Generosity comes in many forms in the Mad River Valley community, and Tim Heath-Swanson and Rick Swanson, owners of The Swanson Inn, gave the Mad River Path perhaps the best gift a trail organization can receive: a permanent trail easement! With this new trail easement, the trailhead for the Mill Brook Trail that begins off of Rt 17 in Fayston, is protected perpetually.
“It has been a desire since day one at the inn to ensure residents of and visitors to the MRV have permanent access to the trail. This is a dream come true for us!” shared Rick.
The boardwalk entering the Mill Brook Trail. From left to right: Rick Swanson; Karen Anderson, Mad RIver Veterinary Service (adjacent landowner and host of the Mill Brook Trail); CHarlie Hosford, MRP Board Member, David Hodgson, MRP Trails Manager; Tim Swanson
Without a trail easement or straight ownership of the land that a trail is on, trails and pathways are vulnerable to closure. The Mad River Path is working to protect existing trails and paths with additional easements or land ownership, and future trail and path sections will receive the same long-term protection whenever possible.
The Mill Brook Trail is one of the oldest projects of the Mad River Path. It travels from Tucker Hill Rd to Marble Hill Rd where it meets with the Tucker Hill Inn, then a skip, hop, and jump over the Harris Hill Rd at the top, it enters the Chase Brook Town Forest and winds down to the McCollough Bridge on German Flats Rd. The Mill Brook Trail continues west along the Mill Brook where it’s co-located with the Catamount Trail for a little ways. The trail is “old school” with a lot of character; you’ll find a few steep sections and plenty of rocks and roots among several wooden bridges. It’s thanks to the kind landowners of more than ten individual properties and the Town of Fayston that the Mill Brook Trail is available to the public.
A section of the Mill Brook Trail in early fall.
Keep an eye out for more easements in the future!
We would like to thank Mad River Valley Law for their donated legal work to establish this easement! Furthermore, we wish to pause for a moment to remember the late Willem Jewett, who began working on this easement before his death. Willem was an advocate for trails and spent much time on the trail system across the Mad River Valley.
Signing of the easement! From left to right: Ross Saxton, Mad River Path; Rick Swanson; Tim Swanson; Beth Cook, Mad River Valley Law
The view from the Mill Brook Trail trailhead on The Swanson Inn property. The picnic table is handmade by the one and only Charlie Hosford.
One of the recently improved sections of the Mill Brook Trail.