95-680: The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont , running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States , constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club . The club remains the primary organization responsible for the trail, and is recognized by the state legislature as "the founder, sponsor, defender, and protector" of the Long Trail System. The Long Trail
190-634: A $ 5 million gift from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. The largest single gift ever awarded by the foundation has helped establish the Helen Frankenthaler Fund for the Visual Arts and provides support for all aspects of the school's visual arts program including curricula, facilities, programs, and faculty. In recognition of the gift, the visual arts wing of the college's 120,000-square-foot arts facility
285-629: A boat, often a barge . They can be paved or unpaved and are popular with cyclists and walkers; some are suitable for equestrians. Equestrians have legal access to all towpaths in Scotland, and there is a campaign for similar rights in England and Wales. In snowy winters in the USA they are popular with cross-country skiers and snowmobile users. Most canals were owned by private companies in Britain, and
380-542: A bridleway must give way to other users on foot or horseback. The seawall in Stanley Park , Vancouver, British Columbia , Canada is popular for walking, running, cycling, and inline skating . There are two paths, one for skaters and cyclists and the other for pedestrians. The lane for cyclists and skaters goes one-way in a counterclockwise loop. Foreshoreway (also oceanway ) is a term used in Australia for
475-488: A faculty member who assists with course selection, internship and job applications, graduate school preparation, and more. Bennington does not have traditional academic majors for undergraduate students. Instead, the Plan Process is an alternative to majors, which encourages students to lead their own education, rather than choosing from pre-existing paths. Within the Plan Process, there are no required courses, so from
570-509: A general acceptance that towpaths are open to everyone, and not just boat users. The concept of free access to towpaths is enshrined in the legislation which transferred responsibility for the English and Welsh canals from British Waterways to the Canal & River Trust in 2012. Not all towpaths are suitable for use by cyclists, but where they are, and the canal is owned by British Waterways,
665-546: A gravel or dirt surface suitable for walking, mountain bikes and horses. In the USA the 42 mi (68 km) Cheshire Rail Trail , in New Hampshire , can be used by hikers, horseback riders, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, cyclists, and even dogsledders . In Canada, following the abandonment of the Prince Edward Island Railway in 1989, the government of Prince Edward Island purchased
760-494: A high student suicide rate. The college goes to great lengths not to involve local media when this occurs, however, there have been at least 6 student suicides in the last 7 years. Bennington has annual events. The Silo is a student-run and produced journal of arts and letters at Bennington College. It has been published since 1943. The Bennington Free Press is the student-run and produced newspaper of Bennington College. It has been published since 2003. "Footnotes"
855-625: A legally protected right to travel. National parks , nature preserves , conservation areas and other protected wilderness areas may have trails that are restricted to pedestrians. Footpaths can be connected to form a long-distance trail or way, which can be used by both day hikers and backpackers . Some trails are over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long. In the US and Canada, where urban sprawl has reached rural communities, developers and local leaders are currently striving to make their communities more conducive to non-motorized transportation through
950-598: A mix of challenging terrain, singletrack , smooth fireroads , and even paved paths. Trails with an easy or moderate technical complexity are generally deemed cross-country trails, while trails difficult even to experienced riders are more often dubbed all-mountain , freeride , or downhill. Downhilling is popular at ski resorts like Mammoth Mountain in California, or Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, where ski lifts are used to get bikes and riders to
1045-619: A number of Pulitzer Prize -winning and acclaimed poets including W. H. Auden , Stanley Kunitz , Mary Oliver , Theodore Roethke , Donald Hall , and Anne Waldman , and educator Joseph S. Murphy , the future Chancellor of the City University of New York . In 2017, Bennington College acquired the Robert Frost Stone House Museum through a gift from the Friends of Robert Frost . Robert Frost lived in
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#17327722669881140-491: A particular use is accompanied by prohibitions against that use on other trails within the trail system. Trail segregation may be supported by signage, markings, trail design and construction (especially the selection of tread materials), and by separation between parallel treads. Separation may be achieved by "natural" barriers including distance, ditching, banking, grading, and vegetation, and by "artificial" barriers including fencing, curbing, and walls. Bicycle trails encompass
1235-607: A permit is required. There is no charge for a permit, but it acts as an opportunity to inform cyclists about safe and unsafe areas to cycle. Some areas including London are exempt from this policy, but are covered instead by the London Towpath Code of Conduct and cyclists must have a bell, which they ring twice when approaching pedestrians. Parts of some towpaths have been incorporated into the National Cycle Network, and in most cases this has resulted in
