Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association

** ARCHIVED NEWS**

Archived November 27, 2011

Athens Dome
Trails and Nature Reserve
(Along the Ledge Road in Grafton and Athens)

There is now the beginning of an extension to the northern end of the Windmill Ridge trail system, going west into Grafton. An easement for the trial has been procured across from Sleepy Valley Road near the Grafton Athens town line. That trail easement gets us up and over the hill and onto a 207 acre property recently acquired known as the Lake Trust property in the Athens Dome area, located along the Ledge Road in Grafton.
Several features are to be found here including a tumbling brook with waterfalls that is habitat for native brook trout, a geologic boulder site fondly called “Creature Rock” and an historic soapstone quarry complex with cellar holes related to that history.

Parking and trails are planned for construction hopefully in the next few years. At this time there are old town roads that traverse the property, and a town turnaround at the end of the maintained public part of the Ledge Road where one can park. There are currently VAST snowmobile trails that cross the property in winter. Please see the map of the property with the proposed trail system from RT 35 in Athens to the Townshend Road in Grafton. This map is for general reference only and will continue to be updated.
If anyone would like to be involved in the development of these trails and stewardship of the property, please send an email of interest to camil@vermontel.net or call 802-869-1388.

This 207 acre property was acquired and conserved in 2010, with the help of the Vermont Land Trust, a major Vermont Housing and Conservation Board grant, the Windham Foundation, and significant donations from many area people. It is currently managed by a committee under the WHPA called the Athens Dome at Grafton Conservation Committee (ADGCC).

Archived June 2011 With the Bald Hill Conservation Committee, a working group of WHPA, a 57-acre parcel on the Saxtons River abutting Bellows Falls Union High School land, was purchased in October 2008! Including the Bald Hill summit, long a traditional hiking destination, this parcel will be the focus of a 300-acre-plus reserve for wildlife habitat protection, recreation and educational purposes. Please see the Bald Hill Conservation Committee’s web site, which was recently created with major help from Compass School students, for maps, photos and information on this exciting new acquisition!
Other news includes the acquisition of the Cowan property on the west side of the Pinnacle itself. This adds 110 acres of steep woodland, broadening the reserve in the central location of the ridge. The management plan for this new property notes that there are pockets of trees that are 240 years old! With this acquisition there is now access to the Reserve for the public from the town of Brookline, which previously had no conserved trail to the WHPA portion of the ridge.
Thanks to Tom Wessels for a great guided walk up the Pinnacle on October 19, 2008. This walk was featured on VPR - listen here Visit the VPR site.
	Tom Wessels (center)


The Pinnacle lean-to	Accessibility Day picnic on Paul's Ledges, Fall 2009	The view from the lean-to. That is Stratton Mountain in the distance.