From Oct. 25 through Dec. 13, 2026, part of the Hinesburg Town Forest and part of the LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest are closed to every activity except hunting. That covers walking, hiking, trail running, mountain biking, ATV use and horseback riding. The rest of both forests stays open to all of those uses. The closed block stays the same for the full seven weeks, and the trails that remain open have names you can plan around.
The arrangement was chosen on purpose. At its Aug. 13 meeting, the Hinesburg Town Forest Committee voted to keep encouraging deer hunting in both forests to prevent over-browsing. After hearing from different user groups, it closed one section of each forest for a single continuous period instead of scattering closures around. The committee reported the plan in The Hinesburg Record and said it hopes the approach "will serve all user groups by preserving some access to the town forests while still encouraging hunting in other areas."
Why the forests need fewer deer
Too many deer eat too much of the understory, and that hurts two things: early successional growth, which is the young, shrubby stage of a forest, and understory regeneration, the seedlings that become the next generation of trees. In the committee's words, lowering deer density cuts that over-browsing. Hunting is the town's chosen management tool, and the closed sections give it room to work.
The closure runs on the state's firearm calendar
The closure dates line up with the state's hunting calendar. Vermont Fish & Wildlife's 2026 season table shows the closure beginning a few days before the October muzzleloader season opens and lasting through the last day of the December muzzleloader season.
| 2026 season | Dates | Town forest closure in effect? |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | Oct. 1 to Dec. 15 | Partly; closure ends Dec. 13 |
| October muzzleloader | Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 | Yes |
| Youth and novice weekend | Nov. 7 to Nov. 8 | Yes |
| Regular season | Nov. 14 to Nov. 29 | Yes |
| December muzzleloader | Nov. 30 to Dec. 13 | Yes |
The regular season opens Saturday, Nov. 14, and runs 16 days through Nov. 29. The December muzzleloader season follows on Nov. 30 and ends Dec. 13, the same day the closure lifts. Archery season keeps going for two more days, through Dec. 15.
The committee also points out that an open trail isn't a hunting-free trail. Under state regulations, hunting is allowed everywhere in both town forests whether or not a section is closed, and the committee asks all users to wear bright-colored clothing in either forest during deer season. Vermont Fish & Wildlife's visibility guidance to hunters recommends at least a fluorescent orange hat and vest and notes that orange stays visible even in the low light of dawn and dusk. On a short November day, those dim hours can be a large part of an after-work walk.
Hayden Hill is the open side of the Town Forest
In the Hinesburg Town Forest, all non-hunting activity is limited to the western section around the Hayden Hill parking areas until Dec. 13. Seven named trails stay open to all their usual uses:
- Maiden
- Russell's Ramble
- Sheep Thrills
- Missing Link
- Back Door
- Stealth
- Eagle's Trail, from the Hayden Hill West trailhead to the height of land where Sheep Thrills begins
Only part of Eagle's Trail is included. Once you reach the start of Sheep Thrills, you're at the edge of the shared side. Past that point you're in the area the committee has given to hunting through mid-December.
LaPlatte Headwaters loses nothing on the trail map
The closed area in the LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest doesn't contain any recreation trails, so every LaPlatte trail stays open this season. If you usually walk the bigger loops in the Town Forest, LaPlatte gives you a full trail system with nothing taken off the map.
The town's LaPlatte Headwaters trail directions list trailheads on Gilman Road and at the Lewis Creek parking areas, a few miles southeast of the village center. From Route 116 there are two Gilman Road access points:
- Upper Gilman Road: a parking area on the west side of the road, 1.3 miles after the turn off Route 116.
- Lower Gilman Road: 1.9 miles after the turn. There's no lot, but you can park on the roadside as long as you don't block traffic, and you reach the trail by a public right-of-way driveway.
The same document asks that dogs stay leashed until they're in the woods. The committee's request for bright colors applies here too, since hunting is allowed in both forests.
The village has its own two miles
If you want to stay closer to home, the Russell Family Farm Trails in the village center offer about two miles of foot trails through woods and fields. They loop around a working farm conserved by the Vermont Land Trust, with several views over the village. According to the town's trail guide, the Russell family conserved them for public, non-motorized use.
There are four ways in:
- Lyman Park: go 0.1 mile south of Town Hall on Route 116, turn into the St. Jude's Catholic Church driveway, and park in the back east lot. Cross the Lyman Park fields to the northeast; the trailhead is just past the baseball backstop.
- Buck Hill Road: about 0.7 mile south of Town Hall, turn left on Buck Hill Road. About 100 yards in, a small grass parking area is on the left; don't block the driveway. An access trail with HART blazes climbs north to the Russell Perimeter Trail.
- Thistle Hill: from Thornbush Road, take the marked Ledge, Express or Beech Trail. Parking is on the street only.
- Lavigne Hill Road: from Buck Hill Road, go 0.5 mile north to where the road narrows, then about a quarter mile farther to the Sullivan Trail on the left. There's no parking here.
The town asks that you not park in the Lantman's lot, which is for Lantman's customers. Because this is an active farm, farm animals and machinery may be on or near the trail. Mountain bikes are allowed when conditions permit. Horses can use parts of the Perimeter Trail and some interior sugaring trails but must stay off and away from the trail bridges.
Bright colors make sense on these trails too during deer season. Whatever color you wear, the Russell trails are the closest option to the village if the forests feel too far for a weeknight walk.
Volunteers are working on the trails meanwhile
Trail work has continued through the fall. On Sept. 27, the Hinesburg Trails Committee held a work party on the Phyllis & Howard Russell Memorial Trail, behind the baseball and soccer field and Lantman's. The ongoing project is replacing the rotten bridges that connect the baseball field to the trail network. The Record's In Brief roundup noted that volunteers can email the committee at [email protected] to join future work parties.
The longer-term project is in LaPlatte. The same Hinesburg Record roundup reported that the Town Forest Committee has started planning a wheelchair-accessible trail by upgrading a 0.4-mile section that starts at the Gilman Road trailhead. A trail assessment and design team from the Upper Valley Trails Alliance visited the site on Sept. 23. The assessment will produce a recommended design and cost estimate, which the committee will use to apply for grants for construction. The work will most likely happen in phases over several years.
On the roads, the Beecher Hill Road bridges are still being rebuilt after the 2024 flood damage. The Hinesburg Record reported in March that the town had awarded the bid for both bridges. As of the Record's Oct. 21 update, the lower bridge near Route 116 was open. Work had begun on the upper bridge near the town garage and transfer station, with the road closed at the North Road end and the town manager expecting several weeks of work.
Dec. 13 closes the firearm calendar
The December muzzleloader season and the town forest closure both end on Sunday, Dec. 13. That afternoon, according to The Hinesburg Record, the South County Chorus and Hinesburg Community Band will perform their Holiday Concert at St. Jude's, at 2 p.m. and again at 4:30 p.m. St. Jude's is also where you park for the Lyman Park trailhead, so you could walk the Russell trails before the 2 p.m. show. The next morning, the closed parts of the Hinesburg Town Forest reopen to all their usual uses, while archery season continues through Dec. 15.
At The Hammond Team, we enjoy knowing these small details about the towns we serve, like which Gilman Road pull-off has a lot and which Russell trailhead has on-street parking only. If you're thinking about how close you'd like to live to Hayden Hill, LaPlatte or the village trails, we're glad to talk it through whenever you're ready. Contact The Hammond Team.
