merck forest and farmland center

We took a back roads tour around Manchester Vermont and this was one of our stops. We enjoyed a very nice and easy walk back to the farm and sugar house where there were sheep and some very friendly chickens. Also the view of the countryside from there was awesome! We stopped by the small gift shop where they sell their pure maple syrup and a few other things. Not a lot for kids to do but it was a very nice and relaxing way to spend an hour or so.

That was some terrific pig! She birthed 11 beautiful and healthy piglets, all of whom were keen for some scritches and rubs! The woman at the visitor center was very friendly and knowledgeable. We started up old town road to tickle piglets and see the horses, chickens, roosters, boar, and sheep.... Past the maple sap processing center...then continued on old town Trail/road (a steady incline!) to silviculture trail, absolutely beautiful planting of pines lining the path, easy and educational trail (lots of placards) and an active maple sap farm, then branched off to to the right Clark's Clearing, beautiful and aggressive incline, then made a right onto Anton for a bit and another right onto McCormick...which had a steep decline with beautiful views of the wood back to old town and the visitor's center. Took us about 3 hours.

I went to Merck forest with my girlfriend for a camping trip, everything was great until we went to bed, through out the night we heard mice all over the place, they kept us up all night long, there was a lot if them , and at 5 am we heard the mice poop coming from the loft up stairs. Good thing we did not sleep in the loft.

Great for kids of all ages - both forest and mountain view hikes and always something going on at the farm. Been coming here for +25 years, kids enjoy it as much as we do. 'Peggy Sue' was due when we stopped by last week so we had to go back yesterday to see how she make out. See photo!

I first camped here more than 20 years ago (Spruce Cabin) and I last camped here about five years ago (Nenorod Cabin). This is a very special place and I have so many meaningful memories of time spent camping, hiking, swimming, and exploring this perfect piece of Vermont! The cabins are rustic, the views incredible, the wildlife abundant, and solitude spectacular! Merck Forest was the perfect introduction to camping and the outdoors for our children. I am ever thankful for the summer visits spent in the woods, in the mountains, on the trails, in the pond, among the frogs, newts, snakes, squirrels, mice, porcupines, deer, and one very mysterious fisher cat. The working farm also offers so many valuable lessons from gardening to livestock, to maple syrup and everything in between. I will NEVER forget our time spent at Merck Forest and the wonderful memories it created for me. I encourage all to visit, whether for a few hours or a few days, whether in summer or winter. It is worth the trip!

Very cold and windy, but great exercise! Sap room and barns along the way to stop and see animals (baby lambs - so cute!!) - Trails were clean - air crisp and fresh - great hike!!

Spent two nights in Dunc's cabin. Cabins are very rustic with wood stoves and plenty of dry wood. I was prepared to be entertained by mice in the cabin, but alas, there were none! A cooler was supplied to keep food secure and previous campers left behind matches, fire starters, pots and toilet paper which was nice even though I brought my own. The solitude and natural surroundings were just what I had been seeking. This cabin is the last on the trail and so I saw very few people pass by. I used back country skis to travel the 2 miles from the visitor center to the cabin. The trails were well marked and packed by other users and the on site snow mobile crew. It was challenging to ski with a full pack on as I am not in great shape but I am glad I did and it felt good to be challenged. I look forward to going back again before the snow melts. Also, the staff were super friendly and helpful. This place is a gem!

Plenty of beauty and history here. Great place to visit and learn about tapping maple trees. Nice gift shop and friendly staff. Great views for taking photos.

We spent a day hiking here, while on a fall foliage viewing vacation in Manchester, VT. Beautiful grounds and great hiking on well marked trails. Lots of up and down hill hiking, as well as flat roads. Loved our time here. Highly recommend.

