Libby Hill is not just a ‘trail’ place. It is an open space for the community that provides many opportunities for recreation. Here are a few of the things that trail users enjoy:
All levels of walking and hiking experiences are available. Discover all your trail options at our hiking page. Remember when trails are groomed you must restrict hiking and walking to narrow trails. Also see our suggested hiking page.
With five miles (8 km) of groomed trails, Libby Hill provides a great ski experience. Trails are groomed for major ski events and after snowstorms. We encourage trail users to post trail conditions on our Facebook page.
Snowshoeing is allowed on our narrow, snowmobile, and unmarked trails in winter. See our snowshoe guide for more info.
Mountain biking is our fastest growing activity. We will soon have a mountain biking guide to advise you on the best trail options. Please be aware that in winter mountain bikes are not allowed on groomed trails.
Learning how to navigate with a compass on our Orienteering Course.
We do have guided tours of Libby Hill upon request. If you have a group that wants to be guided, we would be happy to accommodate you. We encourage donations to Libby Hill to support these programs. To learn more or schedule a tour or guided hike contact us.
Tours that can be done are:
Overview tour of Libby Hill Trails – a two-hour tour showing you how to navigate the trails and the natural and human history of Libby Hill.
Using Digital Maps at Libby Hill – If you have a smart phone then you have access to digital maps of Libby Hill. We can teach you how to navigate the hill and have a skill you can use at any time and any place,
Snowshoe tours – Take a tour of the back country of Libby Hill and see the frozen world of Thayer marsh.
Birding tour – We provide tours to the birding hotspot at Libby Hill Pond and the Heron Colony at Thayer marsh.
Speaking Events – Does your organization need a speaker to learn about Libby Hill Trail and land conservation? We are happy to provide a speaker to your event, live or on the Web.
If you are interested in a tour, see our contact us page.
If you want to do a scavenger hunt that looks for plants and trees on Libby Hill, download this check sheet that has photos and descriptions. A great family or group activity!
Libby Hill is a member of the Four-Hundred-Footer Club. Learn more about how you can climb all the hills in the Royal River watershed and earn your badge in the 400-footer club!
Cross country trail running is immensely popular at Libby Hill. We sponsor an annual Longest Day 5K race along with many high school competitions. Learn more about our trails from a runner’s perspective on our ‘Running Libby Hill Page.
With many different biospheres, Libby Hill provides over 116 species of birds. The pond by the middle school is an eBird hotspot and an excellent place to improve your birding skills. We also have a detailed birding guide to help you locate birds.
Wildlife resides in all areas of Libby Hill, see our Discover Nature page to find the hotspots.
With roots back to the first settlement of Gray in the 1760s, Libby Hill has remnants of centuries of human activity. Here are several places to learn more:
Farmstead Map – this map shows locations of various artifacts on the James Libby farmstead.
Who was Harold Libbey? – Learn about the man who got a trail named after him.
Libby Hill in the Summer of 1816 – learn about the state of the world when the first farm was built on the hill.
Gray Historical Society – Learn more about Gray and get local histories.
The athletic fields at the GNG Middle School have an excellent sliding hill.
Tree identification signs exist for twenty species of trees. This map shows you where they are located. You can make this a fun family activity where everyone navigates to the post then looks to try and tell which tree matches the description.
Join us on the summer solstice for the biggest event of the year at Libby Hill. Learn more about the Longest Day 5K.
This new preserve directly adjoins Libby Hill Trails and will add new trails and options to explore an additional 147 acres.