1330-534: A proliferation of mountain bike trails in many countries. Often these will be grouped to form larger complexes, known as trail centers. In the early years of the 20th century, the term auto trail was used for a marked highway route, and trail is now used to designate routes, including highway routes, designated for tourist interest like the Cabot Trail , Nova Scotia, Canada and the Quilt Trails in
1425-422: A total undergraduate enrollment of 785, with a gender distribution of 34 percent male students and 66 percent female students. 94 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 6 percent of students live off campus. In 2021 the director of campus security resigned after hiring a white supremacist to the campus safety staff. Unfortunately, in the past ten years Bennington has had
1520-511: A towpath, which makes a pleasant off-road track, and have the added virtues of flatness, shade and an abundance of villages along the way", though walking a canal can be monotonous, so that "a long trip beside a canal is better done by bicycle". Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont , United States. Founded as a women’s college in 1932, it became co-educational in 1969. It
1615-472: A trail is also called a track or piste. Recreational cross-country skiing is also called touring, especially in Europe. Some skiers stay out for extended periods using tents and equipment similar to bushwalkers and hikers, whereas others take shorter trips from ski resorts on maintained trails. In some countries, organizations maintain a network of huts for use by cross-country skiers in wintertime. For example,
1710-479: A type of greenway that provides a public right-of-way along the edge of the sea open to both walkers and cyclists. A forest road is a type of rudimentary access road, built mainly for the forest industry . In some cases they are used for backcountry recreation access. There is open access to most Forestry Commission roads and land in Great Britain for walkers, cyclists and horse riders and, since
1805-498: A wide variety of trail types, including shared-use paths used for commuting, off-road cross-country trails and downhill mountain bike trails. The number of off-road cycle trails has increased significantly, along with the popularity of mountain bikes . Off-road bicycle trails are generally function-specific and most commonly waymarked along their route. They may take the form of single routes or form part of larger complexes, known as trail centers. Off-road trails often incorporate
1900-1054: Is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education . In 2024, the college accepted 45.3% of undergraduate applicants, with those admitted having an average 3.51 GPA . The college does not require submission of standardized test scores, Bennington being a test optional school. Those submitting test scores had an average 1260-1370 SAT score (13% submitting scores) or average 29-33 ACT score (5% submitting scores). In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Bennington tied for #112 in National Liberal Arts Colleges, tied for #19 in Most Innovative Schools, and tied for #96 in Top Performers on Social Mobility out of 211 National Liberal Arts Colleges. At Bennington, students receive graduate-style advising from
1995-428: Is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education . The planning for the establishment of Bennington College began in 1924 and took nine years to be realized. While many people were involved, the four central figures in the founding of Bennington were Vincent Ravi Booth, Mr. and Mrs. Hall Park McCullough, and William Heard Kilpatrick . A Women's Committee, headed by Mrs. Hall Park McCullough, organized
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#17327722669882090-545: Is a Walloon initiative aimed at creating a network of route itineraries reserved for pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and people with reduced mobility. The 1,350 km (840 mi) network makes use of towpaths on river banks and disused railway or vicinal tramway lines ( narrow-gauge tramways). Old railway lines have been leased by the Walloon Government for 99 years using emphyteutic lease contracts. Where necessary, new paths are created to link parts of
2185-423: Is a sunken path or lane , i.e., a road or track that is significantly lower than the land on either side, not formed by the (recent) engineering of a road cutting but possibly of much greater age. Various mechanisms have been proposed for how holloways may have been formed, including erosion by water or traffic; the digging of embankments to assist with the herding of livestock; and the digging of double banks to mark
2280-432: Is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians either within an urban area or through the countryside. An urban footpath is usually called an alley or lane and often paved (see also: sidewalk and pavement ). Other public rights of way , such as bridleways , byways , towpaths, and green lanes are also used by pedestrians. In England and Wales, there are rights of way on which pedestrians have
2375-1075: Is an academic journal created by the Student Educational Policies Committee, beginning in spring 2016. Faculty has included Wharton and James biographer R. W. B. Lewis , essayist Edward Hoagland , literary critics Camille Paglia and Stanley Hyman (whose wife Shirley Jackson referenced Bennington College in her writing, particularly Hangsaman ), rhetorician Kenneth Burke , former United Artists' senior vice-president Steven Bach , novelists Arturo Vivante , Bernard Malamud and John Gardner , trumpeter/composer Bill Dixon , saxophonist and pianist Charles Gayle , composers Allen Shawn , Henry Brant , and Vivian Fine , painters Kenneth Noland , Mary Lum and Jules Olitski , politicians Mansour Farhang and Mac Maharaj , poets Léonie Adams and Howard Nemerov , sculptor Anthony Caro , dancer/choreographer Martha Graham , drummer Milford Graves , author William Butler (author of The Butterfly Revolution ), economist Karl Polanyi and
