Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park - The Forest (U.S. National Park Service)

A couple walk hand-in-hand along a dirt two-track road at the edge of a sunny meadow. A gold-leaved tree beside them seems lit from within. Photo by Nora Mitchell.

Nora Mitchell

An autumn stroll in the lingering sunshine.

Twenty miles of scenic carriage roads and trails crisscross the gentle forested slopes of Mount Tom, one of the oldest professionally managed woodlands in America. Walk under the cool canopy of centuries-old hemlocks, beech and open-growth sugar maples to visit the Pogue, a 14-acre pond perched near the mountain summit. Don't miss Mount Tom's South Peak, where you can enjoy a bird's-eye view of Woodstock.

The roads and trails can be accessed from the park entrance on Route 12 or from the parking lot on Prosper Road. They are open from dawn to dusk. Pets must be leashed, and no bicycles or motorized vehicles are allowed.

In the winter the carriage roads and trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Pets are not allowed on groomed roads and trails. For trail passes and more information, contact the Woodstock Ski Touring Center at 802-457-6674 or click here.

2006 marked the 50th anniversary of the enrollment of the Mount Tom Forest in the American Tree Farm System as Vermont's Tree Farm #1. The park's program of responsible forest management is Forest Stewardship Council™ certified (FSC®C004011) - the first for any national park.

Forest Management

Forest Center - Platinum LEED certified building

Platinum LEED for Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Forest Center

The U.S. Green Building Council awarded its highest rating for Leadership in Environment and Energy Design (LEED) to the new Forest Center at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Both the Forest Center, a classroom and meeting space and the adjacent 1876 Wood Barn, home to a new exhibit on the Forest, share the Platinum LEED certification. This partnership project of the National Park Service and The Woodstock Foundation was also recognized with a Designing and Building with FSC® award presented by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible forest management. Both buildings used FSC certified wood from the Park's historic forest, the oldest professionally managed woodland in North America. FSC certification encourages the highest standards of woodland management through credible, independent evaluation and verification of exemplary forestry practices.

Reflecting on the building's beauty, efficiency and simplicity, Park Superintendent Rolf Diamant describes the Center as "an example of thoughtful building practices and innovation enriched by human-scale design and hand-built quality." Looking to the future, Woodstock Foundation President David Donath said, "We are very pleased to join with the National Park in creating a place for reflection, dialogue, and lifelong learning around forward-thinking stewardship."

The Forest Center was designed by Steve Smith of Smith, Alvarez, Sienkiewycz Architects, Burlington, Vermont and built by H.P. Cummings, Woodsville, New Hampshire. Forestry services were provided by Redstart Forestry and Consulting, Corinth, Vermont, with additional work undertaken by Long View Forest Contracting of Westminster, Vermont.

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