Hike New England - Wells River via Cross Vermont Trail

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Wells River via Cross Vermont Trail

Destination:		Wells River
Trails:		Cross Vermont Trail, Boltonville Nature Trail, Blue Mountain Nature Trail
Region:		VT - Central East
Location:		Newbury, VT
Rating:		Easy
Features:		River, pond, wetlands, gorge, cascades
Distance:		Approximately 4.8 miles
Elevation Gain:		Minimal
Hiking Time:		Actual: 2:00 Typical: 2:25
Outing Duration:		Typical: 3:30
Hike Date:		09/01/2006 (Friday)
Last Updated:		11/04/2007
Author:		Webmaster

Route Summary

Hike the Cross Vermont Trail (CVT) from West to East. On the return trip, take a detour to do the Blue Mountain Nature Trail loop, then resume the walk on CVT, take another detour to do the Boltonville Nature Trail loop, and then finish up on CVT back at the starting point.

Place	Split Miles*	Total Miles*	Split Time	Total Time
Western CVT parking area	0.0	0.0	0:00	0:00
West Jct. Boltonville Nature Trail	0.3	0.3	0:06	0:06
East Jct. Boltonville Nature Trail	0.4	0.7	0:13	0:19
I-91 underpass	0.1	0.8	0:03	0:22
West Jct. Blue Mtn. Nature Trail	0.6	1.4	0:14	0:36
East Jct. Blue Mtn. Nature Trail	0.0	1.4	0:01	0:37
Eastern CVT End	0.3	1.7	0:06	0:43
Blue Mtn. Nature Trail (eastern loop begin)	0.3	2.0	0:06	0:49
Blue Mtn. Nature Trail (western loop end)	0.9	2.9	0:25	1:14
I-91 underpass	0.6	3.5	0:14	1:28
Boltonville Nature Trail (eastern loop begin)	0.1	3.6	0:03	1:31
Boltonville Nature Trail (western loop end)	0.9	4.5	0:23	1:54
Western CVT parking area	0.3	4.8	0:06	2:00
	* mileage is approximate

Map of Wells River hike route (map by Webmaster)

Trail Guide

The Cross Vermont Trail (CVT) stretches 75 miles horizontally across Vermont from Burlington to Wells River. Many sections are on roads and other sections are various recreational trails and former railroad beds. The CVT follows river valleys and is therefore mostly flat.

The section of CVT that I did was completely flat, wide, and suitable for walking, running, biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. It had views of the Wells River in various spots, a section of beautiful wetlands, and lots of interesting plants. I could have easily spent the entire day here with field guides in hand, trying to identify the various shrubs, wildflowers, ferns, clubmosses, etc.

The two side loops I did had minimal elevation changes.

So I started along the wide and pleasant trail. After spending so much time hiking rocky, mountainous terrain, this flat, soft, smooth trail was a very welcome change.

I shortly passed by a sign indicating the Boltonville Nature Trail; and then another one marking the eastern junction of the Trail. I explored this loop on my return trip so more later on that.

View from western side of I-91 (photo by Webmaster)

View to the east from beneath I-91 (photo by Webmaster)

Shortly after, I reached the I-91 underpass which marks the halfway point between the trailheads of this section of the CVT. This was a surprisingly nice area with an extra-wide railed trail running under the highway. There was a picnic table on the western side and a nice outlook across the Wells River to a farm with lush green grass. To the east side was a bench and another nice outlook over the river.

Continuing along I started to see a lot of horsetails along the trail. This species of the unusual horsetail plants are called scouring brushes. They grow about 2 feet tall straight up out of the ground - no leaves, no branching - and with an odd sort of "flower" at the very top. Native peoples used to take a bunch of these, hold them together and use the tops to scrub pots, etc. And if you rub your fingernail cross-wise against the stem of the plant you'll find it makes a great nail file.

Just a few of the other plants seen along these trails include bedstraw, milkweed, goldenrod, partridgeberry, black-eyed Susan, cattails, Joe-Pye weed, yellow wood sorrel (sour grass), and goldenrod.

Bench overlooking wetlands (photo by Webmaster)

Bench overlooking wetlands (photo by Webmaster)

A bit further along was a wonderful wetlands area. I would have loved to dally here but each time I stopped walking the mosquitoes started attacking. So I walked slowly and took in the beautiful pond with juncos flitting about and a couple ducks on the water. On the other side of the trail were enormous cattails. There was also a bench that looked like a great spot for quiet contemplation and bird watching (if you're dressed in a mosquito-proof suit or it's the dead of winter).