2470-559: Is common with rail trails . Shared use may also refer to alternate day arrangements, whereby two uses are segregated by being permitted every other day. This is increasingly common on long-distance trails shared by equestrians and mountain bike users; these two user communities have similar trail requirements but may experience difficult encounters with each other on the trail. The Trans Canada Trail can be used by cyclists, hikers, horseback riders, and walkers, as well as cross-country skiers , snowmobilers and snowshoers in winter. In
2565-615: Is designed as a two-year, four-term program; however, those who cannot commit to four consecutive terms are encouraged to propose an alternative schedule when applying. Like the MFA in Dance program, the MFA in Music is a two-year, four-term program. Students pursue work at an advanced level in either composition or voice. (In exceptional cases, students wishing to pursue postgraduate work in other performance areas may be considered.) The Center for
2660-481: Is increasingly common and diverse. For example, bike trails are used not only on roads open to motor vehicles but also in trail systems open to other trail users. Some trails are segregated for use by both equestrians and mountain bikes or by equestrians or mountain bikes alone. Designated "wilderness area" trails may be segregated for non-wheeled use permitting backpacking and horses but not permitting mountain bikes and motorized vehicles. Often, trail segregation for
2755-842: Is the only college that has required an annual internship for students since its founding. Bennington college offers the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in multiple disciplines and the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program. Previously an MAT or BA/MAT was offered in Education through the Center for Creative Teaching, until discontinued around 2012. Bennington Writing Seminars is a low-residency Master of Fine Arts program in writing founded by Poet Liam Rector in 1994. After Rector's death in August 2007, Sven Birkerts
2850-558: The Alps , trails are used by alpine agrarian communities for moving cattle and other livestock . In Australia, the term track can be used interchangeably with trail or walk, and can refer to anything from a dirt road to an unpaved pedestrian path . In New Zealand, the terms track or walkway are used almost exclusively except when referring to cross-country skiing : "walkways vary enormously in nature, from short urban strolls, to moderate coastal locations, to challenging tramps [hikes] in
2945-577: The Colony Club Meeting in 1924, which brought together some 500 civic leaders and educators from across the country. As a result of the Colony Club Meeting, a charter was secured and a board of trustees formed for Bennington College. One of the trustees, John Dewey , helped shape many of the college's signature programs such as The Plan Process and Field Work Term through his educational principles. In 1928, six years before
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3040-805: The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 mandates that states must use a minimum of 30 percent of these funds for motorized trail uses. Some members of the US government and environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society . have criticized off-road vehicle use on public land . They have noted several consequences of illegal ORV use such as pollution, trail damage, erosion , land degradation , possible species extinction , and habitat destruction which can leave hiking trails impassable. ORV proponents argue legal use taking place under planned access along with
3135-506: The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association maintains over 400 huts stretching across hundreds of kilometres of trails hikers use in the summer and skiers use in the winter. Horse riding and other equestrian uses of trails continue to be a popular activity for many trail users. Horses can usually negotiate much the same grades as hikers, but not always, although they can more easily clear obstacles in
3230-678: The Persian Empire , existed before the Christian era and covered great distances. The Post Track , a prehistoric causeway in the valley of the River Brue in the Somerset Levels , England, is one of the oldest known constructed trackways and dates from around 3838 BC. The idea of following a path or track for exercise or pleasure developed during the 18th century in Europe and arose because of changing attitudes to
3325-657: The Revere Copper and Brass Company ). On the afternoon of Sunday, December 1, 1946, she set out on a hike by herself on the Long Trail from Woodford Hollow heading northbound in the direction of Glastenbury Mountain. Despite repeated and extensive searches of the area by local police, the National Guard and many volunteers, nothing was ever found. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Crime novelist Hillary Waugh based his book Last Seen Wearing on
3420-450: The "Grand Concourse", is an integrated walkway system that has over 160 km (99 mi) of walkways, which link every major park, river, pond and green space in six municipalities. A motorized trail is a trail intended for off-road vehicles for example 4×4 cars, dirt bikes, All-terrain vehicles (ATV). Motorized trail use remains very popular with some people, particularly in the US. The Recreational Trails Program defined as part of
