Pride Hikes: Butternut Hill Natural Area
Co-hosted by Audubon Vermont, Pride Center of Vermont, Outright Vermont, and The Nature Conservancy Vermont
Sunday, June 12, 2022
1:00pm - 3:00pm Eastern North Hero, Vermont
Location Details
Butternut Hill Natural Area
769 South End Road, North Hero, 05474, VT
For driving directions click here: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/...
From the South: Take I-89 N to exit 17 for US-2 toward US-7/Lake Champlain Islands/Milton. Keep right at the fork and merge onto US-2 W/Roosevelt Hwy. Continue to follow US-2 W 18.9 miles. Turn left onto South End Road and follow for about 1.8 miles. Camp Ingalls (Butternut Hill Natural Area parking) will be on the left. Walk to the left of the camp buildings until you see a sign for trails. This is a loop trail within the Ingalls Camp property; look for the spur trail that leads to The Nature Conservancy sign and the trail to the lake.
From northern New York: Take US-2 E for 20.8 miles. Turn right onto South End Road and follow for about 1.8 miles. Camp Ingalls (Butternut Hill Natural Area parking) will be on the left. Walk to the left of the camp buildings until you see a sign for trails. This is a loop trail within the Ingalls Camp property; look for the spur trail that leads to The Nature Conservancy sign and the trail to the lake.
LGBTQIA++ hikers (and birders) are gathering in North Hero along the shores of Lake Champlain. The mile long trail at Butternut Hill winds through floodplain forests, cedar pine forest and cobble shorelines while offering a great southerly view of Lake Champlain. There is a beautiful walk out to a point of land overlooking the water and two nice shale beach that someday could support nesting soft-shell turtles.
In celebration of Pride Month Audubon will be giving away Let's Go Birding Together swag at June's Pride Hike. Click here to see the 2022 collection. Audubon’s earnings from the Let’s Go Birding Together retail collection support Audubon’s own internal affinity groups who support and champion people of color, people with disabilities, and people who identify as women or LGBTQIA++, all of whom are committed to the values of equity, diversity, inclusion & belonging.
Please register in advance for COVID contact-tracing purposes. Your information will be kept confidential and used only for COVID-19 tracing. To hold your spot please sing up here: CLICK HERE!
Questions? Contact Gwendolyn Causer at gwendolyn.causer@audubon.org
All ages, allies, and families welcome! Youth under 18 years should be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Due to the delicate components of this natural area there are no dogs allowed.
Pride Hikes are a collaboration between Audubon Vermont, the Pride Center of Vermont, and Outright Vermont. Pride Hikes have been happening every month since June of 2018 and go beyond being "welcoming to everyone" to creating a safe, affirming space for LGBTQIA++ community members.
Trail/accessibility information: Our walk will be at an easy pace and will cover approximately 2 miles. The trail is a mostly flat with some minimal incline. Since it is a wetland we will potentially find muddy/wet spots so proper shoes are encouraged. The trail surface is packed dirt. The trail is not ADA accessible. At the end of our out-and-back hike there is a shale beach where folks can rest (or swim!!!). There is a bench there for people to sit and rest. No bathroom facilities are available at Butternut Hills Natural Area. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing, bring snacks and plenty of water!
More information about the trail is available here: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/... and https://www.trailfinder.info/trails/trail/butternut-hill-natural-area
If you require accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please contact Audubon Vermont at gwendolyn.causer@audubon.org.
COVID Safety: We are committed to our community's health & safety.
We understand that some people - even those who are vaccinated, or those who have health concerns, or those who might just feel more comfortable - may choose to continue to wear a mask even when outdoors and distanced. We wholeheartedly support their decision and ask all program participants to be respectful of their choice. We recognize that the decision to wear a mask and comfort levels could change for individuals, even over the course of an event. Program participants should feel comfortable to ask others to physically distance.
Please do not attend if you are sick or symptomatic (with fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath), if you have received a positive COVID-19 test result within the last 14 days, or if you have had contact with any other person who is diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days.
We will be collecting COVID-19 contact tracing information from everyone when you register for the event. This information will be kept confidential and will be used only for COVID-19 tracing or to contact you should the event need to be cancelled or rescheduled.
