Hike Feature: Accessibility

  • Camel’s Hump View Trail

    Camel’s Hump View Trail

    This lollipop-style loop trail features multiple gorgeous views of Camel’s Hump, which are especially good as the leaves begin to fall in autumn. The trail also features several benches, which offer nice rest spots.  

    From the sign at the parking lot, head out on the main path. Soon you will come to a split where you can go clockwise or counterclockwise on the trail. Whichever direction you choose, be sure to stay on the wide, blue-blazed Camel’s Hump View Trail, as there is a cross-country ski trail which crosses it at one point.   

    NOTE: This is a universally accessible trail. It includes elevation changes at more substantial grades than many paved rec paths and boardwalks. The trail surface is dirt and gravel and may not be passable by wheelchairs designed for smooth surfaces, especially once fallen leaves are on the path. 

  • Winooski Footbridge

    Winooski Footbridge

    This 224-foot Long Trail suspension bridge, built and maintained by the Green Mountain Club, is accessible from Duxbury Road on the south side of the Winooski River. The bridge is wheelchair accessible from the south side, on Duxbury Road, but there is no parking permitted here. Park about 1.0 mi east on Honey Hollow Road and carefully follow the road back to the bridge (1.0 mi). The bridge is wheelchair accessible and you can enjoy looking at the mountains from the footbridge and enjoying the river running below you. (Wheelchair users may wish to be dropped off at the entrance to the bridge).  

  • Smugglers’ Notch Boardwalk

    Smugglers’ Notch Boardwalk

    The Smugglers’ Notch Boardwalk, part of the Long Trail, built by GMC crews in 2010, is an accessible trail through wetlands, by a beaver dam, and with beautiful views of Smugglers’ Notch. Park in the Barnes Camp parking lot or the Stowe Resort parking lot across the street. The boardwalk starts at the western end of the lot (opposite end of the parking lot from the building). The boardwalk is 5 feet wide with interpretive panels and viewpoints.

  • Toll Road

    Toll Road

    The Stowe Auto Toll Road ascends from the Toll House on Route 108. The 150-year-old Toll Road zigs and zags 4.5 miles on an unpaved road up to the Mount Mansfield Summit Station Visitor Center at 3,850’. A drive up the toll road is paid, and all proceeds go to Stowe Mountain Resort. For prices and hours, click here.

    From the parking lot, you can explore the Visitor Center’s interpretive displays and hike along the Mansfield Ridgeline (Long Trail) to additional viewpoints, including the mountain’s highest point, the Chin. For mobility-impaired visitors, the drive to the top of the Toll Road and a visit to the visitor center is a wonderful way to experience Vermont’s tallest mountain.

    From the Summit Station, the Chin is an additional 1.4 mile hike north with an elevation gain of 546’. The footing can be difficult in places, and the hike is rated moderate overall.

    There are numerous side trails extending off the Long Trail on the ridge. These trails can range in difficulty from easy (Amherst Trail) to very strenuous (Cliff Trail, Canyon, and Canyon North Trails). The Green Mountain Club caretakers and volunteers at the Summit Station are a valuable resource in sharing appropriate hike recommendations. All trails on the Mansfield ridgeline require appropriate footwear.

    Overnight parking is not permitted at the top or along the toll road.

    *Note: During mud season, after Stowe Mountain Resort operations have closed for the season, hiking is permitted on the Toll Road. Check the Toll Road website or contact GMC for information.

  • Beaver Meadow Lodge Loop

    Beaver Meadow Lodge Loop

    The trail to Beaver Meadow Lodge follows an old road to a high basin surrounded by mountains on three sides and makes an excellent family hike. On a clear day, it is possible to see Whiteface Mountain to the north. Beaver Meadow Lodge is one of two shelters within the Long Trail System with a woodstove making it an excellent winter overnight spot.

    From Beaver Meadow Rd. parking lot take the Beaver Meadow Trail for 1.8 mi to an intersection with the Beaver Meadow Loop Trail. You can take this loop in either direction, but if you bear left, you will reach the Beaver Meadow Lodge and the intersection with the Chilcoot Trail (2.3 mi.) Continue around the loop, which skirts a meadow, for another 0.5 mi, then return to your car via the Beaver Meadow Trail for 1.8 mi. (4.6 mi.)