Merck Forest Foundation

A ton of great hiking trails of a variety of levels of difficulty. Very dog-​friendly. Visitors are asked to keep dogs on-​leash near the farm and visitor’s center – the implication being that dogs can be off-​leash on the trails. Our dog companions had a ball racing up and down the trails. Parking and entry are free. There’s plenty of parking; we even found a spot during the Farm Festival and Herding dog trials, which was pretty busy.
A nice bonus: the visitor’s center sells farm-​raised meats including sausage, bacon, grass-​fed beef, lamb, pork ribs, etc.

Great place for a day hike, and a visit to a working farm. Hikes range from one mile family friendly to overnight. The farm is pleasant and accessible. Donations are accepted, but no fees are charged. A great day trip form Manchester.

Had an enjoyable short hike with some friends viewing nature and the farm animals. A good destination for tourists in the area.

The trails are open to the public dawn to dusk and are free. Donation requested.
We x-​c skied this weekend and it was BEAUTIFUL. The views are dramatic. A great place to take the kids or your friends for a day outside.
Their trails are better suited to snow shoeing than x-​c skiing. Very steep and not groomed. One can rent old-​school snow shoes at the visitor center for $ 5 as of 2÷14÷09.
Maps are available at the trailhead kiosk nearby the visitor center, which is open 7 days. They offer farm produce inside the visitor center. In winter there are potatoes and garlic and maple syrup. You can sample three grades of syrup.
We hope to make it back to participate in one of their many outdoor workshops and for maple syrup making.
They offer cabins and shelters and tent sites, also. There were a lot of people heading up to one of the cabins, children and pets in tow.

One of the true outdoor jems in all of Southern Vermont, Merck Forest is open to the public and provides easy access to the woods for both young and old. Just outside of Dorset, VT (slightly better known than Rupert), it is literally no more than five minutes from the town green or fifteen minutes from any of the Inns in Manchester. Merck’s walking trails, swiming ponds, and panoramic solitude spreads over a thousand acres of land (probably more), meaning that you can sit down on a picnic table and look out across acres of fields or you can take a little hike up one of their trails and look down across trees and mountains. The kids can play wildly without bothering anyone. Additionally, Merck’s parking lot is no more than a short woodland walk to its farmland center, so any age rage can successfully lounge in solitude. They offer camping sites. In the winter they also offer sleigh rides. Log onto their web site to find out about educational events.