Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Vermont / Northern Green Mountains

Long Trail: Mount Mansfield (Winooski River to Smugglers' Notch)

Long Trail through Bolton and Mount Mansfield State Forest (Duxbury, Bolton, Underhill, Stowe; Duxbury Road and US 2 to VT 108 in Smugglers' Notch)

Mount Mansfield is Vermont’s highest mountain. From the Winooski River, the trail climbs Bolton Mountain, wanders a rough ridge past Taylor Lodge and Nebraska Notch, and then scrambles up the Forehead to walk Mansfield’s open crest before dropping into Smugglers’ Notch. SectionHiker calls the section from Jonesville to Johnson “what many say is the hardest section of the Long Trail.”

The GMC says Mansfield holds about 110 acres of alpine tundra, the most of any Vermont summit.

The hike

From the Duxbury Road lot, the GMC’s relocation notes describe the Long Trail following the road, then the riverbank and farm fields (now rerouted along Duxbury Road; see the notice), to the Winooski River Footbridge, which Hiking Project says was installed in 2015. Across the bridge, hikers cross active railroad tracks and US 2, follow Bolton Notch Road through a tunnel with push-button warning lights, and climb into the woods on a tread ladder.

SectionHiker, starting at Jonesville on US 2 in 2008, reached Duck Pond Shelter in about an hour, the Buchanan Shelter spur after 7.3 miles, and the top of Bolton Mountain (3,690 feet) after about 3,500 feet of climbing and repeated false summits. Hiking Project describes a rough stretch with excellent views but no water to Puffer Shelter, which SectionHiker says looks out on Mansfield. Mount Mayo and Mount Clark, with wet ledges and wooden ladders, lead to Taylor Lodge, a large shelter with a fenced porch.

Beyond Nebraska Notch, Hiking Project lists the Clara Bow Trail, a short side route through caves and crevices, and the Twin Brooks Tenting Area, with group and single tent platforms. The Wallace Cut-Off leads to Butler Lodge, just below the Forehead. Hiking Project says the climb above involves ladders, rock hugging, crevices, and narrow bridges that are hard with a full pack; Matt Heid, writing on SectionHiker, calls it “one of the most challenging sections of the entire Long Trail,” and a reader notes a ladder-free bypass on the east side.

On top, the trail crosses the Nose and reaches the Chin, at 4,393 feet. SectionHiker found the summit crowded with day hikers and recommends arriving early. The trail descends past Taft Lodge into Smugglers’ Notch, where Hiking Project says a newer route follows a brook toward the Barnes Camp visitor center on VT 108.

To the south is Camel’s Hump. North of the notch, the trail climbs to Sterling Pond and Whiteface.

Tips

Camping

Trail Finder says primitive camping isn’t allowed on Mount Mansfield, which is a designated natural area; camping there is limited to Butler Lodge, the Twin Brooks tent area, and Underhill State Park, and tenting isn’t allowed at Butler. The GMC says tenting is prohibited above 2,500 feet and at Taft Lodge. South of Nebraska Notch, Trail Finder says primitive camping is generally allowed in the state forest at lower elevations; Vermont’s state-land rules require sites at least 200 feet from trails, 100 feet from water, and 1,000 feet from roads, below 2,500 feet.

GMC caretakers staff Butler Lodge in summer and fall, and Trail Finder says the old fee was replaced with donations in 2023. The GMC strongly encourages a bear canister or other approved container on all Vermont overnights and limits groups to 10.

Inside Intel: Matt Heid suggests a loop from Underhill State Park with a night at Taft Lodge, closed for repairs through October 2026. SectionHiker spent his 2008 night at Taylor Lodge, which he describes as about 1,200 feet above Lake Mansfield, with water from a beaver-pond-fed stream about 0.2 mile north; Hiking Project mentions a piped spring off the Lake Mansfield Trail and views from Peter’s Perch in front of the lodge.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Tent platforms at Twin Brooks:

Tenting is banned above 2,500 feet on Mansfield and at Butler and Taft Lodges, so the Twin Brooks platforms are where a tent earns its place. See the tents reviewers trust.

Compare the top 5 →

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.