Trail opening planned at Pratt Refuge birding hot spot in Duxbury

June 2, 2026 | By Waterbury Roundabout 

The Vermont Land Trust invites the community to a trail opening celebration this Thursday in Duxbury at the Pratt Refuge on Ward Hill. 

A new accessible trail has been added at Pratt Refuge. Vermont Land Trust photo

The conservation organization has completed improvements on the more than 500-acre property that include a new accessible trail and signage about birds that visitors may observe there. 

The opening event is scheduled for this Thursday, June 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. (Rain date is next Thursday, June 11.) It will include a ribbon-cutting, guided walks and refreshments.  

The celebration will commemorate the completion of the new accessible quarter-mile Chickadee Interpretive Trail through the forest with interpretive signs about birds, the Blackburnian Trail with a lookout with views of Camel’s Hump, and improvements to a previously existing birding trail through a meadow.

Vermont Land Trust staff work on a wooden footbridge at the Pratt Refuge in 2025. Vermont Land Trust photo

“We are delighted to host this celebration for birders, nature lovers, and all who love to explore the outdoors and we are grateful to the many partners who are helping us make the refuge more welcoming for people of different abilities,” said Vermont Land Trust forester Caitlin Cusack. “Thanks are also due to the Pratt family, who protected and then donated this land to VLT. We are gratified to help fulfil Fred Pratt’s vision of enhancing habitat for birds and of opening this special place so more people can experience the wonder of birds.”   

The Pratt Refuge covers more than 500 acres of forest that belonged to the late Fred and Chris Pratt and their son, John Pratt. They conserved the land with Vermont Land Trust in 2000 and later donated it to the land trust for it to be managed and open to the public for recreation and education.  

The spot is a popular birding location where more than 120 bird species have been documented. The land trust hosts birding events there each year. The refuge is near Camel’s Hump State Forest and is within a key Vermont forest and wildlife connectivity corridor. 

Members of groups and organizations who collaborated with Vermont Land Trust on adding the improvements to the Pratt Refuge will take part in the trail-opening event. These include Audubon Vermont, Mad Birders, Vermont Trails & Greenways Council’s Trail Accessibility Hub, Vermont Center for Independent Living, Vermont Adaptive, Birdability, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. 

Directions and registration

Participants at a Vermont Land Trust birding event at the Pratt Refuge in Duxbury. Vermont Land Trust photo

The highlight of Thursday’s event will be the new universally accessible trail that takes visitors directly from the parking area on a loop through woodland with improved bird habitat. New interpretive signs along the trail offer information on specific forest birds that visitors may see or hear, and on forest management practices that support healthy bird habitat and thriving ecosystems.   

An existing trail through a birding meadow has been improved with the addition of wooden foot bridges in wet areas. The celebration will also open a new trail that climbs up to a lookout with views of Camel’s Hump. 

The Pratt Refuge is located on Ward Hill Road off Vermont Route 100, just south of Harwood Union High School. About 2.1 miles up Ward Hill Road, look for a steep driveway on the left with a Welcome to Pratt Refuge sign. 

Event organizers ask attendees to register in advance to help with planning. Parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged. Visitors are asked to be careful to not block private driveways near the refuge entrance.  

Sign up by June 2, if possible, at vlt.org/events. Contact Sam Graulty with questions and if you need an accessible parking spot: Sam@vlt.org. 

Other details

The refuge is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leash are allowed. Camping is not allowed, and the cabin on the property is not open to the public. Visitors are asked to carry out all trash. While wheelchairs and other mobility devices are welcome, bikes and other mechanized vehicles are not permitted beyond the driveway. 

Learn more at vlt.org.