A local recreation nonprofit has applied for permission to rebuild the South Pond cabin, a backcountry facility near Chittenden Reservoir that succumbed to arson in 2018.
But the project is proposed in an area that doesn’t allow new permanent structures.
Approving the proposal would require the Green Mountain National Forest amend its long-term plan for managing the forest to allow the facility, something that is relatively uncommon.
If approved, the cabin would sit on a one-acre site at the end of an existing gravel road, accessible by four-wheeler and snowmobile. Three long-distance trails — the Catamount Ski Trail, Long Trail and the Velomont Trail, an adaptive bike friendly mountain biking network — run near the property, along with proposed snowmobile trails.
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“It’s a single story structure, and it’s tucked further against the treeline to really protect the viewshed from Round Top and the Chittenden Reservoir,” said RJ Thompson, who leads Vermont Huts and Trails.
The nonprofit promotes and manages a network of backcountry facilities across the state.
If approved, Thompson says the new building will be smaller than the original lodge and would be open for the public to book for a fee year-round. At 700 square feet, it would sleep up to 10 people, include a stove for heat and be built on piles instead of a foundation.
It would also be ADA-accessible, and have a similarly accessible privy that would require a new leachfield.
Vermont Huts and Trails is proposing to reuse the solar panels, propane tanks, well and septic system that are still there.
If the project is not approved, the Forest Service would likely remove the above-ground infrastructure and allow the site to return to a more natural state.
The South Pond site sits in a part of the Green Mountain National Forest that’s managed for backcountry recreational use.
The hut would sit on a rise above an area that was previously maintained as a lawn, and look down on South Pond.
“What the forest plan says is that we’re seeking a predominantly natural appearing environment,” said Chris Mattrick, district ranger for that part of the forest. “In this case, this area already does not feel that way, because of the infrastructure that’s there and the past use.”
The Green Mountain National Forest is seeking public input about the project, and the deadline to weigh in is Sept. 8, 2025. A decision is expected in October.
If the hut is approved, Vermont Huts and Trails would begin construction next spring.
