Route: Cross-Moosalamoo Trail (VT)

The Cross-Moosalamoo Trail is a now-obscure name for a connected series of trails that traverse the entire Moosalamoo National Recreation Area in Ripton & Goshen, Vermont. From my personal research, it appears the name was used in promotional materials for the campaign that successfully designated this area as an NRA in 2007. However, there seems to be little information about this route remaining online or in person; the only clues found were a handful of "Cross-Moosalamoo Trail" markers scattered across the route, and a detailed kiosk at the seldom-traveled southern terminus. The kiosk map was my only guide to follow the route, and I attempted to do so as closely as possible. 

The kiosk claims a distance of 19.5 miles, but I found it to be closer to 17.8 miles one-way. Going southbound, the trails are as follows: Oak Ridge, Moosalamoo Trail (skipping the summit, according to the sign), North Branch, Silver Lake access road, Rocky Point/Silver Lake Loop, Chandler Ridge, Leicester Hollow. For the purposes of the route, I considered the termini to be the edge of pavement at either end: Route 125 in the north, Route 73 in the south.

This little slice of heaven in the Green Mountain National Forest holds much opportunity for runners, hikers, mountain bikers, paddlers, etc. The Goshen area is a hotbed of ultramarathon activity (local runners may recognize some of these trails from the Infinitus race series and the Moosalamoo Ultra). I think this route stands out as an excellent traverse and I'd be sad to see it lost to obscurity.