Summer Hikes Trail Index | HikeVT

Let’s HikeVT! Explore our Summer Trail Index to find appropriate hikes for the season. The summer hiking season typically runs from Memorial Day weekend through Indigenous Peoples Day.

Don’t forget to share your photos online: #HikeVT!

Make sure you plan ahead:

Check our COVID-19 Response page for current hiking recommendations and a link to Vermont’s official travel guidelines. For information on trail etiquette during COVID-19, see our blog about the “Prepare, Park, Play, and Move On” mentality.
Read through trail updates and hiking how-to’s for guidance.
Guidebooks and maps are available for purchase at GMC’s Visitor Center, GMC’s online store, and in most Vermont bookstores and outdoor gear retailers. Many maps have digital versions.

Hikes to a Waterfall View

Moss Glen Falls waterfall view — Moss Glen Falls. Photo by: Angela Hilsman

Vermont hikes with waterfall views and swimming holes, including:

Gnome Stairs, Barton
Mill Trail, Stowe
Moss Glen Falls, Stowe
Thundering Falls, Killington
Lye Brook Falls, Manchester

Hikes to a Sunrise View

Sunrise from Puffer Shelter, 2018 — Sunrise from Puffer Shelter. Photo by: Taylor Ritz

Best early-morning hikes around Vermont, including:

Bald Mountain, Westmore
Puffer Shelter, Bolton/ Stowe
Theron Dean, Starksboro
Skyline Lodge, Ripton
Bromley, Winhall

Hikes to a Swimming Spot

dogs on dock at ritterbush pond swimming — Mike and Lucy on the dock at Ritterbush Pond, Photo by Amy Potter

Hikes around Vermont with swim spots along the way, including:

Ritterbush Pond, Eden (on the Long Trail)
Lake Pleiad, Hancock (on the Long Trail)
Clarendon Gorge, Clarendon (on the Long Trail)
Little Rock Pond, Mount Holly (on the Long Trail)
Universally Accessible Trail: North Branch Cascades Trail, Worcester
Spectacle Pond, Brighton (Northeast Kingdom)

Best Hikes for Beginner Backpackers

Sun sets over a glassy Stratton Pond. — Sunset over Stratton Pond. Photo by: Richard Moran

Overnight Hikes for Beginner Backpackers around Vermont, including:

Jay Camp, Westfield
Taylor Lodge, Stowe
Skyline Lodge, Ripton
Little Rock Pond Shelter & Tenting Area, Mount Molly
Stratton Pond Shelter & Tenting Area, Stratton

Day Hike Alternatives to Vermont’s Most Popular Peaks

dog on rock with mountains — Mika takes in the view from Mt. Worcester on the Skyline Trail, an alternative to the Monroe Skyline.

Hike This, Not That: Alternative hikes, including:

Butler Loop, Underhill | Alternative to Mt. Mansfield
Skyline Trail, Worcester to Middlesex | Alternative to the Monroe Skyline, along Mts. Abe and Ellen
Beaver Meadow, Chilcoot, LT, Whiteface Loop, Morristown | Alternative to Camel’s Hump
Ludlow Mountain/Okemo, Mount Holly | Alternative to Mt. Killington
Branch Pond Trail, Sunderland | Alternative to Stratton Pond

Kid-Friendly Hikes

Gnome trail with Hugh and Lane. — Gnome Trail at Wiessner Woods. Photo by: Alicia DiCocco

Family-friendly hikes around Vermont, including:

Wiessner Woods, Stowe
Short Trail, Waterbury Center
Beane Trail, Huntington
Appalachian Trail to Kent Pond, Killington
Long Trail to Little Rock Pond, Mount Tabor

Best First Hikes for Summer

Sterling Pond at pink sunset — Sterling Pond at Sunset is a beautiful early season hike. Photo by: John Plummer

Find staff favorites in Vermont for kickstarting the hiking season:

Sterling Pond, in Stowe
Mt. Ellen via the Jerusalem Trail, in Starksboro
Mt. Abraham from Lincoln Gap, in Warren
Duxbury Window Trail, in Bolton
White Rock Mountain via the Middlesex Trail, in Middlesex

Make sure you plan ahead:

Check our COVID-19 Response page for current hiking recommendations and a link to Vermont’s official travel guidelines.
Many roads used to access the Long Trail are seasonal. Check the status of specific roads ahead of time using this general map of Vermont roads or this list of US Forest Service Roads.
Guidebooks and maps are available for purchase at GMC’s Visitor Center, GMC’s online store, and in most Vermont bookstores and outdoor gear retailers. Many maps have digital versions.