Vermont's Not-So-Bald Bald Mountain on XMas Eve (2021)

Elizabeth and the beagle at the Monadnock viewpoint.

We were looking for a good, short Christmas Eve hike in the neighborhood of southeast Vermont and settled on Townshend State Forest's Bald Mountain in Townshend Vermont (1,680'). I last hiked this peak around 2007, while working as a park ranger for the State of Vermont. There's a small and very pretty state campground at the base of the mountain, across from the scenic gorge of the West River and near the U.S. Army Corps Townshend Dam and recreation area. A covered bridge (pedestrian access only) spans the river in the same area, and the quaint little village of Townshend, a Vermont classic, is just down the road. 

The OAB trail starts at the campground and ascends 1,080 feet in 1.7 miles, passing scenic cascades (with a few stepping-stone water crossings) and through a big-tree hemlock forest. Presumably the summit used to be bald back in the day. It no longer is, but there are two modest cleared window viewpoints at the top--one facing Stratton Mountain and another Mount Monadnock (in NH). Conditions were a bit icy during our ascent; our spikes made for good footing but the beagle had to fishtail his way up and down the mountain.

Although our hike this day was intentionally short, one could easily make a longer day of it by also hiking the nearby Ledges Overlook Trail by Townshend Dam which loops over some cliffs on a hill to the northeast of Bald Mountain, and the trail to the impressive 125-foot Hamilton Falls just to the north in Jamaica, Vermont. --Paul-William

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