Horseback Riding
Northeast Kingdom
Vermont

The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont offers some of the best horseback riding that is second to none. With the Northeast Kingdom's vast wilderness of old logging trails, farms and land open to the public, horseback riding is an up and coming activity here.

Many local stables and farms here in the Northeast Kingdom, offer trail rides for the beginner to advanced rider.

If you have your own horse and wish to, you may bring it with you. Many local stables and farms will assist you and your horse while you are here.

An area that many may now enjoy is the West Mountain Wildlife Management Area located in towns of Maidstone, Ferdinand and Brunswick (click here for more info and map (pdf file)) is a 22,738-acre parcel of land owned by the State of Vermont and managed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

The WMA ranges north from Maidstone Lake to Route 105, and east from South America Pond to the Connecticut River.

Access is available along miles of dirt roads. Main entry points are South America Pond Road off Route 105, and Maidstone Lake and Paul Stream Roads off Route 102.

The West Mountain Wildlife Management Area - Northeast Kingdom Equestrian Trails

Located just a short drive from Island Pond, the Northeast Kingdom Equestrian Trails (NEKET) is a 90 mile trail system on old logging roads, skid paths and narrow trails. Most of the routes are in the West Mountain Wildlife Management Area, but some are on private land.

Users of the Northeast Kingdom Equestrian Trails must be members of Vermont Horse Council and obtain an annual trail pass for $15. The income from trail passes is used for trail maintenance and insurance needed to keep the trails open. Consider joining Vermont Horse Council and purchase a NEKET pass.

Riding in the Kingdom
By Kim Parsons

The Northeast Kingdom Equestrian Trails (NEKET), are located in the most remote region of Vermont but well worth a visit. The northern section of the trail system is accessed through Island Pond and is approximately a 2.5 to 3 hour drive from Central Vermont. The southern portion of the trail system is accessed through xxx and is about an hour and a half from Central Vermont. Rustic Camping is available in both sections. There is approximately 100 miles of logging roads and trails to ride on.

We were fortunate to have three days to explore the NEKET system in July. The first day we started out at 10 AM. Our goal was to ride a 15 mile loop at a fast pace. We started out by taking a left out of the equestrian overnight camping area and then a right about 100 yards down the road over a small brook that emptied out a small tea colored beaver pond. The pond was studded with dead trees, marsh grass and wild irises. Like so many others that we passed you half expected to see a moose out in the water grazing on the rich marsh grasses. We traveled for about a half hour up a lush trail spotting a lot of moose tracks along the way.

That stretch of trail is one of the only woodland trails on the Northern end of the NEKET system but hopefully that will change someday. That trail emptied us out onto the power lines where we traveled for a few miles enjoying the most spectacular views Vermont has to offer. Traveling the power lines can be full of surprises. We heard a strange sound and looked up to see an osprey soaring the sky’s around us as if warning us off her territory. After looking around a bit we noticed a huge nest on top of one of the power posts about sixty feet in the air.

It had been 24 hours since we had arrived and we hadn’t seen a car yet. Most of the roads are open after Memorial day weekend but there isn’t really through traffic. In three days we saw three cars and talked to some of the drivers and they were just driving around hoping to spot moose. Although we saw many signs of moose, we didn’t run into any on our horses!

We got back to camp and had the afternoon to unwind and play with our horses. The camping area is about 2.5 miles in from Route 105 on The South America Pond Road which is a well maintained dirt road. It is approximately 100 yards by 300 yards and can easily accommodate 6- 8 large trailers or a dozen smaller trailers. There is also an overflow camping area less than a tenth of a mile down the road. The camping area is rustic with hitching posts, an outhouse, a manure pit and a plastic water trough that is filled by a natural spring. Sorry but no showers or electricity. The area is not overused and we have never encountered a problem with there not being space. In fact it is sorely underused due to the remote location. We were the only campers so had the place to ourselves until Saturday afternoon when some day riders showed up.

We decided that it was well worth the three hour drive to get there. The Northeast Kingdom Equestrian Trails are in one of the most remote areas of Vermont. The drive can be daunting at first, if you are coming from Central or Southern Vermont but by the time you hit Danville you start to realize that you have arrived in the “Kingdom”.

Join the Vermont Horse Council today and enjoy your ride in the Northeast Kingdom

Click here for the Vermont Horse Council