• Students at South Peak

    Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller

    National Historical Park Vermont

Winter Sports

xc skiiers

Cross Country Skiing

Winter Sports

Back country skiing and snowshoeing

Back country skiing and snowshoeing are popular winter activities in the park. In Woodstock the average winter snow fall is 80 inches and the trails are usually in good condition for skiing between January and March. Call the park for information about current conditions.

Those skiing or snowshoeing must be self-sufficient and confident in their abilities as there is no regular ski patrol in the park. The trails in the National Park are not groomed, but the nearby Woodstock Inn and Resort Nordic Center trails are groomed.

Ten essentials for skiing or snowshoeing on back country trails

1. Navigation (map and compass)

2. Sun protection (sunglasses and sunscreen)

3. Insulation (extra clothing)

4. Illumination (headlamp, flashlight, bulb and batteries)

5. First-aid kit (with warming packs)

6. Fire (Waterproof matches and fire starters)

7. Repair kit and tools (including knife or multi-tool)

8. Nutrition (extra food)

9. Hydration (extra water)

10. Emergency shelter.

(Backcountry Trail Patrol Association)

Did You Know?

Black and white Carleton Watkins photograph, showing Yosemite's massive granite Cathedral Rock. Billings Family Archives.

In the early 1860s Vermonter Frederick Billings, then living in California, purchased and sent photographs of Yosemite Valley to influential eastern friends to make the case for its preservation. You can see these photographs, and paintings of Yosemite, at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP.