Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Vermont / Northern Green Mountains

Long Trail: Sterling Pond and Whiteface Mountain (Smugglers' Notch to Johnson)

Long Trail on state land north of Smugglers' Notch (Cambridge, Stowe, Morristown, Johnson; VT 108 to VT 15)

North of Smugglers’ Notch, the Long Trail climbs to Sterling Pond, a high pond with a caretaker in season, then crosses Madonna Peak, at the top of a ski area, to Whiteface Mountain before descending to the Lamoille River valley at Johnson. The Green Mountain Club calls the Sterling Pond area busy, and a SummitPost visitor in 2012 heard from the caretaker that about 300 people had visited the pond the day before.

New England Waterfalls lists the section from VT 108 to VT 15 at 15 miles.

The hike

The GMC’s Sterling Pond hike starts at the parking lot on VT 108 in the notch, crosses the road, and climbs steep stone steps on the blue-blazed Sterling Pond Trail. In just over a mile, it gains 1,066 feet and meets the Long Trail at the pond. Sterling Pond Shelter is 0.3 mile farther, about 1.4 miles from the trailhead. Hiking Project describes the Long Trail itself crossing VT 108 near the Barnes Camp visitor center and climbing the slopes of Spruce Peak to the shelter.

From the pond, SectionHiker crossed Madonna Peak (3,668 feet) in 2008, noting that ski runs had damaged vegetation and caused erosion. About 4 miles from Sterling Pond, he reached Whiteface Shelter, a primitive lean-to 0.4 mile below the summit with views of Madonna Peak and Mount Mansfield. He climbed about 400 feet to the top of Whiteface (3,714 feet), then dropped about 2,000 feet in 2 miles, with three spots that needed extra care; he thinks climbing it southbound would be much harder. A SummitPost climber in 2007 reported “excellent views to the south and east through the trees” from Whiteface.

Hiking Project lists Bear Hollow Shelter, “a quiet shelter on a small ledge,” beyond Whiteface. The trail then descends through West Settlement and follows dirt roads and snowmobile trails to VT 15, ending at the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. SectionHiker describes a flat 4- to 5-mile walk to the highway, then about half a mile to the trailhead lot.

To the south is Mount Mansfield. North of VT 15, the trail crosses the Lamoille River and climbs toward Belvidere Mountain and Hazen’s Notch.

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 caretakers staff ecologically fragile sites, and Sterling Pond has one during the hiking season. GMC says this part of the Long Trail 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, 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 spent his 2008 night at Sterling Pond Shelter, where the GMC caretaker shared his dinner. The GMC notes that the shelter faces away from the water and its usual prevailing winds. For a quieter night, SummitPost’s log includes a 2007 climber who spent an evening at Whiteface Shelter, and a 2012 climber who met a section hiker who had stayed there.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Whiteface's 2,000-foot drop toward Johnson:

SectionHiker dropped about 2,000 feet in 2 miles off Whiteface Mountain, with three spots that needed extra care, and the Sterling Pond Trail gains 1,066 feet in just over a mile. Poles help on both.

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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.