From August 7-9, 2026, Great Mountain Forest (GMF) will host its First Annual Nature Writing Retreat at the historic Yale Camp in Falls Village, CT, inviting writers of all levels to draw inspiration from one of New England’s most storied landscapes.
This immersive three-day retreat reflects on the legacy of American writer and longtime New York Times nature columnist Hal Borland, whose work was rooted in this landscape. It explores how wilderness shapes language and strengthens close observation, craft, and environmental understanding.
Michael Zafros, GMF executive director stated, “There are few uses of a forest more sustainable than serving as inspiration. Hosting writers and artists is a great way to explore and provide this use of our forests. This new program demonstrates how Great Mountain Forest can be an antidote to the challenges facing our world. The retreat brings people together, builds community in the forest, gets participants outside and off their screens, and uses nature sustainably to heal and inspire minds and souls.”
Set within GMF’s 6,400-acre forest, the program features six workshops led by nationally recognized authors, poets, and environmental experts. Participants will engage in field observation, writing, and discussion focused on description, ecological literacy, eco-poetry, and nature-based storytelling.
The weekend includes journaling and campfire conversation on Friday, a guided nature walk and workshops on Saturday, and a closing reflection on Sunday. Enrollment is limited, with an optional post-retreat online anthology of participant work.
As Hal Borland wrote, “I challenge anyone to stand on a hilltop and fail to see a new expanse not only around him, but in him, too.” This inaugural retreat invites writers to do exactly that while launching what GMF envisions as a signature annual event celebrating writing, conservation, and the enduring relationship between people and forests.
Yale Camp offers rustic lodging, quiet woodland trails, and shared gathering spaces with meals provided by Chef Stawitz of GMF catering.
The 2026 Great Mountain Forest Nature Writing Retreat is made possible in part with support from H. Bruce McEver, Roshy and Dalton Dwyer, and Housatonic Heritage. The Nature Writing Retreat is curated by Tom Shachtman.
Nature Writing Retreat Details
Dates: August 7-9, 2026
Location: Yale Camp, 209 Chattleton Road, Falls Village, CT
Registration Fees:
$385 through May 31; $435 after May 31
Students: $285 through May 31; $335 after May 31 (discount by request)
Registration Deadline: July 24, 2026. Enrollment is limited
Optional Lodging: $70 for two nights
For more information or to register, visit: https://greatmountainforest.org/writing-retreat-2026/
About Great Mountain Forest
Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a leader in forest stewardship. For more than a century, we have been demonstrating how sustainable management can protect biodiversity and support ecosystems. By serving as a hub for education and research, we are spreading the benefits of sustainable management so that communities across New England derive educational, economic, and recreational and health benefits from their forests—now and well into the future. GMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit encompassing 6,300 acres of contiguous forestland in Norfolk, Canaan, and Falls Village Connecticut.
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