Use caution while walking this section of the trail as there are some "holes" in the ground (sections of earth that have collapsed beneath the film of earth that looks like a trail). [11/04/07 update: Most of these holes have been filled in with crushed stone. Only a couple remain but they are on the outer edges of the trail so your feet are unlikely to encounter them.] I also saw a snake in this area.

Beyond this area were more trail junctions. A sign pointed to the right indicating "BMU", which leads in a quarter of a mile to the Blue Mountain Union School. Across from this junction, 30 feet further along the CVT, is the unmarked, western junction of the Blue Mountain Nature Trail loop. Continuing along the CVT another 50 yards, you'll find the eastern junction of the Blue Mountain Nature Trail loop, also on the left. I'll check this out on my way back too, so more later.

At this point, I was almost at the end of the CVT. The trail started getting a bit overgrown. The trail ends at a small parking area (pretty much unused I think).

From bench overlooking a placid section of Wells River (photo by Webmaster)

From bench overlooking a placid section of Wells River (photo by Webmaster)

Turning around, I retraced my steps just a short ways and sat on a bench overlooking the river to eat lunch. A red squirrel kept me amused. He would scurry around in the nearby shrubs, stop and look at me, come up close, then scurry away again. He probably couldn't wait for me to leave so he could eat my lunch crumbs.

Right below the bench a little stream feeds into the river which is smooth and calm here. And next to the bench was an interesting plant which I believe was hog peanut (Amphicarpa bracteata). It's a member of the pea family and grows like a vine up and over other plants. It has flowers similar to that of cow vetch but instead of a vivid purple, these were white, transforming to a deeper lavender near the ends of the flowers. And they had cute little peapods dangling from the vines. This plant has a different type of flower near its base as opposed to its upper sections... and hence different types of fruits/seeds. Its common name comes from the fact that hogs will feed on the seed type that grows underground. Birds will feed on both types of this plant's "fruits".

After finishing lunch, I continued retracing my steps a bit until I reached the eastern terminus of the Blue Mountain Nature Trail. I turned right to follow this interesting trail that at one point brought me to the shore of the river. Then it wound its way up a hill and I was on what seemed to be a plateau peninsula surrounded by the river and/or wetland areas. This was a pleasant walk with a mostly open understory and hemlocks on the inside of the loop and views down to the river and woods on the outside of the trail.

Ferns along the Blue Mountain Nature Trail (photo by Webmaster)

I came across some funky looking fungus that looked sort of like bright yellow spaghetti growing out of the ground in short, wavy strands. Next I came across what looked like the skeleton of a heron. Eventually the trail wound back downhill, looking out to a magical wooded area with the sun illuminating a carpet of ferns. The trail reconnected with the CVT just a short distance from where I left it.

I continued on the CVT, back through the wetlands area, and under I-91, and beyond that, I turned right to follow the Boltonville Nature Trail. This started with a steep, narrow trail that descended to the floodplain area of the river. In the floodplain area, the footing was a bit lumpy (but fine). This trail also went close to the now gently babbling river at times and after being out in the open for a while, it ducked back into the shady woods. I saw some oyster-shaped fungus.

Shortly after entering the woods, I was surprised to find a neat little gorge and some cascades. What a wonderful spot for a picnic. I decided to stop here and eat the other half of my sandwich. The ground was soft to sit upon and the gorge was fascinating and the cascades mesmerizing. At the cascades, the trail turns left and starts going up the hill, but you can continue walking straight to explore more of the river, which is worth a look.

Returning back to the trail and heading uphill, I shortly rejoined the CVT; and after that I shortly rejoined the parking area. If one was to hike this in reverse, the gorge area could be reached after only about 10-15 minutes of walking...so if you don't have much time but want to find a peaceful place to relax, this makes for a quick fix.

Cascades on the Wells River (photo by Webmaster)

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Cross Vermont Trail (photo by Webmaster)

VT - Central East

Driving Directions

There are two trailheads, both located on Rt. 302; one west of the I-91 interchange, and one east of it.

The recommended trailhead is located one mile west of I-91, on the north side of Rt. 302. Its entrance is in between a big red barn signed "Curious Cow Too" and Boltonville Road. Headed west on Rt. 302, the entrance is particularly tricky to spot, but just trust that it's after the big red building and slow down. You have to make almost a U-turn to enter into the parking lot and the sign isn't readily visible from this direction. Once turning in, there is a nice roomy dirt parking lot.

The other trailhead is unsigned. When heading west on Rt. 302 from Wells River, it is the second driveway after the Fish and Game picnic area. The drive descends steeply to an area where 2 or 3 cars could squeeze in. This driveway is about 0.7 mile east of I-91.

Other Notes

No motorized vehicles allowed.

More Wells River Trail Reports

Wells River via Cross Vermont Trail on 11/04/2007

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