April 27, 2014 by EW

West River Trail Section in Jamaica Vermont

The Vermont State Parks and the Green Mountain Club recommends the West River Trail at the Jamaica State Park as a place to hike in early spring. Hurray for spring!

Here is an excerpt from the Green Mountain Club webpage: Click HERE for more info.
Plan spring hikes in hardwood forests at lower elevations. If a trail is so muddy that you need to walk on the vegetation beside it, turn back and find another place to hike. Avoid spruce-fir (conifer) forest at higher elevations and on north slopes before late May and from the end of October until frozen or snow-covered.
Some recommended places to hike this spring are:
Southeast Vermont:
• West River Trail , click HERE for details.
• Jamaica State Park Trails

Recreational Trails in Jamacia State Park: West River Trail, 2.0 miles from park entrance to Cobb Brook Bridge.
One of few converted rail beds in southern Vermont, the section in the park is universally-accessible and great for easy walking, jogging or biking. Open to all foot travel and bicycles. The trail meanders along the West River, following the old bed of the West River Railroad. Look for “The Dumplings,” a group of large boulders about one half mile up the trail. Follow the trail for another 1.5 miles to reach Cobb Brook. After crossing the brook, the trail continues to Ball Mountain Dam (another 0.5 mile on federal property). Completed in 1961 for flood control, the dam stands 265 feet high and is 915 feet long. The section of trail in the park is part of a rail trail that is managed by the Friends of the West River Trail.

With the trails in State Parks, check in with the VT Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to see if the park and trails are open. Their phone number is (802) 241-3655.

February 27, 2014 by EW

36 Miles of Trouble: The Story of the West River R.R

The following is a guest post by Dan Snow.

Excellent cross-country skiing conditions can be found these days on the newly established West River Trail. The former rail bed along the east bank is ideal for gliding over the snow pack. Glimpses of the frozen waterway and woodlands are peaceful today but the stillness is deceiving. It masks a time not so long ago when the air was full of anticipation. The driving wheels of a steam locomotive made the iron rails sing underfoot and soon a thirty-car train would come chugging by.

Evidence of the days when trains passed through West Dummerston twice a day have mostly disappeared. What’s left to see is an old station house in the village and the granite piers at the river’s edge that once held up a bridge. Fortunately, a lively remembrance of the Brattleboro and Whitehall Rail Road Company was written by Victor Morse and published by Stephen Green Press in 1959. 36 Miles of Trouble: The Story of the West River R.R. chronicles the slow rise and long decline of the line. Morse earned college money on the West River line. As an adult, he operated a saw mill in Brattleboro that made railroad cross-ties. Growing up, I knew him as my father’s no-nonsense friend who’s wool pants were permanently caked in sawdust. His wry sense of humor only came out full-force on the pages of 36 Miles of Trouble. By turns, a historical document and a personal remembrance, the slim volume is a testament to the first, and last, time that the citizens of West River Valley were hitched, for better or worse, to a mode of public transportation.

“The West River Railroad’s best years were its first. In the two decades before the turn of the (20th) century it enjoyed its greatest patronage, which was nothing to rejoice about and gave its best service, which was nothing to excite praise. Unreliable as West River trains came to be, it was never strictly true that they would wait at the station for a hen to lay another egg so the farmer would have a dozen to send to Brattleboro.” (From 36 Miles of Trouble)

February 21, 2014 by EW

Birding on the West River

Save the date! Sneak Preview of an event coming up this spring!
Sponsored by The Vermont Land Trust:
Birding on the West River
DATE: Saturday, May 17
TIME: 7:30 –10:00 AM
PLACE: Riverstone Preserve, West River Trail, Brattleboro, VT
River corridors provide important habitat for migratory and breeding birds. Grab your binoculars and look for birds along the West River Trail.
Registration coming soon! We’ll keep you posted! Check the VLT website for more information.

February 20, 2014 by EW

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of February 23rd, 2014

Over a foot of beautiful powder snow = great ski and snowshoe conditions on the trail! The West River Trail is open from the northern trailhead to a point just north of the bridge construction area. The trail will be closed at the Marina Trailhead and through access will not be permitted from the north, due to unsafe ground conditions.
Signage at the Marina Trailhead and Rice Farm Road Trailhead will indicate current trail status. Check the project’s website for up to date information on the current status of the trail. The northern trailhead access location is on Rice Farm Road, about a mile south of the Iron Bridge.
If you would like additional information, or would like to add others to this distribution list, please contact Cindy Cook, Public Relations Officer, Adamant Accord, Inc. ccook@adamantaccord.com.

January 14, 2014 by EW

End of Season Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Report

Last summer, major trail improvements were the result of the hard work of a crew from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. Click the link below to read the end of season report on the VYCC crew time spent on the West River Trail this year. Many thanks to Keegan Tierney, Operations Director and the fabulous VYCC crew!
VYCC Report 2013 Friends of the West River

November 25, 2013 by EW

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update Week of November 24, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!
Work beneath the bridge will continue for the week of November 24th. Monday through Wednesday, the trail will be closed at the Marina Trailhead and through access will not be permitted from the north, due to construction activities. The full trail will be open Thanksgiving Thursday through Sunday.

The Trail is always open from the northern trailhead to a point just north of the bridge construction area. The northern trailhead access location is on Rice Farm Road in Dummerston, about a mile south of the Iron Bridge.

Signage at the Marina Trailhead and Rice Farm Road Trailhead will indicate current trail status. In addition, the current status of the trail will be posted on the project’s website.

If you would like additional information, please contact Cindy Cook, Public Relations Officer, Adamant Accord, Inc. ccook@adamantaccord.com.

September 27, 2013 by EW

West River Trail Closure for the Week of September 30, 2013

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update – Week of September 30, 2013

Truck activity on the West River Trail will begin to increase next week. The trail from the I-91 Bridges to the Marina Trailhead will be closed all next week. Thru access will not be allowed from the north due to construction.

July 16, 2013 by EW

West River Trail Work Updates

Many thanks to all volunteers and helpers for contributing precious time and hard labor to help improve and clean up the West River Trail. A tremendous amount of clean-up work has been accomplished on the trail! The major task of removing huge quantities of trail-side metal debris was achieved with the hands of many individuals and with the help of some very large equipment and machinery.

A big thanks to Jason Evans for removing the junk cars, repairing the access road from Rice Farm Road and doing some resurfacing work. Big thanks also to Bob Spencer of WSWMD for the donation of a dumpster, delivering it to the site and hauling away all the scrap metal and junk cars.

July 10, 2013 by Dede Cummings

West River Trail Work Day Scheduled Sunday July 14

Sunshine and long summer days – perfect for heading out into nature. Wild mountain laurel and rambling roses in full bloom, sounds of the West River, sparkling sunshine – all can be found on the beautiful West River Trail.

Are you a fan of West River Trail? Would you like to join the next workday party? Here are the details:

Sunday, July 14, 10 AM. Meet at the trailhead at the Marina end. Bring work gloves, wear boots. Removing remaining visible debris from the “dump area” on the east side of the trail, on the property we are acquiring. Some drainage work is also needed in a few wet spots.

Thanks for helping us spread the word.

If you can’t make it to the workday, and would like to make a contribution, go to the CONTRIBUTE page and click on MAKE A DONATION. Many thanks!