The Camp Smith Trail loops around an historic Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. After floods in the late 1920s, the CCC set up the camp to build a flood control dam. The compacted gravel pathways travel through the area where over 2,000 men who worked with the CCC lived while they built the dam. Interpretive panels and remaining chimneys tell the history of many sites along the pathway.
The Camp Smith trail loops have been built for universal access. The five-foot wide packed stonedust path has low slopes and cross slopes. Benches are located at least every quarter mile, often more frequent. To get to these trails, park in the Camp Smith trail access parking lot off of Little River Road.
Trail conditions can change without warning. Trail last assessed: 10/20/2025
HISTORY
On November 3 & 4 of 1927, torrential rains caused local rivers to rise and drove residents to their roofs. Between 1935 and 1938 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, constructed Waterbury Reservoir. The CCC camp here was a fully operating, thriving community with more than 80 buildings, and housing 2,000 men at its peak. Now, half a century later, only a few solitary chimneys and concrete foundations remain.
For more information, visit VT Department of Forest, Parks & Recreation website or contact:
From Waterbury, travel west on US-2 for 1.4 miles. Turn right on Little River Road. After two miles, the Camp Smith trailhead will be on the left. Park in the Camp Smith Trail access parking lot off of Little River Road, one mile before the park gate. In the winter, there is a plowed parking lot just past the contact station.
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