Tumbled stone walls and cellar holes tell tales of the hope and disappointment that European settlers encountered as they cleared this rugged land to farm during the early 19th century. Rocky soils and a short growing season ultimately discouraged efforts to cultivate these lands, and by 1900 the farms within Notchview were consolidated into larger estates. Budd merged these holdings into the 3,00
0 acre Notchview Farm, which he bequeathed to The Trustees of Reservations in 1965. Today, Notchview offers an idyllic escape for winter sport enthusiasts and cross-country skiers. Seventeen kilometers of trails are groomed and track-set for classical cross-country skiing and eight kilometers are groomed for skate skiing. Part of the Hoosac Range, an extension of Vermont’s Green Mountains, much of the reservation is above 2,000 feet, with Judges Hill the highest point at 2,297 feet!
