Pros
Easy to find (once you knew where to look)
Lots of trails to choose from
Some trails are marked
Easy to hike – not much elevation
Shaded
Cons
Many trails not marked
Many trail intersections (GPS was helpful if you have a time constraint or are trying to reach a specific trail/destination)
Not all trails lead to lake view
Parking for Dartmouth trail head
Trail does not lead directly to the lake
Finding the Trail
I had a heck of a time finding where the trail head was because I couldn’t find directions online. I finally found out there were three trail heads and directions from a mountain biking association website. Once I knew where the trail heads were, getting there was easy. I even went by one initially and didn’t even know it. I always wondered what the parking area across from Dartmouth was for and now I know: hiking!
On the Trail
I walked for about ten minutes on the main trail head and found out that doesn’t go to the lake so I turned around.
On the map on my phone there was a trail to the lake from the water tower access road so I walked up the gravel trail and turned left at the top so the chain link privacy fence was on my right.
Water tower access road
Water tower trail, water tower other side of the fence
I walked for about twenty minutes and got close to the lake. My GPS said I was right near it and yet I couldn’t see it. Since it was a warm day and I had the little one, I turned back. Apparently if I had gone on the trail head I drove by initially (across from Wilder dam) it would’ve been a straight shot to the lake. Later I learned there’s a connector trail from where I was to the lake. Have to try it again sometime.
The trails are easy to identify but there are a lot of them and only a few are blazed and have signs so my gps came in quite handy.
Next time I’ll try the entrance to the lake across from the Wilder dam.
Any tips on how to get to the lake from Dartmouth trail head?
2 Comments
Hi!
Not sure if you’ve discovered them yet but we (UVMBA) started selling paper maps for that area last Fall which can really help when navigating. We’ve also put signs on most of the trails, except for those on the City of Lebanon property. You can pick the maps up at the local bike shops: Mason’s, Omer & Bob’s, Drummond’s, Claremont Cycle depot along with Jake’s on rt4 and System’s Plus at Centerra. Lots of great trails to explore (Quarry Hill, Burnt Mt) year-round.
-Jerry
http://facebook.com/uvmba
Dear Jerry,
This is super helpful! Thank you. I’ll have to pick some up. Thanks to UVMBA I’ve been able to find trail heads for multiple trails I wouldn’t have otherwise found. I’ll add your recommendations to my list. If you have any recommendations of mountain bike trails for beginners in the area I bet newbies might find that information helpful and I could include it in a post. Feel free to email me via the contact form if you’d like.