Local Wanders

Nestled five miles down a dirt road in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, the Blueberry Hill Ski Touring Center offers visitors ultimate solitude and breathtaking mountain views.

With about 46 miles of trails of varying difficulty and terrain, Blueberry Hill is one of the most renowned cross-country skiing and snowshoeing centers in the state. The ski center is located about 30 minutes from the College in Goshen, Vt., and is accessible from Route 125.

As I approached Blueberry Hill, an amicable black dog that could only be described as “a mix of all sorts” greeted me. Griffin followed me to the front door of the beautiful 1813 farmhouse which serves as Blueberry Hill Inn — a year-round “country living” inn that has been operating for over four decades. Paige, the inn’s receptionist, was exceptionally hospitable upon my arrival, offering me cookies and tea in between answering phone calls.

Blueberry Hill’s chocolate chip cookies are notoriously delicious and are always available for guests to take from the cookie jar in the inn’s kitchen.

Tony Clark purchased the Blueberry Hill Inn in 1968 and has been the owner for four decades. The ski touring center opened up three years later in 1971 and since then has been rated one of the finest Nordic ski centers in New England.

Welsh in origin, but born in France, Clark had aspirations to travel around the United States and eventually settled down in Goshen. Clark believes that Blueberry Hill continues to be one of Vermont’s most popular ski touring centers because the trails are more extensive and scenic than most.

“People get the feeling of being out there in the wilderness,” said Clark.

The ski lodge is housed in the estate’s original barn located across the street from the inn. The ski center offers full day ($20) and half-day ($12) passes that begin after 2 p.m.

Although the center offers ski rentals, students can save a few bucks by renting cross-country skis, boots and poles from the Middlebury Mountain Club during their open gear hours.

The lodge itself is especially charming, complete with original wood floors and an old wood-burning stove. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary bowl of soup in the lodge from 12 - 2 p.m. when they buy a day pass. It’s a good excuse to avoid Proctor’s long lunch lines.

Blueberry Hill boasts a variety of trails ranging from the three mile beginner’s trail to the Romance Trail which, at an elevation of 2,900 feet, is the highest groomed cross-country trail in Vermont.

The Romance Trail is also part of the comprehensive Catamount Trail — a 300-mile winter-use trail for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing that extends down the entire length of Vermont.

Clark believes that the ski center’s location in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area makes it unique because it ensures that the rural landscape will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Moosalamoo protects 15,875 acres of land in the heart of the Green Mountains and can be explored during all four seasons.

“[The ski center] was designed for those seeking picturesque Vermont without being disturbed by roads or highways,” said Clark.

The sense of escaping civilization and connecting with nature is one thing that made my time at Blueberry Hill memorable. As I diverged from the frequently used Beginner Loop onto a narrow wooded trail, I was completely enchanted by the graceful force of nature. The snow beneath me was interspersed with ski grooves and animal tracks and the only sound I heard was the babbling brook that skirted the trail. Moments like this remind me of just how beautiful Vermont’s landscape really is.