Appalachian Trail - Vermont

• Trail Stats: 149.8 Trail Miles, 24 Hiker Shelters
• Vermont has one of the most beautiful sections of the entire Appalachian Trail (AT), and signals the reintroduction of real mountains for hikers traveling north. Thick with hardwood forests, pristine ponds, and wildlife, Vermont gives the illusion of remoteness without ever being more than a couple days away from civilization. The AT runs through the lush Green Mountains from the Massachusetts border to just north of Killington Mountain, where it makes a turn east and heads toward the rugged terrain of New Hampshire and Maine.
• Even older than the AT, the Long Trail runs from the Massachusetts border almost straight north to Canada, traversing the spine of the Green Mountains to the Canadian border. The AT uses over 100 miles of the Long Trail, to Willard Gap in the center of the state, before they split and go their separate ways into the woods.
• The AT in Vermont has plenty to keep the experienced hiker happy, boasting sweeping vistas from atop Stratton, Bromley, and Killington mountains—the last requires going up a .2-mile side trail to a rocky summit, but it’s worth the effort.
• As the story goes, it was while hiking Stratton Mountain in the southwest corner of Vermont that Benton MacKaye, the originator of the AT concept, first dreamt of a continuous nature path that connected the wild areas of the Appalachian Mountains. At the foot of the mountain, Stratton Pond offers a prime swimming location during the summer months, with green-carpeted mountains and dense forest as a backdrop.
• Recommended 2- to 3-Day Trip: This moderately difficult 32-mile one-way hike provides a breathtaking view from the top of the Bromley Mountain tower on day one, to an incredible series of swimming holes and falls at Clarendon Gorge, beneath the Mill River Suspension Bridge, minutes away from the ending point. There are plenty of shelters, water sources, and beautiful trail in between. Directions: Vermont 11 and 30 near Manchester Center, north to Vermont 103.

Guidebook: Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion (Appalachian Trail Conservancy)
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