3515-705: The Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College established a Master of Fine Arts in Public Action in 2018. Directed by Susan Sgorbati, the program aims to support artists working in social justice . Bennington's PostBac program was suspended indefinitely in 2021. It was a one-year program, beginning and ending in June, and it covered the basic requirements for medical school and other health profession tracks. The groundbreaking ceremony for Bennington College took place on August 16, 1931, and construction of
3610-541: The Bennington College Board of Trustees initiated a process known as "The Symposium". Arguing that the college suffered from "a growing attachment to the status quo that, if unattended, is lethal to Bennington's purpose and pedagogy", the board of trustees "solicit[ed] ... concerns and proposals on a wide and open-ended range of issues from every member of the faculty, every student, every staff member, every alumna and alumnus, and dozens of friends of
3705-630: The Bennington Theater Studio program, since men were needed for theatrical performances. Among the men who attended was the actor Alan Arkin . Between 1935 and 1939 the famous social psychologist Theodore Newcomb conducted a study about the change of political attitude during the New Deal period. President Leigh resigned in 1941, at the age of 50, saying he thought no college should be "shackled by executive leadership gradually growing stale, feeble or lacking in initiative". He
3800-484: The College." According to the trustees, the process was intended to reinvent the college, and the board said it received over 600 contributions to this end. The results of the process were published in June 1994 in a 36-page document titled Symposium Report of the Bennington College Board of Trustees . Recommended changes included the following: Near the end of June 1994, 27 faculty members (approximately one-third of
3895-631: The Countryside Bill of 1968, it has become the largest provider of outdoor recreation in Britain. The commission works with associations involved in rambling , cycling, mountain biking and horse riding to promote the use of its land for recreation. The trails open to the public are not just forest roads. A notable example of the commission's promotion of outdoor activity is the 7stanes project in Scotland, where seven purpose built areas of mountain bike trails have been laid, including facilities for disabled cyclists. A Holloway (also hollow way)
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3990-651: The Dutch LF-Routes , the German D-Routes , and the British National Cycle Network , and existing general-purpose roads, together with new stretches of cycle routes to connect them. Off-road cycling can cause soil erosion and habitat destruction if not carried out on established trails. This is true when trails are wet, though overall, cycling may not have more of an impact as other trail users. In cross-country skiing,
4085-681: The Edward Clark Crossett Library was designed by the modernist architect Pietro Belluschi . After opening, Crossett Library was featured in Architectural Forum and became a focus of study for many architecture students in the 1960s. Crossett Library went on to win the 1963 Honor Award for library design. In 1968, three new student houses were completed to help house the growing student population and were named in honor of William C. Fels , Jessie Smith Noyes, and Margaret Smith Sawtell. These houses were designed by
4180-576: The Long Trail between Woodford (on Vermont State Route 9 just east of Bennington, Vt) and Glastenbury Mountain some 10 miles (16 km) farther north has gained notoriety because six people vanished in that area between 1945 and 1950. Only one body was found and the fates of the other missing persons remain a mystery. The case that perhaps gained the most media attention at the time was the disappearance of 18-year-old Bennington College sophomore Paula Jean Welden , of Stamford, Connecticut , (elder daughter of industrial designer William Archibald Welden of
4275-552: The Plan committee each fall to discuss their progress towards completion. Because of the Plan Process, no two students at Bennington will graduate with the same exact mix of learning. Field Work Term is a required annual internship program that gives students the opportunity to gain professional experience beyond the classroom before graduating. Field Work Term experiences often inform students' decisions about career planning and can even lead to job opportunities post graduation. Bennington
4370-554: The Princeton Review's 2018 Best Northeastern Colleges List, which includes the schools that it considers "academically outstanding and well worth consideration in your college search". Bennington also appeared on Princeton's "Green Schools" list. Notably, Bennington was also featured in a 2016 article by Forbes as one of "Tomorrow's Hot Colleges" highlighting the institution's recent flourishing "under bold, entrepreneurial leadership". In 2015 Bennington College announced
4465-459: The Symposium was essentially a sham, designed to provide a pretext for the removal of faculty members to whom the college's president, Elizabeth Coleman, was hostile. Some have questioned the timing of the firings, arguing that by waiting until the end of June, the college made it impossible for students affected by the firings to transfer to other institutions. President Coleman responded that
