Trails / Vermont / Southern Green Mountains

Long Trail: Williamstown to Route 9 (Southern Terminus, Seth Warner, and Harmon Hill)

Long Trail/Appalachian Trail from the Massachusetts line to VT 9, Stamford, Readsboro, Woodford, and Bennington area (approach from Williamstown or North Adams, Massachusetts)

The Long Trail’s southern end isn’t at a road. It’s a sign in the woods on the Massachusetts-Vermont line, so the first Vermont overnight starts with an approach hike from Williamstown or North Adams. From there the trail, shared with the Appalachian Trail, rolls north across a broad ridge to the cliffs of Harmon Hill above Bennington.

The Green Mountain Club (GMC) offers this stretch as a two- or three-day, one- or two-night itinerary of about 17 miles, with about 4,000 feet of climbing.

The hike

The GMC lists two approaches: the Pine Cobble Trail from Pine Cobble Road in Williamstown, or the Appalachian Trail from Massachusetts Route 2 in North Adams. Backpacker’s 2013 section guide starts at Pine Cobble, describing a steepening climb, an optional 0.1-mile detour to the Pine Cobble summit, and a junction with the AT before the state line, where the official Long Trail begins. For the Massachusetts miles leading up to the line, see the AT from Dalton over Mount Greylock.

SectionHiker calls the walk from the state line to the first shelter a flat ridge walk, and spotted a moose near the line in 2008. Seth Warner Shelter sits just past a dirt road crossing, according to Backpacker. North of it, Hiking Project describes the trail passing under two sets of power lines, a blue-blazed side trail to an old seasonal spring box, and the Scrub Hill ponds. SectionHiker describes a boardwalk along a beaver dam at Sucker Pond that was partly underwater.

The trail then crosses Consultation Peak, whose grade is so gentle that SectionHiker “only realized that I had climbed it” afterward, and descends, crossing more of the logging and jeep roads Backpacker notes all along this section, before reaching Congdon Shelter. SectionHiker describes Congdon as a lean-to on Stamford Stream. The GMC puts it 4.8 miles past Seth Warner and 4.2 miles south of Route 9.

The last climb is about 400 feet to Harmon Hill, which SectionHiker calls a popular viewpoint for locals from Bennington with “outstanding” views; Hiking Project mentions its excellent western view. The descent is the hardest part of the section. Backpacker describes very steep steps for the final half mile, and SectionHiker estimates a drop of about 1,000 feet, including some 600 feet of stone steps. The trail ends at a parking lot with a toilet on VT 9, where SectionHiker warns hikers to take care crossing four lanes of fast traffic.

North of Route 9, the trail climbs toward Glastenbury Mountain; see Route 9 to Kelley Stand Road. For another ridge walk on the three-state border, see the Taconic Crest Trail.

Tips

Pick an approach. The Pine Cobble Trail lot holds about six cars; GMC also lists a small AT lot on Route 2 in North Adams.
Expect mud. SectionHiker found some mud in October and expects it to be “a lot worse in late spring.”
Save your knees for Harmon Hill. The stone-step descent to VT 9 is steep.
Cross VT 9 carefully at the end.
Borrow a bear canister. GMC lends them free, first come, at pickup points that include Cosmo Catalano’s Garage in North Adams (by appointment) and the Bennington Rec Center and Bennington Free Library.

Camping

The ATC says the AT between VT 9 and Massachusetts Route 2 crosses private land, so camping is allowed only at designated sites, and campfires only in existing rings there. The GMC says its overnight sites are free and first come, first served, and that each has a composting privy. The GMC also says tenting is prohibited above 2,500 feet. GMC limits overnight groups to 10, including leaders, and asks groups to use only designated group sites.

GMC calls proper food storage mandatory in the Green Mountain National Forest under a 2019 Forest Service order and strongly encourages it everywhere else. Don’t sleep with food or hang it in a shelter.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending one site over the other were found. SectionHiker, on his 2008 end-to-end hike, and the author of a 2009 trip log both spent their first Vermont night at Seth Warner, which is also where GMC’s itinerary ends Day 1.

Trail facts

Distance: About 17 miles from Williamstown or North Adams (GMC); 14.0 miles from the state line (Hiking Project)
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: About 4,000 feet (GMC)
Campsites: Seth Warner Shelter; Congdon Shelter (4.2 miles south of VT 9)
Water: Streams and a seasonal spring box; treat all water
Permits: None for individuals
Food storage: Bear canister, Ursack, or proper hang; required on national forest land
Group size: 10 overnight (GMC)
Trailheads: Pine Cobble Road, Williamstown; Route 2, North Adams; VT 9 east of Bennington
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

The stone steps off Harmon Hill:

The descent from Harmon Hill to VT 9 drops about 1,000 feet, including some 600 feet of stone steps, and this page says to save your knees for it. See how lengthening your poles can help on the way down.

Read the pole tips →

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.