West Mill Brook has an old road, gated at the Dix Mt wilderness boundary, which is no longer much of a road. There is what I suspect is an old cabin site up there, complete with metallic trash, outhouse foundations, etc. There is at least one ex- trail leaving that ex-road, intermittently discernible. Maybe, probably, more.
An old "truck trail" (charming oxymoron that) goes a long, long way into what is now the Five Ponds wilderness from near Wanakena. It's now quite vegetated and used as a walking route. There is also the Ward Brook "truck trail" in the western High Peaks Wilderness.
One can imagine that access issues, crossing of non-public ownerships, could close roads and trails. But all of these look like conscious decisions to re-wild a place. Doubtless there are many more examples. I am wondering how they came about. Was it a consequence of the declaration of the various wilderness areas? Or are there examples of the same sort of thing in other land management categories? I also wonder if this stuff was controversial. On National Forest lands road closures are usually/often hugely controversial.
An old "truck trail" (charming oxymoron that) goes a long, long way into what is now the Five Ponds wilderness from near Wanakena. It's now quite vegetated and used as a walking route. There is also the Ward Brook "truck trail" in the western High Peaks Wilderness.
One can imagine that access issues, crossing of non-public ownerships, could close roads and trails. But all of these look like conscious decisions to re-wild a place. Doubtless there are many more examples. I am wondering how they came about. Was it a consequence of the declaration of the various wilderness areas? Or are there examples of the same sort of thing in other land management categories? I also wonder if this stuff was controversial. On National Forest lands road closures are usually/often hugely controversial.
