Bourne Pond

One of my all time favorite short, overnight hikes, is in southern Vermont to Bourn Pond in the Lye Brook Wilderness Area by Stratton Mountain. 

This hike is a very easy and short hike from Arlington-Stratton Rd. It is suitable for beginners and older individuals who want to experience back packing and for families with children capable of walking a few miles on a trail. The trail goes through a variety of landscape features such as deciduous woods and a dense spruce forest. It skirts wet lands, crosses small streams, and there are no steep climbs.

I have been there a number of times and usually make it a two night stay to get a full day to unwind and enjoy the early morning sunrise, to the golden hour of sunset and the campfire to end the day with plenty of time in between for a swim, reading a book, writing, hiking around in the woods.

I typically put up my tent or hang my hammock as near the edge of the water as possible to get the early morning reflection of the light playing on the water, and if I am lucky in the season, the loon family swimming on the silence along the shore quietly chattering with their two or three young.

There is a loon couple that have been nesting on one of the small islands every year. Their otherworldly cries turning the night from a mere sleep in a tent to a multi-sensory experience of the primal beauty of nature, even at night, lost to most of humanity living in cities. It occurred to me there, certainly not an original idea, that many of the features in architecture and interior decoration, shapes and textures are stylized forms of the ones imprinted deep in our minds from the time humans lived in the forests.

The wooded island is alive in daytime with the slightly wistful song of the song sparrow that continues singing into late summer. There is the indefatigable redwing blackbird preferring the even smaller island with reeds growing out between the rocks and other species unknown to me that together with the wind and water sounds fill the air with raw materials for lyrical musical compositions. Those natural sounds play directly on my feelings and with everything else in the woods provides a very rich and complex aesthetic experience.

Weekends can be difficult to get one of the well established campsites right on the water a few that are secluded enough for quiet and privacy. There are two official campsites, the northern end one is also next to the pond. The north end camp site has a very curious privy which sits about 15-20 feet from the access trail.

Next to the access trail to the north end tent site stands this very barebones privy which will expose your bare bottom to anyone that happens to pas by on the access trail.

One of the most unusual privies.

HOW TO GET THERE

There are a few different trails to get to this gem of a pond. The shortest 2.8 miles long being from the dead end parking of US forest service road 70 off the Stratton-Arlington Rd. 

Before coming to USFS 70 there is the Branch Pond Trail head marked with a wooden sign and a few, parallel to the road, parking spaces spaces. This makes it a 4.3 mile hike to the pond.

Another way to get to Bourn Pond from Stratton -Arlington road is via Stratton Pond on the Stratton Pond Trail . There is an adequate size parking at the trail head. Like  the shorter trails above this is a flat and easy trail, yet a beautiful forest trail. This is a 3.8 mile trail.

On arriving to Stratton Pond and the shelter one has to turn left on the Lye Brook Trail down by the pond that goes out along the pond which crosses the Branch Pond Trail which goes north to south along Bourn Pond. This is a 2.4 mile hike.

The fourth trail to get to this wilderness area is to hike up from Stratton-Arlington Rd over Stratton Mountain on the AT/LT. This is about a 7 mile hike to Stratton Pond and takes one up to a few feet above 4000” provided one climbs the tower on to with a big view in all directions.

Finally there is a way to get to Bourn Pond from the north via Manchester, driving up Old Rootville Road to the section that gets too bumpy. There are a few parking spots. 

Hike up the dirt road until one gets to AT/LT south. 0,9 miles from Prospect Rock which has a nice view.  AT/LT goes straight down to Stratton Pond and to the left is the Branch Pond Trail. After half mile one passes the William B. Douglas shelter. Continuing on this very nice trail for another three miles one arrives at Bourn Pond, and the side trail to the north end tent site. No charge here for camping. If there are campers there and one wants a more quiet place there are a few well established sites right on the water by continuing south on the main trail.  There are a couple of short narrow trails through the trees going down to the water.

At Stratton Pond there is a two story shelter that services the Appalachian and the Longtrail that skirts the pond. Across the pond there are about half dozen tent platforms. There is an attendant that charges $5 per person in season for an overnight stay at Stratton Pond.

The shelter and tent platforms can be crowded in the season with thruhikers and weekend campers enjoying this beautiful area. I have come across campers here with snow on the ground.

Taking the Lye Brook Trail and arriving at the Branch Pond Trail  crossing there is an official camping area up in the woods from the pond. I take a right there along the Branch Pond Trail and find one of the established sites along the shore. 

 I hike there in the middle of the week and often find myself totally alone on the pond.

Just before arriving at that crossing there is a path down to the pond with a couple of campsites, but, not with the easy access to the water as the sites along the Branch Pond Trail that goes along the west side of the pond.

Once having found a good campsite it’s time to kick of hiking boots or trail runners and unwind. I always hope for and often hear the welcoming cry of the loons on arriving.

All in all The Bourn Pond offers an easily accessible hiking and camping experience easy enough for all ages, family with children can do it, as can an 80 year old in good shape.

Take a look at my next post to see what kind of equipment I bring on an adventure like this!