Molly Stark State Park, Wilmington
1. MOUNT OLGA
Molly Stark State Park, Wilmington
Round trip: 1.7 miles
Highest Elevation: 2,145 feet
Elevation gain: 520 feet
Directions: From Wilmington, head east on Route 9 for about 4 miles. The entrance to the state park is on the south side of the road. Click to map.
Mount Olga is in Molly Stark State Park. The woman for whom the mountain is named is unknown, but Molly Stark was the wife of the legendary John Stark, a brigadier general in the New Hampshire militia (which included Vermonters), who led the Colonial troops at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.
The hike is an easy loop but with a big payoff — a fire tower with a 360-degree view of southern Vermont and northern Massachusetts.
The trail leaves the picnic area from the right side of the ranger cabin on the Mount Olga Trail (blue blazes) and climbs gently. Along the way, you pass a tree that was struck by lightning in 2003 and delaminated, with strips of its trunk arcing over the trail.
At 0.7 mile, the trail comes to a “T.” Bear left, climbing over a stretch of slab and passing three rundown cabins. The fire tower is just ahead next to a lower communications tower.
The current steel tower, registered as a National Historic Lookout, was moved to Mount Olga from nearby Bald Mountain in 1949 and remained in active service until the 1970s.
Molly Stark State Park, Wilmington
Round trip: 1.7 miles
Highest Elevation: 2,145 feet
Elevation gain: 520 feet
Directions: From Wilmington, head east on Route 9 for about 4 miles. The entrance to the state park is on the south side of the road. Click to map.
Mount Olga is in Molly Stark State Park. The woman for whom the mountain is named is unknown, but Molly Stark was the wife of the legendary John Stark, a brigadier general in the New Hampshire militia (which included Vermonters), who led the Colonial troops at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.
The hike is an easy loop but with a big payoff — a fire tower with a 360-degree view of southern Vermont and northern Massachusetts.
The trail leaves the picnic area from the right side of the ranger cabin on the Mount Olga Trail (blue blazes) and climbs gently. Along the way, you pass a tree that was struck by lightning in 2003 and delaminated, with strips of its trunk arcing over the trail.
At 0.7 mile, the trail comes to a “T.” Bear left, climbing over a stretch of slab and passing three rundown cabins. The fire tower is just ahead next to a lower communications tower.
The current steel tower, registered as a National Historic Lookout, was moved to Mount Olga from nearby Bald Mountain in 1949 and remained in active service until the 1970s.
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