here and follow the wide trail along a contour of the western flank of Hogback Mountain. At intersection #21 bear left and continue on the trail south before reaching an open clearing with outstanding views.  This side of the mountain is covered with wild blueberry bushes which ripen in late summer.  In order to promote the continued growth of these bushes the Forest Service practices controlled burning each April.  A spur trail leading up to the summit of Hogback gives great opportunity for tough climb.  If you go up, follow one of the few singletrack trails weaving down the southern slope back to the loop trail.  As you follow the trail around counter-clockwise it drops onto a gravel road.  150 yards further on the trail re-enters the woods with a left at intersection #25.  Follow the trail past a birch-filled ravine until it hits intersection #27.  Here bear right and continue to #29 where a left should be made. Continue making lefts at each intersection until the trail comes to #7 where you can retrace your journey back to the Inn.

Sucker Brook-Stewart Loop
Approximate Time: 1 hour

This ride is more technical than the previous two in the area, encountering more brooks and other obstacles.  Users should expect mud even during dry periods.  The trail climbs from 1650 feet to 2175 feet in the first 1/3 of the ride and is followed by some great downhill sections. To complete this arduous counter-clockwise loop leave from the back of the Blueberry Hill Inn towards intersection #5.  Continue straight on the main trail until reaching intersection #9 where you should follow the fork right.  The trail leads up to intersection #17 where it then goes left before reaching #19, the beginning of Sucker Brook Trail.  Make a left here and continue climbing before topping out and beginning the descent to Sucker Brook Clearing and intersection #33.  Take a left here staying on the Sucker Brook Trail until hitting intersection #35.  Once again make a left and enter onto Stewart Trail.  This trail leads south until intersection #9. Here the loop goes right and cruises back down to the Inn.  

Note: It is possible to connect the Hogback Mountain and Sucker Brook-Stewart Loops.  At junction #27 on the Hogback Loop go right until intersection #29, the beginning of the Lee Todd Trail.  Follow this short trail to #19 where it picks up the Sucker Brook-Stewart Loop. Approximate Time: 2 hours

Romance Mountain Loop
Approximate Time: 3 hours

This extraordinary loop combines many trails of the Blueberry Hill area and provides the most challenging ride. Following the Hogback Mountain Loop out to the dirt road this loop continues straight past intersection #25 and follows the Halfdan Kuhnle Trail up and around Romance Mountain.  This section of the trail gains almost 1000 feet of elevation in 1 1/2 miles before dropping down into Romance Clearing.  The trail continues left at intersection #31 and then joins the Sucker Brook Trail at Sucker Brook Clearing, intersection #33.  From here the loop follows the same trail as mentioned above back to the Inn.

Note: A longer loop is possible by linking the Romance Mountain Loop and the Sucker Brook-Stewart Loop.  Take the Romance Mountain Loop until you reach the descent to Sucker Brook Clearing and intersection #33.  Take a left here staying on the Sucker Brook Trail until hitting intersection #35.  Once again make a left to join the Stewart Trail.  This trail leads south until intersection #9. Here the loop goes right and continues back down to the Inn.  

Directions: Follow Route 7 south to Route 125 which heads east through the Green Mountains and up towards Ripton.  One mile past the Ripton Country Store turn right on US Forest Service(USFS) Rd. 32, also known as the Goshen-Ripton road.  Follow this dirt road for 5 miles before arriving at the Blueberry Hill Inn on your left.

Leicester Hollow Trail
Approximate Time: 2 hours

The Leicester Hollow Trail links the Blueberry Inn to The Churchill House in Goshen. The beginning of the ride follows the first part of the Beginner’s Loop from the Blueberry Inn to intersection #4. Here, go right keeping straight past #6 to intersection #8. At the T-junction, head left to #10 which is another T-junction. Turn right and follow the trail as it hooks around downhill to Silver Lake. This Leicester Hollow Brook Trail heads straight toward The Churchill House. In that area, Go straight through intersections #8 and #1. From The Churchill House, take Route 73 left toward Goshen for a short period. Turn left onto USFS 32 which is the Goshen-Ripton Road and follow back to The Blueberry Inn.

Snake Mountain
Approximate time: 1 hour (without singletrack exploration)

The trail is fairly wide, but it is a long uphill climb to the top of the mountain. You’ll need thighs of iron to make it without a few breaks.  After the initial, fairly gentle approach from the road the trail comes to a T.  Make a left here and take care to follow the obvious wide trail all the way to the top. The real fun begins after the painful ascent. There are singletrack trails on the north side of the mountain. Enjoy exploration here before heading back down reaping the rewards of your work on the way to the top.

Directions: To reach Snake Mountain from campus, drive west on Route 125 to Route 22A. Turn right and follow north to Willmarth Rd. Continue on Willmarth to the junction with Mountain Road at 3.5 miles. The trail is at this junction while the parking is a few hundred yards beyond on the left. It is possible to bike out to the mountain and takes approximately one hour.

Additional Resources:

• Mountain Bike Vermont, Kate Carter 1998
• 25 Mountain Bike Tours in Vermont, William Busha 1996