Guided Tours

Ranger-led Interpretive tours & walks (described below) are offered during the park's open season May 31 - Oct 31.Check the Schedule of Events page for more details or to download a Programs at the Park brochure.

Appalachian Trails & Tales
Join a national park ranger on the Appalachian Trail for a 3-hour program. Learn about local history that shaped this landscape and how the trail came to be.

Causes & Consequences:The Civil War Home Front in Woodstock, Vermont
This 2-hour ranger-guided tour includes some of the most significant historic sites in Woodstock. Included are places associated with the Underground Railroad, abolition meetings, the town's free African-American community, and Woodstock's pivotal role in the Union war effort in Vermont. Much of what will be seen along the tour is largely unchanged from the day the first shot was fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861. The tour also examines the birth of the national park concept and modern stewardship with the preservation of Yosemite in 1864.

Conservation Chronicles*
From Native Americans to early European settlers, to land trusts, national parks, and wilderness areas, conservation thought and practice has taken many forms in North America over the past four centuries.Using words, images, and films of the past, explore the attitudes and actions that have shaped our relationship with the land we call the United States in this multimedia presentation.
*Available by advance reservation

Conservation Through the Artist's Eye
American landscape paintings have inspired conservationists for over 100 years. See paintings by Hudson River School artists on this 90-minute walk through the Mansion, and discover how their landscape paintings profoundly influenced the development of a conservation ethic.

Fallout: The Atomic Age & the Emergence of the Modern Environmental Movement
The period of US history known as the Cold War saw the proliferation of technologies with the power of almost unlimited destructiveness, as well as the awakening of a new environmental consciousness. This multimedia presentation explores the actions, attitudes, and events of this period with historic photographs, news reels, and movie clips that helped influence the unprecedented outbreak of environmental legislation in the 1960s and 1970s. A highlight of the program is a tour of a 1960s-era fallout shelter.

The Future of the Forest
Join us for a hike and discussion on the history and current stewardship practices of the oldest professionally-managed forest in the United States. During this 2-hour hike, we will explore special places within the park's forest and visit sites with active
forestry work.

Green Ideas at Work
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the park's "green" technologies and infrastructure on this 90-minute walking tour. Included on this easy walk are a high efficiency gasification wood boiler, hybrid cars, solar panels, a composting site, and our Platinum LEED certified Forest Center. Learn high- and low-tech
solutions that you can use at home.

Hidden Spaces Unique Places
Discover the park's distinctive historic buildings with their unusual architectural styles and interesting histories. Learn about the variety of strategies and
techniques to preserve these landmark structures on this 90-minute walking tour through seldom-seen building interiors and exteriors.

Junior Ranger Program
Each week throughout the summer, park rangers will guide 6- 12 year olds in an exciting, 1.5 hour hands-on exploration of a variety of topics, ranging from trees to art to outdoor safety. Kids can earn a Junior Ranger Badge and a stamped memory book. A self-guided Junior Ranger program is also available upon request.

Landscape History: A Walk Through Time
Explore the park's colorful gardens and grounds on this 90-minute walk. More than beautiful scenery, this landscape reflects layers of careful design that are linked to the conservation movement in the 19th century.

The Lost Big Trees of Eastern America
Americans are fascinated by the big trees of the west. But here in the east we have our own big trees: white pines, elms, hemlocks, and the American chestnut. This 1.5-hour program explores the history, ecology, and future of the big eastern tree species. There will be a short presentation indoors and then a walk to some big tree specimens in the park.

Spirituality & the Environment
This 1.5 hour walking tour will discuss stewardship from the perspective of spirituality and religion. The tour will explore ways faith has informed conservation practices and the appreciation of nature. The tour includes a closer look at the original Hudson River School paintings inside the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion.