Winter 2007-2008
Vermont Top 14 Best Places to Snowshoe
Pulling directly from the pages of the Green Mountain Club’s Snowshoeing in Vermont: A Guide to the Best Winter Hikes, Pete Antos-Ketcham, Education Coordinator and Facilities Manager at the Green Mountain Club, selected these 14 trails as the best of the best snowshoe hikes in Vermont. Snow depth and trail conditions play a major role in deciding the difficulty of a hike. When in doubt, choose a less difficult trail.
EASY
Duxbury Window, Jonesville: 1.6 miles. 800 feet elevation gained. Duxbury Window is a hike on the Long Trail and is the first lookout on the ridge. It’s a popular trail for snowshoers.
Peacham Bog, Groton:2.6 miles, 400 feet elevation gained. Peacham Bog is an easy snowshoe hike for beginners and families. The winter bog is a perfect place to look for signs of wildlife such as moose and fisher.
MODERATE DIFFICULTY
Wheeler Mountain, Sutton: 1.3 miles, 500 feet elevation gained.Wheeler Mountain offers sweeping views of Vermont’s Green Mountains and New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Victory Bog, Victory: 2.5 miles, no elevation gained. A quiet and beautiful snowshoe hike in the 4,000 acre- Victory Bog Wildlife Management area. Evidence of moose, deer, coyote, fox and weasels is likely.
Laraway Lookout, Waterville: 1.8 miles, 1,390 feet elevation gained. The Laraway Mountain hike offers views of the Sterling Range and Mt. Mansfield. During winter, the trail passes rock faces where spectacular ice pillars form.
Snake Mountain, Addison: 1.8 miles, 900 feet elevation gained. Rugged terrain, but worth the climb:Snake Mountain offers completely unobstructed views of the Champlain Valley.
Stowe Pinnacle, Stowe: 1.4 miles, 1,520 feet elevation gained. This prominent spur on the northwest flank of Hogback Mountain offers a dramatic view of Stowe Valley and the Green Mountain ridge-line.
Mount Moosalamoo, Goshen: 2.7 miles. 800 feet elevation gained. Mt. Moosalamoo is a delightful mountain for snowshoeing with gentle slopes and open woods.
Styles Peak, Peru: 5.2 miles, 1,100 feet elevation gained. Located in the Peru Peak Wilderness, the last part of the climb to Styles Peak increases in difficulty. New the top it can be quite windy and cold.
Taylor Lodge, Stowe: 1.6 miles, 650 feet elevation gained. The approach to Taylor Lodge passes the remains of the village of Mansfield. Nearby, a grove of towering white pines provides a majestic setting for the long-forgotten community.
DIFFICULT
Bald Mountain, Westmore: 2.1 miles, 1,250 feet elevation gained. Bald Mountain is the third highest peak in the Northeast Kingdom and provides one of the best views in the region from its recently restored fire tower.
Blue Ridge Mountain, Mendon: 2.4 miles, 1,490 feet elevation gained. Take the Canty Trail, as far as you can go. But know that most snowshoers only go as far as the cascade on Sawyer Brook because of the steep elevation in the last 1.6 miles.
Bear Mountain, Wallingford: 4 miles, 800 feet elevation gained. Bear Mountain’s best feature is a domed lodge from which there are excellent views to the south. While the ledge is a good turnaround for a shorter hike, climbing to the summit though steep and difficult, offers views worth shoeing for.
Mount Equinox, Manchester Center: 3.5 miles, 2,300 feet elevation gained. The views from this trail are good for most of the hike and especially from Lookout Rock.
For more information on these hikes and many more suggestions check out Green Mountain Club’s publications. www.greenmountainclub.org