Trails are beautiful and well kept. BUT after long hike we came down final leg of Old Towne Rd to discover a goat with head caught in the wire fence. It was on the right hand side of the road and up a slope and we might have passed it unseen except for its cries. It saw us and was bleating long before we saw it. The others in the enclosure did not carry on until we were up to the fence. It was gentle and friendly but strong and we were not able to get the head back through the opening because the horns would require a turn of the head in order to fit. Hooves were a foot or so above the ground on the wire. We tried the emergency phone--this is a joke--no emergency numbers listed and the only number on the map routed us to the Visitor's Center which was closed. We couldn't very well call 911 to report a stuck goat. Nor could we leave the animal which would hang itself if it slipped and couldn't get its feet back on the wire. And we could find no people at all. Eventually we went back to our vehicle and my husband got a tool to cut the wire and we went back, cut one strand and freed the goat who happily went running back to his companions. If this is a working farm I am not impressed. They do a great job on the trails but the care for the animals leaves a lot to be desired. The fencing was the portable electric kind on part of the enclosure but they had used the fencing already existing on a field that had recently been mown and had meshed wire that was just perfect for allowing the goat to get his head through but not to allow it to get its head back easily. And there was lots of lovely grass on the ungoat side of the fence just tempting them to stick their heads through. It would have been better to run a length of the electric fencing along the inside of the fence to prevent this from happening. And it would have been nice to have a phone number for someone to contact in this sort of emergency. I live in a farm community and I can't think of a time when there has been an animal loose or in need of assistance when you could not find someone involved with the farm to step up and take care of their own emergency care. And I also just remember that the rest of the goats were very excited that we were there. I though they were just happy to see people but they hadn't been this interested when we hiked in. Could it be that they had no water? I am trying to cast back in my mind as to whether I saw anything resembling a water trough, pail or even a spring or trickle of water in their enclosure but I can't remember seeing anything. But I will give them the benefit of the doubt on that one because my attention was on the trapped goat. I do think it strange that there is NOBODY on the premises even after the Visitor's Center closes. All in all they may get a high rating on the trails but an extremely poor rating on their animal husbandry and lack of emergency procedures.

It's been a while (longer back than tripadvisor would let me indicate) since we were there, but I remember seeing interesting an interesting farm with high, long views and lots of barn swallows.

We have visited several times and done some hiking on the trails. The grand kids loved the farm animals and we were all fascinated by the maple sugar house. We got a lesson in how the stuff is made. The entrance is off route 315 and the visitor center about a half mile up a narrow unpaved road. Admission to the property is free. There are a number of Vermont made items for sale including their own maple syrup and farm raised meats frozen. They also had berries for picking when we visited. Nice place and definitely worth a visit.

My husband and I found this little gem and drove up to Merck Forest on a very cold winter day. We checked in at the visitor center, which was very sweet with a nice dog lying by the fire.We used Microspikes which worked perfectly to hike to our hut, which was about 3.5 miles from the parking lot. There was maybe about 8-9 inches of snow on the ground. This is a picturesque place. There are horses in the fields and it is also a maple syrup farm so there's all kinds of things to see.We finally got to our hut and it appeared someone else was occupying it. We had seen a group of men walking towards the parking lot on our way in and we saw a flyer on the table about an "Employee Retreat". We ended up hiking out since we didn't really feel comfortable staying with people we didn't know. We raced to get to the visitor center before it closed and the people there were nice and apologetic and refunded us our money.We booked a B&B for the night and it all worked out. We would like to go back one day this place was so cool, but I was disappointed that they were a little unorganized and somehow double booked the huts.

We arrived at Merck Forest around noon.There was about 8 inches of snow on the ground so we skied into a cabin called "Ridge".The cabin sits on the end of a remote ridge with a panoramic view of the mountain range.The cabin had a wood stove,table and bed platforms.There was plenty of dried firewood in the woodshed so we were quite toasty in no time.It was a perfect mid week getaway.

The Merck pharma family gave this beautiful mountaintop farm and forestland to public use. There are simple cabins on the property (no elec, indoor loos) that can be rented (2 nights minimum) to allow a hiking weekend. Best time to go: fall, when Sheepdog Trials are conducted in September. An absorbing farm festival day; from the parking lot, horse drawn wagons took us up the mountain, where we sat under a tent in driving rain and wind watching champion sheepdogs (mostly border collies, a few "kelpies" like those used in Australia) perform a standard trial, driving 3 to 5 sheep through a series of gates on a prescribed path around a hilly pasture. Local farms sold their cheese (grilled sandwiches available), and food trucks were on the spot. A fine day outdoors.