Trail Segment of the Month - Northern Forest Canoe Trail

   Vermont Segment 4: Sheldon Springs to Enosburg Falls

This month we recognize Steve Boal for signing up to be the primary trail maintainer for a fun piece of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail: a fifteen mile stretch along the Missisquoi River that contains two campsites, two portages, and the Abbey Rapids.

Steve and Nina enjoying a paddle.

Steve enjoys embarking on canoe adventures. He remembers canoeing in his family's 18' Grumman at the age of 3. He has done 5-18 day solo trips in Canada exploring places like La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve, Algonquin, Killarney, and Wabakimi Provincial Parks. Living in Enosburg Falls, he is excited to share his skill with the NFCT and caretake a stretch of trail in his own back yard, "Canoeing soothes and heals my soul. I prefer multi-day and multi-week trips over day trips. I am happy this year to be able to give back, by helping to maintain the Northern Forest Canoe Trail."

Vermont Segment 4 

The Missisquoi River is a great location to learn river navigation. It is bouldery with bedrock outcroppings creating fun shoots, numerous eddies, and presents the need to read a river and pick good lines. We have trained our stewardship interns on the Missisquoi for the past four seasons.

Vermont Segment 4 presents beautiful views, especially as you look up at the Bridge of Flowers and Light in Enosburg Falls, or peering towards the distant mountains. The geology is some of the oldest that you will find in Vermont and there is the opportunity to spot a variety of birds and other wildlife (especially cows). The stretch has a beautiful campsite at the Lussier's and this year we will be installing a seasonal toilet at Lawyer's Landing during the heavy paddling months.

Thanks for helping to take care of this stretch, Steve!

There are openings in our Adopt-A-Segment Program. If you are interested, you can get a good bird's eye view of how the segments are laid out by going to the interactive NFCT Trail Maintainer Map. If you have any questions, or you would like to join the program, contact NFCT Trail Director Walter Opuszynski at (802) 496-2285 ext.2 or walter@northernforestcanoetrail.org.