Dewey Mountain
Stowe, Vermont
The CCC crew at the Ranch Camp
| Overview |
Located south of Mt. Mansfield, Dewey Mountain features an eastern spur where, in 1937, an alpine ski trail was cut.
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| Trails on Dewey Mountain |
Steeple Trail - Open
The Steeple Trail leads from an eastern spur of Dewey Mountain down to the Mt. Mansfield Bruce Trail and the former Ranch Camp. While it is not a confirmed CCC built ski trail, it is thought that it indeed was cut by the CCC at the same time as the Perry Merrill Trail. Considered abandoned during most of the second half of the twentieth century, the trail was recut by a crew led by Stowe Mountain Resort employees John Higgins and Jeff Baldwin.
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| Quotes |
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The Steeple, along with the Bruce Trail, started right from the Ranch Camp, a rustic cabin used as a base for adventuring by Mount Mansfield's earliest ski bums.
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Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Vermont & New York, p. 130
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The Steeple rose 1,300 feet to where it met the Skytop Trail. The Ski Bulletin announced in 1938 that "the Steeple Trail is not designed as a racing trail, but is a fast run requiring controlled skiing." A 1939 ski guidebook described the Steeple as "a fast run with excellent scenic effect. The upper half-mile is very steep and trees have been left in several places, making controlled skiing a necessity." It was rated as an "expert and intermediate" run.
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Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Vermont & New York, p. 130-131
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It starts to weave downhill through tall old birch trees, steadily picking up speed. Suddenly, the trail narrows and drops off precipitously onto a steep headwall. This section is steep and rocky, and needs a good deal of snow to be skiable.
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Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Vermont & New York, p. 131
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| Images |
The 1983 USGS map of the Steeple Trail
The Steeple Trail on the 2009 Stowe nordic trail map
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| Resources |
Mt. Mansfield - New England's Alpine CCC Ski Trails
Goodman, David. Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Vermont & New York. Boston, MA: Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 2001.
Last updated: November 6, 2010
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