Article from the Caledonian Record:6/26/2008 10:36:00 AM Email this article • Print this article
Former Air Force Base Is An Atmospheric Place To Ride To

Stephen Garfield
Sports Writer

The Mt. Washington Toll Road is a well-known summit road in northern New England.

However, there is another seven-mile road to a summit here in the Northeast Kingdom that isn't quite as well known. It's more bicycle-friendly and just as rewarding upon arrival at the summit.

The climb in question is Mountain Road in East Haven. Its name is appropriate; it goes to the summit of East Mountain, where the U.S. government operated a radar base years ago. Many of the old buildings still stand on the 3,400-foot summit, lending a ghost-town atmosphere to the surroundings.

There are two ways to approach the summit, from the Concord side or the East Haven side of East Mountain.

The ride from the East Haven side begins at the East Haven School, located just off Route 5 about five miles north of East Burke. Parking is available in the school parking lot, from which walkers and cyclists can begin the trek up Mountain Road.

It is a long ride, approximately seven miles from the school to the radar base. While paved, sections of the road become quite gravelly and washed out.

The rough sections are not too bad, however, and riders with hybrid bikes should be OK. Of course mountain bikes can handle this terrain with ease.

From the school the road goes uphill for about two miles until you have to disembark to walk around a gate. It then continues for about another mile on a varying surface until you reach a crest in the hill. This crest is the one area where blasting had to take place to get the road in; there is ledge on both sides of the road.

From this point there is a long downhill run, of perhaps a mile or so. This section is rough going and flat tires on hybrid bikes are a possibility.

Eventually the road levels out, and the second phase of the climb begins. This comes about halfway (roughly 3.5 miles) into the climb.

The road is quite sketchy for the next mile or so, but that changes when you roll into a flat section populated by a cluster of buildings which once housed Air Force personnel. This is not the summit, but the base of the summit. Many of these structures still stand; two summit buildings are visible in the distance.

From this base area it's about three miles to the summit radar base. The pavement is in very good condition for the remainder of the ride up to the summit. It's a long haul with steep sections along the way.

The site itself is wonderful. While "creepy" in a way, it mainly is a stark reminder of an entirely different time. Several structures still stand, while just the footprint (slab) remains of two others. The largest of the six main structures is 100 or more feet high; the footprint of the former lookout tower is still in place.

Historical information on the site is variable, but website research indicates that construction began at the summit in the late 1950s, and functioned under the control of the federal government as a radar base until 1967 (another website states the site was abandoned in 1961). In the strident Cold War attitudes of the times, the primary purpose of the site was to provide early warning of an incoming Russian missile launch. At times there were over 200 people working there. They certainly had a good vantage point from which to scour the skies for earth-bound projectiles.

In meandering around the site, it's difficult to comprehend that it was used for this purpose. On the one hand it's marvelously atmospheric; on the other hand, here are these huge buildings where hundreds of people worked and the latest technology was developed - then laid down as technology improved and the Cold War thawed out. The cost just to get building materials and equipment to the top of the mountain, much less the cost of the construction itself, must have been, well, mountainous. Then it went defunct a few short years later, and now sits in a state of arrested decay, metal flapping against buildings as the wind blows.

At any rate the site was eventually decommissioned and went unused for several years (one website states it was briefly used for a college in the early 1970s). In recent years, the site has been proposed for use as a wind farm; snowmobilers also make the trip to the summit.

The total round trip was five hours. It's a long ride, but well worth it.

Snowmobiliers didn't legally go there this past season. Seems the bicyclists have special previliges.

can we get up there on sleds?

Not legally.

When Mr. Sawyer owned it, there was no problem getting in there, now that it was sold, there have been more problems getting there. Every once in awhile they open it up for snowmobiles. The view is spectacular on a clear day, but be prepared, the temps and wind gust, are beyond frigit. It's not groomed either, so it's a mogul ride up and down. Actually my rental camp is not to far, and the private trail brings you out to the radar road intersection. Heard who ever bought it, wanted to make it their private playground. Lets hope this year, the mess and closed trail off of corrider 1, gets reopened. That made a nice loop to the sign in camp.

They used to have an annual ride to the top, but it hasn't happened since it was sold. I went up [Feb 2007] the year after it was sold, and all of the doors in the various towers were welded shut, so there's no way to climb up to get a good view, unless you bring a ~20 ft ladder.

Here's a not so good picture of the mountain, from just past the sign-in camp. You can see the largest tower if you look close.

Click to view attachment

I climbed up that tower, on the roof they had some sort of wind mill measuring the wind gust. When Sawyer owned it, some one got killed up there. There were missing pieces to the cat walk that skirts around the top of that tower. They say the person was drunk and it was at night and he went out on the cat walk not realizing there were missing pieces and fell to his death. Sawyer lived up there at the base, and was raising pigs in one of the huts, he said the snow was so deep the snowmobiles rode right over the roof, while he was inside. Loved going up with the 4 wheeler, some great berry and apples up there. Lets hope who ever has it now will at least open up the loop to the sign in camp and do runs up to the top. Seeing where it was Federal Grant money to study wind helped purchase that. Just shows you how the goverment waste money. When that was a military base, no sooner did the finish construction to be a military base, they closed it and sold it to Sawyer for $68,000.00. Theres more money in scrap metal and brass than that. Sawyer made a killing when he sold it though. But it was are tax dollars that built that place.

Only the base camp and the summit are privately held (I don't even know who now). Essex Timber LLC owns all the land around it. The road is a ROW.

Ed Sawyer purchased if from the government and then fought to keep everyone off it. There was a snowmobiler killed riding illegally in the 70's on the road and then he shut it all off for years.

At least two of buildings have been removed and are used by snowmobile clubs (Waterford Ridge Runner clubhouse and the Caledonia County groomer barn).

Ask Marvin Olsen from East Haven...he used to work there for the Air Force.

I never had a problem with Sawyer, he always let me up there. As long as you asked him. I don't think it's a logging company that bought it, I believe it is a private buyer, and they are having it logged. I could be wrong, but thats what I heard. I was digging through some old pics and found this one from the top of that tower. In the corner you can see the corner of the wind testing gadget. Nice view from up there.

Matt Rubin and his group from Montpelier purchased the area several years ago. He has/had VT Rep. Bernie Sanders in his environmental pocket with subsidies for wind power studies, etc. He was also trying to surcomvent the ACT 58 application for electronic construction. The power that might have been generated would have been sold to the Lyndonville Electric Company. Many folks would have observed the wind towers, but wouldn't have benefited from the power. He opened the road once a winter for snowmobilers, put up a sign explaining their intentions, but wasn't present to explain or answer questions. Go figure!

I was up there a couple of years ago and bumped into a man who wouldn't say who the buyer was, but said his intention was to make it his personal play ground. I often wondered if it had something to do with the Ginn Company?? Such secrets, makes you wonder ....why.

i thought i read somewhere that ginn co. bought the wind rights from rubin after his wind farm plans were foiled. presumably to protect their development's views? rubin/edmc still owns the base and summit. the day after the caledonian printed the bicycling article they printed a correction stating that they were informed by rubin that bicycles are not allowed, just walking.

Why am I not surprised that only foot traffic is allowed. It's the ulterior motive by those private landowners with special interests.

Anyone have pictures from the top?

There are a bunch of pictures here on the forum from members (plus a video I made). Use the "search" button at the top, select Vermont under "Search Where" and type "Radar Base" (without the quotes) in the "Search by Keywords" and click "Perform Search".