Glastenbury Wilderness

The Glastenbury Wilderness is northeast of Bennington, beginning just north of Route 9. Seen from Route 7, the area possesses a massive and beautifully wild ridgeline that dominates the landscape to the east. Hell Hollow Brook, on the southern edge, contributes to the public water supply of Bennington. Despite the area's proximity to Bennington, it is quiet and remote. The township of Glastenbury is almost entirely National Forest, but for much of the last hundred years it was owned by one family: the timber magnate Trenor W. Park passed Glastenbury along to his grandson, Hall Park McCullough, whose grandson, Trenor Scott, sold most of his holdings to the Forest Service. A century ago Glastenbury was completely clearcut to supply vast quantities of charcoal to the iron industry in nearby Shaftsbury and Troy, New York. It is now a rich mosaic of balsam fir, red spruce, white and yellow birch, beech and mountain ash, interspersed with patches of ferns, raspberries, blackberries, bluebead lily and dwarf dogwood, and it now supports mature forest. The forestland and extensive stands of mature beech provide critical black bear habitat, and claw-marked beech trees are a common sight throughout the area. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has identified Glastenbury as a region "supporting relatively high densities of cub-producing females, and an area containing critical habitats necessary to bear survival." The rich forest habitat is also home to a wide variety of birds: Bicknell's thrush, designated in Vermont as rare and of special concern, has been documented here, as have Swainson's thrush, yellow-rumped warbler, Cape May warbler, winter wren, dark-eyed junco and white-throated sparrow. Glastenbury offers extensive opportunities for backcountry recreation. The hilly terrain includes several summits surpassing 2,000 feet, and Mt. Glastenbury is over 3,700 feet. More than fifteen miles of trails offer access to hikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers, and the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail crosses the entire area from north to south, by an old fire tower on top of Glastenbury Mountain.