4560-561: The Trans Canada Trail development emulated the successful Rails-to-Trails initiative in the United States. The Trail is multi-use and depending on the section may allow hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. A towpath is a road or path on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The original purpose of a towpath was to allow a horse, or a team of human pullers, to tow
4655-885: The US, the term was historically used for a route into or through wild territory used by explorers and migrants (e.g. the Oregon Trail ). In the United States, "trace" is a synonym for trail, as in Natchez Trace . Some trails are dedicated only for walking, cycling, horse riding , snowshoeing or cross-country skiing , but not more than one use; others, as in the case of a bridleway in the UK, are shared-use and can be used by pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians alike. Although most trails are for low-traffic, non-motorized usage, there are also unpaved trails used by dirt bikes , quad bikes and other off-road vehicles , usually for extreme sports and rally races . In some places, like
4750-654: The US. The term trail has been used by developers and urban planners for a variety of modern paved roads , highways, and boulevards , in these countries, and some highways continue to be officially called a trail, such as the Susquehanna Trail in Pennsylvania, a designation that varies from a two-lane road to a four-lane freeway. An unusual use of the term is in the Canadian province of Alberta , which has multi-lane freeways called trails. Animals created
4845-516: The United States National Trail Classification System, equestrian trails include simple day-use bridle paths and others built to accommodate long strings of pack animals on journeys lasting many days. Trail design parameters for these uses include trail base width and material, trail clear width, trail clear height, access to water suitable for stock (not human) use, and trail routing. A footpath
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#17327722669884940-513: The United States, the East Coast Greenway —3,000 mi (4,828 km) from Key West to the Canadian border — and the 11 September National Memorial Trail, a 1,300 mi (2,092 km) triangular loop connecting the three 9/11 memorial sites, are two long-distance multi-use paths for cyclists, runners, walkers, even equestrians. In Belgium RAVeL , French for réseau autonome de voies lentes ( autonomous network of slow ways ),
5035-445: The United States. The American Canoe Association has compiled a database of water trails in the United States. The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program has compiled a list of water trail resources, success stories, and statewide contacts for water trails. Shared use may be achieved by sharing a trail easement, but maintaining segregated and sometimes also separated trail treads within it. This
5130-807: The Van Ness House in Burlington, Vermont for the first meeting of the Green Mountain Club In 1912, work began on the construction of America's first long-distance hiking path. The GMC completed the Long Trail in 1930. The Long Trail runs 273 miles (439 km) through the state of Vermont. It starts at the Massachusetts state line (at Clarksburg, Massachusetts ), and runs north to the Canada–US border (in Jay, Vermont ). It runs along
5225-487: The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, U.S. Forest Service , National Park Service , Appalachian Trail Conservancy , and private landowners. During the mud season in late spring, some sections of the trail are closed to hikers, to protect the trail from both erosion and to protect nearby flora from being damaged (especially the higher peaks that possess fragile alpine tundra). The section of
5320-616: The Welden case. Trail A trail , also known as a path or track , is an unpaved lane or a small paved road not intended for usage by motorized vehicles , usually passing through a natural area . In the United Kingdom and Ireland , a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The term is also applied in North America to accompanying routes along rivers, and sometimes to highways. In
5415-468: The White Mountains of New Hampshire. The path was blazed in 1819 by Abel Crawford and his son, Ethan Allen. Originally 8.25 miles in length (now 8.5 miles), the trail leads to the summit of Mt. Washington. Trails can be located in different settings for various uses. These can include: Trail segregation, the practice of designating certain trails as having a specific preferred or exclusive use,
5510-817: The boundaries of estates. These mechanisms are all possible and could apply in different cases. Rail trails or paths are shared-use paths that take advantage of abandoned railway corridors. They can be used for walking, cycling and horseback riding. They exist throughout the world. RailTrails Australia describes them as: Following the route of the railways, they cut through hills, under roads, over embankments and across gullies and creeks. Apart from being great places to walk, cycle or horse ride, rail trails are linear conservation corridors protecting native plants and animals. They often link remnant vegetation in farming areas and contain valuable flora and fauna habitat. Wineries and other attractions are near many trails as well as B&B's and other great places to stay. Most trails have
5605-564: The college would begin, Robert Devore Leigh was recruited by the Bennington College executive committee to serve as the first president of Bennington. Leigh presided over the forging of Bennington's structure and its early operation. In 1929 Leigh authored the Bennington College Prospectus which outlined the "Bennington idea". The first class of eighty-seven women arrived on campus in 1932. The college
