Inside the abandoned racetrack, now a time capsule, in America’s most photogenic valley

This abandoned Vermont racetrack used to host horse and greyhound racing until it closed in the 1990s.

Green Mountain racetrack was built in Pownal, Vermont in 1963 and operated by the Dean of New England Racing. It still stands today, but is now an abandoned wasteland.

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The circuit was opened and endorsed by a well-known New Jersey-area dealmaker named Lou Smith, also known as “Uncle Lou”.

The track struggled in the first few years of its opening and employees were laid off, forcing a change in business model and the opening of Twilight races.

Business revived with the change, introducing Sunday horse racing in 1968.

In 1973, the Rooney family, owners of the Pittsburg Steelers, took over ownership of the track – and eventually sold it years later.

Green Mountain also made history in 1976 when it became the first place to house thoroughbreds, standard breeds, and dogs.

The circuit remained one of the lowest greyhound tracks in the country for the next 15 years before racing finally ceased in 1992.

The property hosted some open-air concert festivals like Lollapalooza in the 1990s, but eventually fell into disrepair.

Green Mountain is in the middle of nowhere. There are no freeways in any direction for 35 miles and now it sits in an abandoned landfill.

A once gorgeous five-story building that hosted thousands of races is now covered in graffiti and rubbish.

There are chairs set up outside the building and the path is completely covered with bushes.

A broken escalator stands eerily in the dirt-covered walls, and the stairs are lined with grass that seeps through the floor.

The pool still exists in Vermont; From the looks of it, it’s a place to avoid.

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