long trail

thinking of hiking the long trail up coming this spring summer or fall? any advice as to when is the best time to do it.

What trail is the long trail?

-John

the long trail is a trail that traverses most of vermonts highest summits. It runs north south from the mass/vermont border to the canadian border. the trail coincides with the AT for a while.

Hi Tim,

I haven’t hiked the Long Trail as a thru-hike, but I’ve hiked numerous sections of it on day hikes and backpacks. The one time you can’t hike the Long Trail, or its side trails, is during mud season.

Quote:

According to the Green Mountain Club:
The Long Trail and its side trails are closed during Mud Season, which occurs twice a year. April 15 to Memorial Day and late October thru early December are times when the trails get to be very muddy. Hiking on the trails when they are muddy promotes trail erosion and damages fragile vegetation that exists at higher elevations.

You may want to avoid black fly season, but since that can happen anytime from May through July, that’s a pretty good chunk of time to cut out.

Personally, I’d consider doing it in fall when the trail should be less crowded, less buggy, less hot, and less muddy. I just noticed that the Green Mountain Club says the same thing in their End-to-End FAQ.

Quote:

When is the best time to do an End-to-End hike? To avoid the black flies, the crowds, and the heat you might want to plan your hike for late summer or early fall. But many do their hike starting in June and just tolerate the bugs, the crowds, the heat and sometimes the rain. It will mostly depend on when you have enough time off! Regardless of when you hike, the Long Trail will no doubt offer you a life time experience.

Mud Season Info: http://www.greenmountainclub.org/page.php?id=60

LT FAQ’s: http://www.greenmountainclub.org/page.php?id=113

End-to-End FAQ's: http://www.greenmountainclub.org/page.php?id=112

Whatever time you do it, good luck and have fun!

-Alicia