5700-581: The college, visited the campus was impressed with the cohesion and support of the community in the face of this tragedy and accepted the offer. At age 35, he became the youngest college president in the nation. In 1951 the U.S. State Department issued a documentary on Bennington highlighting its unique educational approach as a model for the Allied rebuilding of German society after the War. The college continued to expand its physical infrastructure. Built in 1959,
5795-502: The college. In the immediate wake of the controversy, for the 1994–1995 academic year, the college's enrollment dropped to a record low of 370 undergraduates, and the following year (1995–1996), undergraduate enrollment declined to 285. According to Coleman, a student body of 600 undergraduates was required for the college to break even. As of 2015 , the college reports a total enrollment of 755 students with steady increases in quality student applications. Bennington College appeared on
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#17327722669885890-425: The decision was fundamentally "about ideas", stating that "Bennington became mediocre over time" and that the college was in need of radical change. Coleman argued that the college was in dire financial straits, saying that "had Bennington done nothing ... the future of this institution was seriously in doubt." In a letter to The New York Times , John Barr, chairman of the board of trustees, asserted that Coleman
5985-635: The distinguished modernist architect, Edward Larrabee Barnes , who posthumously earned the 2007 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. In 1969, Bennington became fully coeducational , a move that attracted major national attention, including a major feature story in The New York Times Magazine . The presidency of Gail Thain Parker from 1972 to 1976 was marked by controversy over curriculum reform, affirmative action, and relations between faculty and administration. In 1993,
6080-420: The existing disciplines such as Society, Culture and Thought, Advancement of Public Action, Dance, Environmental Studies, Visual Arts, and others ( see , ) Students then meet with a committee of faculty members and their academic adviser to review the proposed Plan and make any necessary changes. After their Plan is improved, students regularly meet with their adviser to choose relevant courses and meet again with
6175-405: The first trails, which were "later adapted by humans". Subsequently, farmers moved cattle to market along drove roads and between winter and summer grazing creating trails. More recently, former industrial routes, such as railway rights of way and canal towpaths , have been turned into recreational trails. Many historic routes, like the Silk Road , the Amber Road and the Royal Road of
6270-429: The high country [mountains]". Walkway is used similarly in St. John's, Newfoundland , Canada, where the " Grand Concourse ", is an integrated walkway system. In the United Kingdom, the term trail is in common usage. Longer distance walking routes, and government-promoted long-distance paths, collectively known as National Trails , are also frequently called ways as in the Pennine Way and South Downs Way . Generally,
6365-405: The institution with no form of tenure . The firings attracted considerable media attention. Some students and alumni protested, and the college was censured for its actions by the American Association of University Professors , who said, "academic freedom is insecure, and academic tenure is nonexistent today at Bennington College." Critics of the Symposium, and the 1994 firings, have alleged that
6460-415: The landscape and nature associated with the Romantic movement . In earlier times, walking generally indicated poverty and was associated with vagrancy. In previous centuries long walks were undertaken as part of religious pilgrimages and this tradition continues throughout the world. The first footpath built specifically for recreational hiking in America, and likely the world, is the Crawford Path in
6555-601: The main ridge of the Green Mountains , coinciding with the Appalachian Trail (for which it served as the inspiration) for roughly 100 miles (160 km) in the southern third of the state. Additionally, over 175 miles (282 km) of side trails complete the Long Trail System. The Long Trail passes through six of the eight wilderness areas in the Green Mountain National Forest , including (from south to north) Glastenbury Wilderness , Lye Brook Wilderness , Peru Peak Wilderness , Big Branch Wilderness , Joseph Battell Wilderness , and Breadloaf Wilderness . It traverses most of
6650-416: The major summits in the Green Mountains, including (from south to north) Glastenbury Mountain , Stratton Mountain , Killington Peak , Mount Abraham , Mount Ellen , Camel's Hump , Mount Mansfield , and Jay Peak . The Long Trail is maintained primarily by the Green Mountain Club and its volunteers. Twelve club sections maintain assigned sections of the Long Trail – two other club sections maintain
6745-413: The moment students arrive, they are free to begin crafting their plan of study to meet their interests and explore new fields. In their second year, students must submit an essay-style Plan proposal, which details their desired primary and secondary areas of study, a summary of their interests and previous coursework, and a framework for how their studies should progress to culminate in senior work in one of
6840-601: The multiple environmental and trail conservation efforts by ORV groups will mitigate these issues. Groups such as the BlueRibbon Coalition advocate Treadlightly, which is the responsible use of public lands used for off-road activities. Noise pollution is also a concern, and several studies conducted by Montana State University , California State University , the University of Florida and others have cited possible negative behavioral changes in wildlife as
