Mt. Independence Historic Park, positioned on the shores of Lake Champlain in Orwell and Shoreham, Vermont, preserves one of many largest and most intact Revolutionary Battle defensive websites in the US. From 1776 by way of the later Revolutionary years, this peninsula and its adjoining shore had been fortified to guard the Champlain Valley and guard British entry between Canada and the American colonies. At present, the park preserves earthworks, foundations, interpretive trails, reconstructed constructions, and a wealthy archaeological report that collectively inform the story of navy life, engineering, and civilian expertise throughout America’s combat for independence.
The archeological constructions are linked collectively by a well-maintained path system that’s straightforward to stroll, with beautiful meadows the place households can picnic and take within the sights. There’s additionally an informative Museum on the park’s customer heart, which has an attention-grabbing and fairly trendy curved roof on high. Whereas I primarily visited to hike the path system, I used to be shocked at how a lot historical past I picked up alongside the way in which after studying the academic signage displayed alongside my route.
Whereas Mt Independence is a mere 200 ft excessive, the location sits on a protracted, low peninsula that straight faces Fort Ticonderoga throughout the slender, southern a part of Lake Champlain. Collectively, the 2 positions fashioned a defensive barrier controlling the lake route between Canada and the Hudson River valley. In 1776, after the lack of Quebec and threats from British naval and land forces, American generals acknowledged that management of the lake can be decisive. Work at Mt. Independence started within the spring of 1776, when hundreds of troops, engineers, and laborers constructed strains of earthworks, gun batteries, roads, barracks, shipyards, and magazines to assist a flotilla and to create a mutually supporting defensive system with Ticonderoga.
Having completed the Lengthy Path Aspect-to-Aspect Path Checklist in September of 2025, certainly one of my new “quests” is to hike the entire trails talked about or depicted in 50 Hikes in Vermont, revealed by the Inexperienced Mountain Membership. These conversant in White Mountain Redlining will instantly perceive this “sport”, which includes compiling and mountaineering all the paths in a guidebook, a apply I’m calling Greenlining, as it’s going to focus fully on Vermont, the Inexperienced Mountain State. I hope to publish a primary draft of a path checklist for 50 Hikes in Vermont within the coming weeks to report my progress and let others be part of within the problem. One vital distinction between 50 Hikes in Vermont and the AMC’s White Mountain Information is that fifty Hikes contains maps that spotlight trails not talked about within the textual content, but nonetheless beckon to be hiked.
The Mt Independence trails complete 6.6 miles, however I simply hiked 8-9 miles to hike each path in its entirety and the spur trails alongside the edges. The Baldwin and Orange Trails are the one ones listed in 50 Hikes in Vermont, however there’s a map within the e-book depicting the Blue Path, so I felt compelled to hike it additionally. Doing so necessitates repeating some beforehand hiked miles, however that’s the nature of this sport.
- Baldwin Path – 1.6 miles
- Orange Path – 2.5 miles
- Blue Path – 2.2 miles
- Southern Defenses Path 0.2
It was quick mountaineering, although. The tread is well-maintained and pretty flat, so I used to be capable of hike at a brisk tempo. The paths are well-blazed and signed, making this a really nice and pleasant sojourn again into the previous. I hiked the paths on a Friday and solely noticed a number of individuals, although I believe the place fills up on weekends. However in the event you’re searching for a simple place to hike with good picnic areas to convey your loved ones or mother and father, and to show your younger ones slightly bit about our nation’s historical past, Mt Independence is well worth the journey.
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