[2][3] With a total of 24,986 acres (10,111 ha), it is the largest wilderness area in Vermont.

The college sold nearly all of Battell's lands to the Forest Service in the 1930s and 1950s.

It was the sale of these lands that prompted the Federal government to create the northern unit of the Green Mountain National Forest.

The Long Trail traverses 17.3 miles (27.8 km) through the heart of the Breadloaf Wilderness, from Middlebury Gap to Lincoln Gap at its northern edge.

Moose and black bear are said to be present in considerable numbers.