6935-555: The network. In England and Wales a bridleway is a trail intended for use by equestrians, but walkers also have a right of way , and Section 30 of the Countryside Act 1968 , permits the riding of bicycles (but not motor-cycles) on public bridleways, though the act says it "shall not create any obligation to facilitate the use of the bridleway by cyclists". Thus the right to cycle exists even though it may be difficult to exercise on occasion, especially in winter. Cyclists using
7030-554: The objectives was to develop a trail that linked up the brumby tracks, mustering and stock routes along the Great Dividing Range, thus providing an opportunity to legally ride the routes of stockmen and drovers who once travelled these areas with pack horses . This Trail provides access to some of the wildest, most remote country in the world. The Bicentennial National Trail is suitable for self-reliant horse riders, fit walkers and mountain bike riders. Within
7125-524: The original Bennington College campus was completed by 1936. The Boston architectural firm, J.W. Ames and E.S. Dodge designed Commons, the 12 original student houses, as well as the reconfiguration of the Barn from a working farm building into classrooms and administrative offices. The original student houses were named for the people integral to the founding of the college. The campus was built by more than 100 local craftsmen, many of whom had been out of work since
7220-470: The path such as logs. The Bicentennial National Trail (BNT) in Australia is one of the longest marked multi-use trail in the world, stretching 5,330 km (3,312 mi) from Cooktown, Queensland , through New South Wales to Healesville, Victoria . This trail runs the length of the rugged Great Dividing Range through national parks , private property and alongside of wilderness areas . One of
7315-487: The program include Bill Ayers , Lisa Brennan-Jobs , Jasmin Darznik , Amy Gerstler , Tod Goldberg , Nathalie Handal , Erica Hunt , Angela Jackson , Suleika Jaouad , Morgan Jerkins , Molly Jong-Fast , Fedwa Malti-Douglas , Megan Mayhew Bergman , Susan Scarf Merrell , Marie Mutsuki Mockett , Ivy Pochoda , Rolf Potts , Jamie Quatro , Mark Sarvas , Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney , and Sarai Walker . The MFA in Dance
7410-680: The result of some ORV use. Several US states such as Washington have laws to reduce noise generated by off-road and non-highway vehicles. Water trails , also referred to as blueways or paddling trails, are marked routes on navigable waterways such as rivers , lakes , canals and coastlines for people using small non-motorized boats such as kayaks , canoes , rafts , or rowboats . Some trails may be suitable for float tubing or developed in concert with motorized use. They include: signs and route markers; maps; facilities for parking, boat ramps or docks, and places to camp and picnic. There are also state programs and other promotion for water trails in
7505-679: The right-of-way to the entire railway system. The Confederation Trail was developed as a tip-to-tip walking/cycling gravel rail trail which doubles as a monitored and groomed snowmobile trail during the winter months, operated by the PEI Snowmobile Association. A considerable part of the Trans Canada trail is repurposed defunct rail lines donated to provincial governments by the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways rebuilt as walking trails. Much of
7600-430: The rule that a permit was required to give access to a towpath, and began to encourage leisure usage by walkers, anglers and in some areas, cyclists. The British Waterways Act 1995 still did not enshrine any right of public access, although it did encourage recreational access of all kinds to the network, although the steady development of the leisure use of the canals and the decline of commercial traffic had resulted in
7695-639: The stock market crash of 1929. The campus stretches 440 acres with main campus centered on 10 acres. There are 300 wooded acres, 15 acres of wetland, and 5 acres of tilled farmland. Historic elements of the campus were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. 94% of students live on campus. There are 21 student houses and all dorms are co-educational. Each dorm hosts a weekly "Coffee Hour" on Sunday evenings where students discuss campus and house issues together. There are also 15 staff/faculty houses. In 2024, Bennington College had
7790-532: The surface being improved. In France it is possible to cycle, rollerblade , and hike along the banks of the Canal du Midi . A paved stretch of 50 km (31 mi) from Toulouse to Avignonet-Lauragais and another 12 km (7.5 mi) between Béziers and Portiragnes are particularly suited to cycling and rollerblading. It is possible to cycle or walk the entire Canal des Deux Mers from Sète to Bordeaux . Other French canals provide walkers "with many excellent routes, as they are always accompanied by
7885-425: The term footpath is preferred for pedestrian routes, including long-distance trails, and is used for urban paths and sometimes in place of pavement . Track is used for wider paths (wide enough for vehicles), often used for hiking. The terms bridleway , byway , restricted byway are all recognised legal terms and to a greater or lesser extent in general usage. The increased popularity of mountain biking has led to
7980-553: The top of the mountain. EuroVelo bicycle routes are a network of (currently 17) long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe in various stages of completion; more than 90,000 km (55,923 mi) was in place by 2020. EuroVelo is a project of the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF). EuroVelo routes can be used for bicycle touring across the continent, and by local people making short journeys. The routes comprise both existing national bike routes , such as
