Elevation gain: 835 feet
Trails used: none. ATV/snowmoble/old ski area access road.
Highlight(s): old ski area, open woods, views from old Tbar summit.
I didn't hike Saturday so I figured I could get in a hike or two on Sunday, despite the wet weather that was forecast for the day. I was going to head into southwestern Vermont to try a few peaks that I wasn't sure of how to access them. So this was partially a information gathering endeavor as well. When I headed out of the house, I made sure to grab the rain gear as I knew I was probably going to get wet. On the plus side, it was going to be a bit on the cool side so I wouldn't overheat if I had to wear the rain coat.
Dutch Hill is located in Heartwellville, Vermont. It was also home to the Dutch Hill Ski Area that closed in 1985. There has been recent interest in trying to re-open the mountain and several of the ski trails are still visible, and would not be hard to bring back into service. The actual summit of Dutch Hill is wooded, and view-less but there are numerous snowmobile/atv trails that you can use, as well as one that brings you over the summit area with a small bushwhack to the high point.
Old Dutch Hill Ski Area
More Old Dutch Hill Ski Area
I parked on Route 8, crossed the street and then walked up this ATV trail to begin the hike up to the summit of Dutch Hill. There is plenty of parking on the side of the road.
The ATV/snowmobile trail was steep to start off but eventually it leveled off. There are various old roads/ski trails so you can use them to cross over the summit area of Dutch Hill.
While the woods going up were nice and open, it was raining so that made for a wet bushwhack around the summit area of Dutch Hill.
No defining markers but I decided this was the high point for Dutch Hill (elevation: 2657 feet).
A lower open area of the old Dutch Hill Ski area, where the old T-bar lift was located. There would be views looking west into Vermont on a nicer day.
One of the old ski trails down was still in remarkably good condition so I would imagine this area could get another shot with enough effort.
Once done with Dutch Hill, I drove around the area looking for another peak to climb. I checked on two peaks but I was met with access issues, between no parking and no trespassing signs so I decided to check somewhere else nearby. While making my way back to Route 8, I noticed a weird vibration in the car and a weird metallic noise around the driver wheel side. I stopped to check to make sure my tire wasn't going flat and it wasn't. I decided to just drive home as I was a good ways from home if my car truly was going to break down. Once I was back in New Hampshire, I pulled over and found the culprit. A good piece of metal wedged in the grooves of the tire so I tried prying it loose but I could only get it a little ways out. It managed to dislodge itself when I started going again.
While the car situation cut short any other hikes, it was still a nice day despite the weather. I managed to explore this old ski area and make it to the summit, although I was soaked to the skin from the rain. Saturday would have been a better day to hike, had I been able to.
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