Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park near Woodstock, Vermont, is more than a beautiful place for a hike. Its mansion, gardens, carriage roads and forest tell the story of how American conservation evolved over three generations.
The park is home to Mount Tom Forest, the oldest continuously managed scientific forest in the United States. With more than 20 miles of trails and carriage roads, it is also an easy place to trade a history lesson for a peaceful walk in the woods.
Three Generations of Conservation
The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion was originally built in 1805 and was the boyhood home of George Perkins Marsh. A statesman, farmer, linguist and author of the influential 1864 book Man and Nature, Marsh is considered one of America’s earliest environmental thinkers.
Frederick Billings purchased the property in 1869. The lawyer, railroad builder, philanthropist and conservationist put Marsh’s ideas into practice by beginning an ambitious program to restore the depleted forest. His approach combined ecological health, sustainable timber production, education and public employment.
Mary French Rockefeller, Billings’ granddaughter, later inherited the property with her husband, Laurance Rockefeller. They continued its conservation legacy before donating the mansion and 555 acres of Mount Tom forestland to the National Park Service. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967 during a ceremony led by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.
Today, the landscape is the result of more than 150 years of thoughtful forest management.
From the Mansion Gardens to Mountain Road
I started near the mansion and walked over to the Belvedere, which was under restoration during my visit. I wandered through the terrace gardens and stopped to see the greenhouse before heading into the forest.
Mountain Road climbs steadily away from the mansion through a mix of towering trees and historic forest plantations. The route is a living lesson in restoration. What was once heavily cleared farmland is now a healthy forest managed for conservation, education, recreation and timber.
The park has over 20 miles of trails. I decided on hiking to The Pogue, or the pond. A park volunteer told me it’s the prettiest place in the park. It’s a moderate 2.5-mile hike. From Belvedere and the horse shed, I continued up Upper Meadow Road until it connected to Mountain Road. It was mid afternoon on a hot and humid day so I was thankful for the shady trail. I also pretty much had the trail to myself.
A Quiet Loop Around the Pogue
Once I reached the Pogue, I decided to add the loop around the pond to enjoy the views from different angles. The 14-acre pond was created in the 1880s by building an earthen dam across a spring-fed, boggy area.
The loop trail goes in and out of the forest. Wildflowers line the trail in places, including some flowering raspberries I spotted. One of my favorite moments of the hike was watching several ducks perched on a log then they slipped into the water one by one. The backside of The Pogue Loop is wonderfully quiet. Lily pads covered sections of the water while cattails swayed in the breeze.
That peaceful pond and surrounding forest are also proof that conservation can have a lasting impact. More than 150 years after Frederick Billings began restoring Mount Tom, visitors are still walking beneath the trees he helped bring back.
Planning a Visit
The grounds, gardens and trails at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park are open year-round from dawn to dusk, and admission to the park is free.
Mansion tours are run Thursday through Monday from Memorial Day weekend through October 31. Tours can sell out, so advance reservations are recommended. You can also do a self-guided tour.
Parking for the national historical park is shared with Billings Farm & Museum across the road.
In winter, you can snowshoe or cross country ski on the trails.
It’s easy to combine a visit with a stop at Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park just 30 minutes away in Cornish, New Hampshire. Check out my post on how I visited both in a day.
