Long-Term Vision
The Deerfield Valley is ideally situated for outdoor activities. Located at the source of the Deerfield River, the pleasant southern-facing valley contains the towns of Dover and Wilmington, with the river valley also touching Stratton, Somerset, Searsburg, Readsboro, and Whitingham before passing into Massachusetts.
They area is immediately adjacent to the largest contiguous stretch of the Green Mountain National Forest with hundreds of thousands of acres to hike, camp, hunt and explore. The Long Trail, Appalachian Trail and Catamount Trails are all within 7 miles of town lines, as are the fantastic Harriman and Somerset reservoirs and Grout Pond. Haystack Mountain and Mount Snow tower over the valley, making it a great place to ski, snowboard, bike and hike. In addition, the area has rich networks of hiking and biking trails. Dover has a trail network that includes the Valley Trail with its extensions on Crosstown Rd., the Horace Hill trail system and the nearby Dover Town Forest trails. Wilmington has a woodland extension of the Valley Trail, and also includes the popular Haystack Mountain and Mt. Olga Trails, the Hoot and Whistle Trail, and a network of other town trails. There are few places that have the natural gifts and resources of the Deerfield Valley.
Some great strides have been made towards this vision already, and much will be happening in the near future. Some recent developments include:
The Somerset Integrated Resource Project is helping develop a new set of trails on the Mt. Snow ridgeline along with making many other improvements in the area. You can find the Dover MAP here, and an additional MAP here from the Dover site visit on 8/2/22.
The development of a disc golf course and trails on Horace Hill. You can find an early discussion and proposal with maps here. There are also reportedly plans to open an additional enrance to the trail from Crosstown Rd.
However, there is much to do to make this a truly great pedestrian destination. Improvements that are a part of our long-term vision include:
Providing safe passage for pedestrians through the remaining dangerous areas which include the West Dover Village Pedestrian Bridge, Dunn's Curve, Fat City Curve, and various places with narrow shoulders on Route 100.
Providing easier access to the Green Mountain National Forest from the two towns. For instance, did you know the base of Somerset Reservoir is less than a mile from the Dover town line? Right now it is a 22-mile, 45-minute drive.
Also, although you can easily walk in the shoulders for most of Route 100's length, given the high volume of traffic on the road, it is not always a pleasant walk. There has been a long-term plan for many years to connect to two towns by a Route 100 walking path, and completing the trail both north to Mt. Snow and south to the Wilmington Village could be a transformative investment for the valley.
Do you have other ideas of things we could do to make Dover, Wilmington and the surrounding areas great places for walkers, hikers and cyclists? Be sure to tell us your ideas by emailing us at john@dvpsa.org or by joining our Facebook Page.