August 28, 2023
My last NWR in Vermont! Missisquoi NWR is way up north near Canada, close to Swanton. The drive from my NH home was through rolling farmland and little mountain passes. The three+ hours one-way went quickly.
The first walk for the day was Black Creek & Maquam Creek Trails, which is a connected loop about 2.5 miles long. This is a nice walk in the woods and above marshes on boardwalks, often next to the creek. The bugs were biting, so I suggest liberal use of insect repellant if doing this little hike in the summer months. There is one spot close to the “lookout” where a muskrat is building his/her home on the trail, so have a care for that little guy/girl too.
Next and just up Route 78 are two adjoining trails, Mac’s Bend Road and Jeep Trail. Mac’s Bend Road is flat gravel and next to the Missisquoi River. It’s open to vehicles September through December; I walked it since I visited outside those months.
Mac’s Bend Road leads to the trailhead for Jeep Trail, which is also flat and follows the banks of the Missisquoi.
Jeep Trail, however, is dirt/mud and, in some sections, overgrown and likely full of ticks. I applied DEET to the tops of my shoes, socks, and pants legs before doing this one, and I am glad I did as that is probably the only reason I did not come out with any of the little buggers attached. Also, the parts not within the trees and closer to the water had leopard frogs everywhere. They leaped out and around and across the trail with every step I took. They are hard to see, and I had to move slowly and step very carefully to avoid smushing any of them. A few ran into my ankles and legs as they tried to get out of my way. The trail leads to a spot deep in the woods/swamp close to where the Missisquoi branches into the bays, and then it just stops.
I highly recommend folks do this trail in the fall or winter. There was so much mud and overgrown bits when I visited that it made the trail an endurance feat rather than a pleasure, and I could not take my eyes away from where I was stepping. Wait until the ground gets cold/frozen over. I bet the area is spectacular in fall/winter.
The Discovery Trail is located at the Visitor Center on Tabor Road. It is a loop hike of a little less than or a bit more than a mile, depending on what source you read. It is flat and easy, and it takes the ambler through a meadow and some woods, plus over some nice boardwalks.
As a side note, there is a local ice cream stand/tourist store near the corner of Tabor and Route 78. I got a milkshake and some homemade zucchini bread there. Good stuff.
Further down Tabor Road lies the trailheads for Old Railroad Passage Trail (1.5-miles one-way), a path along an old railroad bed where the views are pretty much the same…
…and Stephen J. Young Marsh Trail, a 1.25-mile loop with easy footing that goes by wetlands and through fields and forest.
So went my visit to Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge! It was early afternoon when I finished everything, so I decided I had time to also see Chazy Reef, a National Natural Landmark at nearby Isle la Motte. That is the topic of my next post.