Calvin Coolidge State Forest, also known as Coolidge State Forest, covers in two parts in
Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest l ...
and
Windsor counties in
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...
. The West portion cover in
Killington,
Mendon,
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymout ...
and
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...
in both counties.
The East portion cover in
Bridgewater
Bridgewater or Bridgwater may refer to:
Companies
* Bridgewater Associates, global investment manager
* Bridgewater Systems, Canadian software company
Education
* Bridgewater College, Virginia, United States
* Bridgewater High School (disambi ...
,
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymout ...
,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
, and
Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
in Windsor County.
The forest is managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation for timber resources, wildlife habitat, and recreational activities.
Activities in the forest include camping, hiking, picnicking, fishing, hunting, trapping, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
East section
Coolidge State Park
Coolidge State Park is a List of Vermont state parks, Vermont State Park located in Plymouth, Vermont, United States. The park is named after Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, who was born and raised in Plymouth and is bur ...
in the East section in Plymouth is the most developed and primary recreational center for the forest, and features a campground. The park's facilities were built by the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part o ...
(CCC) in the 1930s, and are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
.
There are several remote
lean-to
A lean-to is a type of simple structure originally added to an existing building with the rafters "leaning" against another wall. Free-standing lean-to structures are generally used as shelters. One traditional type of lean-to is known by its Finn ...
s, primitive camping areas, and
gold panning
Gold panning, or simply ''panning'', is a form of placer mining and traditional mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts espe ...
.
The
Vermont Association of Snow Travelers The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, Inc. (VAST) was founded in 1967 and is responsible for the organization of the sport of snowmobiling, maintaining and grooming over 5,000 miles of trails in the state of Vermont. Based in Berlin, Vermont
B ...
(VAST) grooms an extensive network of road and trails for
snowmobiling
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
in the winter. There are also hunting opportunities for game species such as deer,
moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
, and
ruffed grouse
The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only specie ...
.
The CCC built many of the roads in the East section.
In the East, the forests are typically
hardwood
Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes fro ...
and often steep, and are actively managed for timber.
West
The West section features many hiking trails, including the Shrewsbury Peak Trail, Tinker Brook Trail, Bucklin Trail and portions of the
Long Trail
The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont, running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. The club remains the primary organiz ...
and
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...
.
There are trails for snowmobiling and
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...
, as well as
snowshoeing
Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...
. Hunting, fishing and trapping occurs in this section.
The West section of Calvin Coolidge State Forest is located along the
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is i ...
ridgeline and features many high forested mountain peaks, including
Killington Peak
Killington Peak is the second highest summit in the Green Mountains and in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is located east of Rutland in south-central Vermont. Killington Peak is a stop on the Long Trail, which here shares its route with the Appal ...
, Little Killington,
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...
, Saltash,
Mendon and Smith peaks.
There are three designated Vermont State Natural Areas – Tinker Brook Natural Area (106 acres) in Plymouth, Shrewsbury Peak Natural Area (100 acres) in Shrewsbury, and Mendon Peak Natural Area (90 acres in the state-owned portion above 3200 feet) in Mendon.
References
External links
Official website
Vermont state forests
Protected areas of Rutland County, Vermont
Protected areas of Windsor County, Vermont
Bridgewater, Vermont
Killington, Vermont
Mendon, Vermont
Plymouth, Vermont
Shrewsbury, Vermont
Reading, Vermont
Woodstock, Vermont
1925 establishments in Vermont
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