Snowmobile trail changes announced
The Sitzmark to Hogback trail is closed to riders this year.
WILMINGTON- With Vermont’s snowmobile trails opening this weekend, the Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers snowmobile club is advising riders of changes in trail access.
The trail from the Hogback parking lot north to Higley Hill Road will be closed this season.
Over the summer the club was notified by a property owner along Higley Hill Road that they were closing their property for trail use. The club board of directors went to work on a re-route that they thought would keep the trail access open this year. Club members spoke with multiple landowners, spent countless hours working, and invested thousands of dollars in construction costs only to find out that the proposed trail had to pass through a section of Class 2 wetlands that wasn’t marked.
The club has begun work on the permitting process to see about getting a culvert (or bridge) across the area, but those permits take time and resources, especially with wetlands. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers are aware of the situation and are committed to helping as much as they can.
As a result, the Hogback parking lot will not be plowed this year. However the Jacksonville EZ Riders club will be grooming the south-side Hogback trail to allow access to the Hogback Mountain businesses.
In Dover, for those familiar with the Hathaway Trail, there’s a new homeowner who has built a house near the intersection of the Johnson Hill feeder trail and will be using the Johnson Hill trail as part of his driveway. The club and the homeowner will be sharing the Johnson Hill trail, with one side designated to the trail, and the other side plowed for his access. As a result of the new activity, the club has installed a new stop sign and urges riders to be careful and be aware of traffic going in and out of the driveway throughout the season.
For the latest trail information visit the Stump Jumpers page at Facebook.com.
