Efforts are now underway to link two major hiking trails in the region.
The Appalachian Trail runs through Vermont as it makes its way from Maine to Georgia. Just 40 miles west, in Crown Point, New York, another National Scenic Trail begins – the 4,600-mile North Country Trail. It winds through seven states and ends in North Dakota.
Bruce Matthews, Executive Director of the North Country Trail association, is involved in the effort. "We try to find a route that includes as much public land as possible and work with the public land managers to fit it into the management plans that exist," he said.
A recent study by the group identified a number of possible corridors. The preferred option would go from Crown Point through Addison County to the Trail Around Middlebury and then take either a northern or southerly route.