8075-416: The total faculty body) were notified by certified mail that their contracts would not be renewed. (The exact number of fired faculty members is listed as 25 or 26 in some reports, a discrepancy partly because at least one faculty member, photographer Neil Rappaport, was reinstated on appeal shortly after his firing.) As recommended in the Symposium, the trustees abolished the presumptive tenure system, leaving
8170-570: The towpaths were deemed to be private, for the benefit of legitimate users of the canal. The nationalisation of the canal system in 1948 did not result in the towpaths becoming public rights of way, and subsequent legislation, such as the Transport Act of 1968, which defined the government's obligations to the maintenance of the inland waterways for which it was now responsible, did not include any commitment to maintain towpaths for use by anyone. Ten years later British Waterways started to relax
8265-803: The trails in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom and the Appalachian Trail from Maine Junction in Killington to the Connecticut River. Although roughly 1,000 volunteers perform most of the club's trail work, the club also employs a staff to handle day-to-day operations and a seasonal staff of summit caretakers and the Long Trail Patrol which works on heavy duty projects on the trail. The Green Mountain Club also receives assistance from
8360-666: The use of less traditional trails. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the US has established the Active Living by Design program to improve the livability of communities in part through developing trails, The Upper Valley Trails Alliance in Vermont has done similar work on traditional trails, while the Somerville Community Path in Somerville, Massachusetts , and related paths, are examples of urban initiatives. In St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
8455-436: Was "not responsible for the redesign of the college ... It was the board of trustees". In May 1996, 17 of the faculty members terminated in the 1994 firings filed a lawsuit against Bennington College, seeking $ 3.7 million in damages and reinstatement to their former positions. In December 2000, the case was settled out of court; as part of the settlement, the fired faculty members received $ 1.89 million and an apology from
8550-547: Was conceived in 1909 by James P. Taylor who was at the time the assistant headmaster of Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vermont . Taylor lobbied other Vermont residents who shared his dream of a mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people by protecting and maintaining the Long Trail system and fostering, through education, the stewardship of Vermont's hiking trails and mountains". On March 11, 1910, Taylor and twenty-five others met at
8645-831: Was director until 2017. Poet Mark Wunderlich is the current director of Bennington Writing Seminars. U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall was a long time writer-in-residence. In 2007, The Atlantic named it one of the nation's best, and Poets & Writers Magazine named it one of the top three low-residency programs in the world in 2011. Core faculty has included fiction writers David Gates , Amy Hempel , Alice Mattison , Jill McCorkle , Rick Moody , Lynne Sharon Schwartz , and Paul Yoon ; nonfiction writers Eula Biss , Jenny Boully , Susan Cheever , Melissa Febos , Phillip Lopate , and James Wood ; and poets April Bernard , Jennifer Chang , Amy Gerstler , Major Jackson , Timothy Liu , Ed Ochester , Carmen Giménez Smith , Craig Morgan Teicher , and Mark Wunderlich . Notable alumni of
8740-565: Was renamed the Helen Frankenthaler Visual Arts Center. In October 2016 the faculty adopted an open-access policy to make its scholarship publicly accessible online. In the summer of 2020, the board of trustees announced that Laura Walker would be the next college president. Bennington College has an acceptance rate of 45%. In 2024, the college had a student to faculty ratio of 9:1 with 63% of classes with fewer than 20 students. Bennington College
8835-504: Was renamed twice, as Non-Resident term and, as it is called today, Field Work Term. In 1934 the Bennington School of Dance summer program was founded by Martha Hill . Martha Graham , Doris Humphrey , Hanya Holm , and Charles Weidman all taught at this laboratory. The program gained attendance by José Limón , Bessie Schonberg , Merce Cunningham , and Betty Ford . In 1935 the administration agreed to admit young men into
8930-565: Was succeeded by a member of the Bennington faculty, Dr. Lewis Webster Jones, economist and labor mediator. In 1946, Paula Jean Welden , a sophomore at the college, disappeared while on a hike of the nearby Long Trail. She was living in Dewey House at the time and had traveled alone. Many students assisted in the search, but Paula was never found. Frederick H. Burkhardt , who had been ready to decline an invitation to become president of
9025-646: Was the first to include the visual and performing arts as full-fledged elements of the liberal arts curriculum. Every year since the college began in 1932, every Bennington College student has engaged in internships and volunteer opportunities each winter term. Originally called the Winter Field & Reading Period, the two-month term was described by President Robert Devore Leigh in his 1928 Bennington College Prospectus as "a long winter recess giving students and faculty opportunity for travel, field work, and educational advantages of metropolitan life". This internship
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