Best Hikes in Vermont

Vermont hiking is inseparable from the Long Trail, the country's oldest long-distance hiking trail, built by the Green Mountain Club between 1910 and 1930 and later a direct inspiration for the Appalachian Trail. That history gives even short day hikes in Vermont a sense of connection to something larger.

Mount Mansfield's Ridge Trail

The hike along Mansfield's exposed summit ridge is Vermont's signature alpine experience, crossing fragile tundra vegetation between the mountain's Chin and Nose features. The route rewards real effort with the broadest views in the state, stretching to the Adirondacks on clear days, and it remains the most-cited hike among serious Vermont hikers.

Camel's Hump

The classic approach to Camel's Hump climbs through hardwood and spruce-fir forest before breaking out onto an exposed, rocky summit with no development in sight — a rarity among Vermont's major peaks. The contrast between forest climb and open summit gives the hike a payoff that feels larger than the mountain's modest 4,083-foot elevation would suggest.

Long Trail Day Sections

Much of the Long Trail is accessible as day-length sections rather than full thru-hikes, letting visitors sample the trail's ridgeline character near Stowe, Middlebury Gap, or Killington without committing to its full 272-mile length. These sections are how most Vermonters actually experience the trail.

Mount Abraham and the Central Green Mountains

Mount Abraham and nearby central peaks offer alpine-zone hiking with noticeably fewer crowds than Mansfield or Camel's Hump, making them a favorite among repeat Vermont hikers who want strong scenery without the parking-lot crowds at the state's best-known trailheads.

Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor

Flanking Lake Willoughby in the Northeast Kingdom, Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor rise steeply from the water's edge, their cliff faces creating a fjord-like profile unusual for New England. The Pisgah trail in particular delivers dramatic exposed-cliff views straight down onto the lake, a payoff disproportionate to the moderate distance required.

Smugglers' Notch

Smugglers' Notch adds a different kind of hiking to the state's repertoire — boulder scrambles, cliff-base trails, and short scenic routes through a dramatic mountain pass once used to smuggle goods across the Canadian border during the Embargo Act era. It proves Vermont hiking is not only about summit climbs.

Why Vermont Hiking Works

Vermont rewards hikers who want meaningful elevation and genuine alpine terrain without the scale and logistics of hiking out west — a state where a single well-chosen ridge can deliver a full day's worth of forest, exposure, and view in a compact package.