Lye Brook Wilderness

The Lye Brook Wilderness is one of eight wilderness areas in the Green Mountain National Forest in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.[1] The wilderness area was created by the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975,[2] which makes it one of the oldest wilderness areas in the state. The area was expanded by both the Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984 and the New England Wilderness Act of 2006.[3][4]

Lye Brook Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
LocationBennington County and Windham County, Vermont, USA
Nearest cityStratton, Vermont
Coordinates43°06′47″N 73°01′46″W
Area18,122 acres (7,334 ha)
Established1975
Governing bodyUnited States Forest Service

The Lye Brook Wilderness consists of 18,122 acres (7,334 ha) northwest of Stratton, Vermont.[5] It is named after Lye Brook, which flows through the western half of the wilderness. Elevation within the wilderness ranges from 900 feet (274 m) to 2,900 feet (884 m) above sea level, though most of the area sits on a high plateau above 2,500 feet (762 m).[1]

The Long Trail enters the wilderness area at Stratton Pond, crossing its eastern flank from south to north. The wilderness is traversed by several other hiking trails including the Branch Pond Trail and the Lye Brook Trail.[6] The latter leads to Lye Brook Falls, a waterfall 125 feet (38 m) high, one of the highest waterfalls in Vermont.[7]

Approximately 80% of Lye Brook Wilderness is forested with northern hardwoods such as birch, beech, and maple trees, though some thickets of small spruce dot the area as well. A variety of wildlife inhabit the area, including black bear, moose, deer, pine marten, bobcat, and various bird species.[5] Hikers have observed over 80 species of animals, plants, and fungi.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Lye Brook Wilderness". United States Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  2. "S. 3433 — 93rd Congress: Eastern Wilderness Areas Act". GovTrack. 1974. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  3. "H.R. 4198 — 98th Congress: Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984". GovTrack. 1983. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  4. "S. 4001 — 109th Congress: New England Wilderness Act of 2006". GovTrack. 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  5. "Lye Brook Wilderness". Wilderness Connect. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. Green Mountain Club (2015). Vermont's Long Trail: A Footpath in the Wilderness (Topographic map) (5th ed.). 1:85,000. Cartography by Center for Community GIS. ISBN 978-1-888021-46-2.
  7. "Lye Brook Falls Trail". United States Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. "Observations at Lye Brook Wilderness". iNaturalist. Retrieved 17 December 2019.


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