Each year our trail signs serve as a beacon for thousands of hikers on the Long Trail, its side trails, and the Appalachian Trail in Vermont. These signs are made by dedicated volunteers and staff who make them out of a labor of love to provide direction to fellow hikers. However, when the information on the signs becomes out-of-date or they become too weathered, they are replaced. Now you have the opportunity to take home an authentic Green Mountain Club trail sign.
All auction proceeds will support the important work of the Green Mountain Club.
The 2019 GMC Trail Sign Auction is over. We raised $2,847.72!
Thank you for your support!
Appalachian Trail / Long Trail / Catamount Trail
This large sign, from the parking area on Route 4, marks one of only two stretches where the Long Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Catamount Trail all share a single corridor.
From the Long Trail Guide: “Cross U.S. 4 (0.0 mi.). Use caution when crossing U.S. 4; traffic moves at high speeds. North of the highway, follow the Catamount Trail across a wet area and, after the Catamount Trail diverges west, climb gradually to a view of Pico Peak (0.8 mi.). Continue to Maine Junction (1.0 mi.) at Willard Gap. Here the AT bears right, toward Gifford Woods State Park and ultimately Mt. Katahdin in Maine, while the LT bears left, north, to Canada.”
Length: 62 inches
Height: 5 1/4 inches
Depth: 3/4 inches
Weight: 3 lb 2 oz
Starting Bid $200
Black Brook
This sign–weathered by time, weather, and birdshot–marked the bridge over Black Brook, North of Story Spring.
From the Long Trail Guide: “After crossing the road, pass a series of beaver ponds, ascend a low knoll, and descend to a woods road. Cross Black Brook Bridge (21.7 mi.), rebuilt by the volunteer LTP in 2002, and follow a woods road to a clearing with a view of Little Stratton Mtn.”
Length: 29 inches
Height: 7 inches (18 1/2 inches including post)
Depth: 1 1/4 inches (4 inches including post)
Weight: 6 lb 4 oz
Starting Bid $100
Broad Brook
This mossy, weathered sign marked the Southernmost side trail on the Long Trail, connecting Seth Warner Shelter to White Oaks Road at the VT/MA border.
From the Long Trail Guide: “This trail begins on White Oaks Road in Pownal, Vermont, near the state line… From the east side of the parking lot (0.0 mi., 900 ft.), skirt the south side of the North Adams waterworks. Once past the waterworks, follow an old woods road east and north. Parallel Broad Brook, and cross it several times. These crossings can be challenging in the spring. Ascend northeasterly to a dirt road (3.7 mi.), and follow it east to the LT (4.0 mi., 2100 ft.).”
Length: 18 inches
Height: 3 1/2 inches
Depth: 3/4 inches
Weight: 14 oz
Starting Bid: $100
Long Trail South
This unique white-painted, arrow-shaped sign dates to the 1970s and directed hikers south on the Long Trail in the Mount Mansfield region.
From the Long Trail Guide: “Vermont’s highest mountain, Mt. Mansfield (4395 ft.), is known for its distinctive ridgeline, which resembles the profile of a human face, especially when viewed from the east. From south to north, the names of its more prominent features reflect this: Forehead, Nose, Upper and Lower Lips, Chin, and Adam’s Apple. The Abenaki called the mountain Mose-o-de-be-Wadso (mountain with the head of a moose), and it received its present name from the town of Mansfield, disestablished and divided among adjacent towns over a century ago.”
Length: 20 1/4 inches
Height: 3 1/2 inches
Depth: 1 1/4 inches
Weight: 1 lb 8 oz
Starting Bid $150
Chet’s Lookout
This lichen-covered sign marked the viewpoint on the northern Slope of Buchanan Mountain, between Hazen’s Notch and Jay Camp.
From the Long Trail Guide: “Continue north from Buchan Mtn. to Chet’s Lookout (8.6 mi.) on a boulder to the right reached by a ladder, with window views of the ridge. The lookout is named for one of Roy O. Buchanan’s sons who worked with the LTP in the 1930s and continued to help with trail projects into the 1980s.”
Length: 11 1/4 inches
Height: 3 1/2 inches
Depth: 1 1/8 inches
Weight: 10 oz
Starting Bid $100
For more history on our trail signs, read this article from the Summer 2016 Long Trail News.
