Green Mountain Club

Maintaining & Protecting Vermont's Long Trail Since 1910

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Summer Hikes Trail Index | HikeVT

Bingham Falls.
Bingham Falls. Photo by: Chloe Miller

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:

  1. Gnome Stairs, Barton
  2. Mill Trail, Stowe
  3. Moss Glen Falls, Stowe
  4. Thundering Falls, Killington
  5. Lye Brook Falls, Manchester

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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:

  1. Bald Mountain, Westmore
  2. Puffer Shelter, Bolton/ Stowe
  3. Theron Dean, Starksboro
  4. Skyline Lodge, Ripton
  5. Bromley, Winhall

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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:

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

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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:

  1. Jay Camp, Westfield
  2. Taylor Lodge, Stowe
  3. Skyline Lodge, Ripton
  4. Little Rock Pond Shelter & Tenting Area, Mount Molly
  5. Stratton Pond Shelter & Tenting Area, Stratton

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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:

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

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Kid-Friendly Hikes

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

Family-friendly hikes around Vermont, including:

  1. Wiessner Woods, Stowe
  2. Short Trail, Waterbury Center
  3. Beane Trail, Huntington
  4. Appalachian Trail to Kent Pond, Killington
  5. Long Trail to Little Rock Pond, Mount Tabor

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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:

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

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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.

More HikeVT trails to explore, by season:

  • Summer recommendations: by location; first hikes; day hikes; kid-friendly hikes; alternatives to popular peaks; beginner overnight hikes; hikes to swimming spots; hikes with a sunrise view; hikes to waterfalls;
  • Fall recommendations: by location; day hikes;
  • Winter recommendations by skill level: easy hikes; moderate hikes; moderate to difficult hikes; difficult hikes; and difficult hikes above 4,000 feet; day hikes
  • Mud season recommendations: scenic hikes; high-mileage hikes; alternatives to popular peaks; hikes to waterways; accessible hikes; day hikes

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Maps:

  • Long Trail Map
  • Winter Hiking Guide
  • Long Trail Guide

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Questions? Our visitor center staff is here to assist you. Call (802) 244-7037 or email [email protected].

collage of art from artists featured in this piece

Artists of the Long Trail

December 2, 2023

From climbs that take your breath away to the iconic silhouette of Camel’s Hump, the Long Trail inspires artists as well as hikers — and has done so for more than 100 years. The artists profiled below substantiate their love of and inspiration from the Green Mountains on paper – and in the metal … Read more

About Mud Season HikeVT Trail Recommendations Become a Member Trip Planning Trail Maps Volunteer Opportunities

Mission

The Green Mountain Club is the founder and maintainer of the Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Established in 1910 to build this trail stretching the length of Vermont, the club now also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in the Northeast Kingdom in its mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people." Read more...

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Connect

4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road
Waterbury Center, Vermont 05677
802.244.7037 | Email GMC

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Place Holiday Orders by 12/11

Shopping from the  Green Mountain Club online store for the holidays? To allow our staff time to get your orders to you well before December 25, please place your online orders by Monday, December 11. Local pickup options are also available.