Mount Mansfield,
Vermont

Mount Mansfield is the highest natural point in Vermont at 4,393 feet or 1,339 meters, and is the 26th highest state highpoint in the USA. It is a part of the Green Mountains and its appearance is said to look like a human face, but the fact that it has also been described as looking like a moose may exemplify the statement that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but my eye beholds no moose.

Like Mount Washington in New Hampshire, there is a toll road to drive up to the summit and there are, of course, hiking trails to walk up. Unlike Mount Washington in New Hampshire, there is no Cog railroad to ride. Instead, there is an enclosed gondola that operates year round. The toll road and the gondola cost a pretty penny each, so if you are on a budget, hiking is the way to go. It’s only 4,393 feet, you’ll be fine! Even if you take the toll road up to the visitor center where the road ends, or the gondola up to its termination, you still have a walks to get to the summit. About 1.5 miles from the road’s end and between .25 and .5 miles from the gondola. The trail along the ridge is not technical or exceedingly difficult, but it is over rock and cannot facilitate a wheelchair or anything similar. If you have a cane or crutches and an adventurous spirit, it can be done.

The weather on Mansfield is often cold, and often wet, like so many other summits. Snow has been recorded on the summit in every month of the year and it can get nasty up there, so check the forecast and be prepared. Our hike in September was rainy the entire time, and while it was invigorating it was also cold, wet, windy, foggy, and potentially dangerous, especially over the rocky areas, which are many.

One of the coolest things about this particular mountain is the presence of an alpine tundra ecosystem. This system is as above a treeline and therefore treeless, has a harsh and cold climate, and as has low lying vegetation such as shrubs and grasses. Because the areas of alpine tundra here are relatively small, some people push back against the designation, and there are certainly trees near the top of Mansfield. On the other hand, there are rare plants on Mansfield found in alpine tundra zones and the definition does fit certain areas, so it seems like splitting hairs to me. Happy hiking!