Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Vermont / Northeast Kingdom

Long Trail: Jay Peak to Journey's End (Jay Pass to the Canadian Border)

Long Trail over Jay Peak and the northern ridges, state and private land (Westfield, Jay, Troy, North Troy; VT 242 at Jay Pass to the U.S.-Canada border and Journey's End Road)

The last section of the Long Trail climbs from Jay Pass over Jay Peak, which Liz Thomas calls “the last big peak on the Long Trail,” then rolls north along wooded ridges to a monument on the Canadian border. The Green Mountain Club offers it as a two-day, one-night trip of 13.3 miles, including the walk out.

There’s no road at the end. Wikipedia places the terminus on the Canada-U.S. border in the town of Jay; the trail ends at a sign and the cleared border swath, and hikers return to the U.S. on the Journey’s End Trail.

The hike

The GMC says the Long Trail crosses VT 242 at Jay Pass, 5.1 miles west of Jay Village, with a large parking lot on the south side of the highway. Just north of the road, a side trail leads to Jay Camp, which Hiking Project describes as a four-sided cabin with a tent platform; New England Waterfalls says it is 1.7 miles from VT 242.

Backpacker’s guide climbs about 1,500 feet in roughly 1.5 miles to Jay Peak, crossing ski trails near the top. SectionHiker, hiking south in 2008, found the climb steep and the summit’s north side covered in “Volkswagen sized boulders” above treeline. The Weirs Times writer started at 6 a.m. to get across the open ledges early.

From the summit, Backpacker describes a descent along the northern ridge to Laura Woodward Shelter, 3.1 miles from the top according to SectionHiker, then a climb around North Jay to Shooting Star Shelter. The GMC puts Shooting Star 7.6 miles from Jay Pass. Liz Thomas, finishing her hike, describes it as a lean-to on a large boulder near a mountaintop.

Past Shooting Star, the trail crosses Burnt Mountain, VT 105, and Carleton Mountain, with an overlook, before skirting the border. Liz Thomas expected “a smooth 9 miles to the border” after Jay and instead found “a solid up and down until the very end.” The GMC says the terminus is 4.4 miles from Shooting Star. The Journey’s End Trail then runs 1.3 miles to Journey’s End Road; Trail Finder says it passes a spur to Journey’s End Camp at 0.8 mile and old farm foundations before reaching the lot. Trail Finder adds that the road climbs about 1.2 miles from North Jay Road, which is 2 miles north of VT 105.

To the south is the section from Johnson to Jay Pass, and the far southern end of the Long Trail starts at Williamstown.

Tips

Camping

The GMC says its overnight sites are free and first come, first served, each with a composting privy, and that tenting is prohibited above 2,500 feet. GMC says the Long Trail from Mount Ellen north is on state land, where Vermont’s rules prohibit camping above 2,500 feet unless designated and require primitive sites to be at least 200 feet from trails and property lines, 100 feet from water, and 1,000 feet from roads, with a three-night limit.

The GMC strongly encourages a bear canister or other approved container on all Vermont overnights and limits groups to 10, including leaders.

Inside Intel: SectionHiker calls Shooting Star and Laura Woodward “simple, but gorgeous” and says “both of these shelters are worth a return visit and stay.” He also describes Journey’s End Camp, about a mile south of the border, as a nice, newer shelter with windows and a kitchen table. The Weirs Times writers took a long break at Shooting Star in 2019.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Treating water at Shooting Star:

Hiking Project says the pump water here tastes of iron, and a 2019 report found it dry, so a stove for boiling and hot meals earns its weight. See the stoves reviewers like.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.