Trails around Hoisington Mountain offer scenic views of the Champlain Valley and a chance for the community to come together
By Tim Rowland
Even a lot of the locals don’t know about Hoisington Mountain, a local secret in Westport. That may be about to change.
Close to 50 people packed the Westport Town Board meeting chambers June 10 to hear about plans for bringing more structure to the old logging roads, jeep trails and herd paths that crisscross 893 acres of public lands buffering the town water plant on McMahon Road.
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Westport Supervisor Ike Tyler said the public can access the land, which has attracted little interest beyond deer hunters, snowmobilers and a handful of bushwhackers. He solicited audience members to sign up for a committee to determine the best use of the lands for the benefit of Westport residents and visitors.
Dave Johnston, owner of the nearby DaCy Meadow Farm, said he began walking the property as a means of getting into better shape and was impressed with its potential. He said that “after seven years of roaming around there and falling in love with this very special place,” he decided to see if there was support for a more hiker-friendly trail network with maps, trail markers and parking.
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Since the trails largely already exist, cost would be minimal and work would be done with grants and volunteer help, Johnston said. None of the current activities — hunting, snowmobiling and ATV use — would be restricted. The committee could decide to close the trails to hiking during hunting season.
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Former Champlain Area Trails director Chris Maron said the land has ecological significance because the Northway bends farther to the west at this point, creating a large chunk of unbroken forest that’s protected from development by the water district property and easements on the Lyme Timber land that boundary it on three sides.
The most obvious destination, a 2.5 mile (round trip) out-and-back up Hoisington Mountain, looks down over the Champlain Valley. The trail begins on McMahon Road about a mile south of its junction with Ledge Hill Road. The unmarked trailhead leads to an obvious old woods road, climbing on the steep side of moderate up a shallow draw to the ridge line where it doubles back to the right and climbs more easily to the east.
Though less defined from here, the terrain is easy to follow — just keep heading up. A final climb over some open rock accesses a pleasant wooded summit with enough breaks to get a nice view of the lake. Other options include longer, less steep walks.
“If you leave from the bottom of the base of Mountain Springs Road, you can walk all the way to Mineville, 4.25 miles on a road, and I’ve seen one logging truck and three ATVs in seven years, and the whole time it’s spectacular,” Johnston said.
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Concerns at the public hearing mainly focused on fears that more intensive use could threaten the purity of the town water supply, downhill from much of the existing trails.
“I think our town water is probably one of the most precious things we’ve ever had here,” said Westport resident Ray Rice. “There are a lot of other places to hike around here, and I think we’re going down the wrong road.”
Others believed a trail network would bring more ecological awareness and more people to help with maintenance.
“I believe that if we open it up and more people start hiking, and know about it, then you’re more likely to get volunteers, because more people will appreciate the area,” said resident Josh Kingzack.
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Kingzack said he hadn’t known about the Hoisington overlook, but that his kids were taking him there for Father’s Day. And Kingzack wasn’t alone.
“I’ve owned a home here in Westport for 19 years. I did not know about the woods, and I can’t believe I’ve missed it, because I’m a cyclist and a hiker,” Dan Keegan said. “The beauty of this whole process is that we can bring everyone together for this as a community project.”
Tyler also hoped that the project would encourage broad segments of the community to come together for a common goal.
“There are groups of people in this town that are always at odds, and I think it’s a crying shame, because we’re all in this together,” he said. “Why can’t we have one positive, nice project out there? Let’s just work together.”
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