Globe Corner Blogs

When choosing a day hike, I think it’s always important to have a sense of the vertical rise of the mountain and the total distance of the hike. That being said, I also know that hikers really seek a stunningly rewarding summit view that screams “take my picture!” and congratulates them for their hard, sweaty work.

With all this in mind, Mount Ascutney, located in Southern Vermont on the border of New Hampshire and Vermont, is a fun and challenging day hike good for all ages. Even if you lack tons of hiking experience, or are hiking with younger children, Mount Ascutney is quite managable and the Weathersfield Trail has a couple of convenient scenic stopping points ideal for a GORP (good old-fasioned raisins and peanuts) and a water break.

The Weathersfield Trail is just under 6 miles round-trip, has an elevation gain of 2,060 feet, and, if you have a leisurely lunch, should take between 4 and 5 hours total. The trail is remarkably well maintained (follow the white blazes) but does have a couple of steep sections near the top. Highlights of the trail  include Cascade Falls about a third of the way up (this would be one of the great aforementioned break points), a wooden hang-gliding platform on the western peak overlooking much of Windsor County, and an observation tower at the summit which gives a 360-degree view of the mountain and allows hikers to look far into both New Hampshire and Vermont. While the observation tower, not to mention the giant radio antenna, is a little unsightly, it doesn’t detract too much from the hike and the view. It does, however, make the pristine and unadultered west peak essential to the hike.

While access to the trail head is well marked from the highway (from Route 131 in Vermont turn on to

Cascade Falls Road), if you’re looking for more information, I recommend 50 Hikes In Vermont, published by the Green Mountain Club. This book has accurate informtion as well as interesting history factoids, like “the mountain derives it’s name from Ascutegnik, meaning ‘meeting of the waters.’ ” This book also has clear trail maps for each hike based on U.S. Geological Survey and Green Mountain National Forest topographic sheets. Another great resources is the Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer, published by DeLorme. They make topographic atlases for each state and also provide camping and outdoor recreation information.

Early autumn is a great time to be in Vermont (sadly, leaves are already changing there), so I encourage you all to go on this hike, or any hike really…

Read more: Guidebooks, Hiking, New England, News, Outdoor Recreation, Travel, Vermont


Jess is a GCB alum and now contributes to the travel blog as often as she can. Jess attended Middlebury College so she loves the Green Mountain State. She also studied abroad in Paris for a semester and has traveled through much of western Europe and the UK. Her most recent travels include trips to Portland, OR, Los Angeles, CA and Spain (Madrid and Andalusia). She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS