About / Visit & Shop
Get up close to agriculture and nature at the VYCC campus.
VYCC land is open for public use including hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hunting, trapping, and wildlife viewing. We welcome you to come explore our trails!
About the land
VYCC is an organization with people, community, and land at the center of all we do. Originally cared for by the Abenaki (of the Wabanaki Confederacy), VYCC stewards and maintains a 400-acre campus. Richmond Land Trust, Vermont Land Trust, Preservation Trust of Vermont, and Vermont Housing Conservation Board hold conservation easements. Together we ensure its conservation and access for our community. All are welcome.
VYCC is a member of the Chittenden County Uplands Conservation Project – a collaborative effort that has conserved 8,000 acres between Mount Mansfield State Forest and Camels Hump State Park. This land is a critical part of Vermont’s core wildlife habitat and the essential wildlife corridors linking the Green Mountains to the Champlain Valley. Protecting this pristine area is an important strategy to improving and maintaining the health of the Lake Champlain watershed.
Go for a hike
The trails on our land are training grounds for crews and Crew Leaders: we add to them every year. Visitors are welcome to park in front of the West Monitor Barn and can access trails behind our farm production fields. Please note: ticks are present and trails are unmarked. Coming soon: Our trails are in the process of being added to AllTrails. Check back for a link!
Visit the farm stand
The VYCC campus is active, organic farmland where Food & Farm Corps Members grow a variety of vegetables and eggs for sale at our farm stand. Your purchases directly support youth and young adults’ effort to increase food security for Vermont families through the Health Care Share and to educate and empower local youth through farming.
The farm stand offers:
- Certified organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers
- Pasture raised chickens and eggs
- Delicious frozen prepared foods from our fields and kitchen
Follow @thefarmatvycc on Instagram to get the latest news on what is available at the farm stand.
Contact info@vycc.org or (802) 434-3969 ext. 200 with questions.
Locations & Hours
The Farm Stand is open for the 2024 Season!
Daily on campus (along Route 2 on VYCC’s campus, by the white farmhouse)
9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. during the growing season, June – October
Richmond Farmers Market
Friday afternoons from June – August at the Volunteers Green, 286 Bridge Street, Richmond
3:00 – 6:30 p.m. during the growing season.
Payment
We accept credit/debt, cash, and check.
Host an event
The West Monitor Barn’s post and beam interior is known for its rustic charm. We host celebrations, meetings and conferences on a limited basis late August through October only. We no longer host weddings or proms. Proceeds support youth development and conservation programming. Contact us to discuss your event at (802) 434-3969 x200 or fill out this Event Request Form
Volunteer
Individuals and groups are invited to sign up and join us on campus to volunteer with our farm and conservation crews throughout the season. Farm volunteers help plant, maintain, harvest, wash, and pack vegetables. We also host youth volunteer groups on our campus in Richmond on Fridays during the summer to help with conservation projects.
East Monitor Barn Restoration
VYCC’s historic East Monitor Barn was built in 1901 and is one of the few remaining large-scale dairy barns of its time, but the barn is in a state of disrepair. We’ve begun an ambitious restoration of the barn to save an icon of Vermont’s landscape and strengthen VYCC’s growing programs in the years to come.
Motorized vehicles
In partnership with the easement holders of the property, VYCC denies land access to motorized vehicle use with two exceptions:
- Vermont Association of Snow Travelers trails cross the northern part of the property. VYCC allows VAST trail users to cross the property on the developed and marked VAST trails. VYCC asks that VAST trail users limit their use to the developed trails and appreciates VAST members’ cooperation in this matter.
- VYCC utilizes motorized vehicles to operate its Farm program and maintain its trail network.
Hunting
Hunters may only hunt on the property with written permission from a VYCC staff member.
Hunting in the marked “safety zone” is prohibited. White and yellow signs mark the “safety zone” perimeter.
For the safety of the public, staff, and members, and to ensure the enjoyment of hunters, hunting and shooting are not allowed when VYCC programming is taking place on the land. We therefore require all visitors interested in hunting activities to contact VYCC in advance to obtain permission.
To obtain permission, please fill out our online hunting usage form, or stop by the West barn for a printed copy of the form. After submitting, a VYCC staff member will contact you with next steps.
