Sterling Pond Trail to Long Trail via Smugglers Notch Pass.

If you fund yourself in the Stowe, VT area during the summer months, Smugglers Notch Resort has a great array of trails for hiking around it’s three different mountains, Morse mtn. Madonna mtn. and Steeling mtn. The trails range from moderate to hard and include x-country skiing and mtn bike trails as well. One thing to note is that the altitude range is from 1100′ and the base to 3640′ at the top of

A view from the Top of Mt Madonna

Madonna mtn so it’s important to pace yourself at a pace slower than you might be used to if your not accustomed to higher altitude hiking.

Sterling Pond trail is a great late morning to early afternoon hike that will take about 3 hours or so including so resting time at the top for a beautiful view and some lunch.  The trail starts across from the parking area at right in the middle of the Notch and has about a 880 foot vertical ascent.  This is about 3 miles south of Smugglers Notch Resort on Rt 108.  The start of the trail consists of old wood/rock steps that in some spots are better avoided.  Since the trail is pretty popular, it well cared for and easy to navigate as long as you use general precaution on slippery rocks and such. 

The climb is pretty intense, especially in the hot/humid summer months so I made  sure to bring plenty of water to stay hydrated and focused.  There are several spots where I really needed to pay attention, or I could  have easily found myself tumbling down the side of the mountain.  Along the way there are several relatively flat spaces where I was able to take a break and look out over the greater Burlington valley.  I could tell I was getting close to the top of the trail when the trail started to become more and more narrow as the pine trees close in.  It almost felt like the beginning of a journey into Narnia and I half expected so see a Satyr standing by a clock as I exited the green.

I now stumbled upon what seems to be a large access road (at 3000′?!?!), but would later realize was a cross-country trail that was part of the famous “Long Trail”, (no its not just a great beer).  So I wondered down the trail in the direction of what seems to be the pinnacle of the Mt. Madonna.  About a

The Rock at Sterling Pond

1/4 mile down I cam to  Sterling Pond.  Its a beautifully peaceful lake perched at 2800′.  There is a large boulder at the end of the lake that I sat on for some time and just looked out at the beauty of world.  It really made me think about life and all that we miss in our busy lives.

Further around the lake there is another trail that leads to the top of one of Smuggs ski lifts.  I was amazed are how strange these large human movers look when not running and when not surrounded by snow and winter wanderers.  It almost seemed abandoned.  There was a ski hut, which seemed to be for the medical team, that was empty with the door open.  Naturally I decided I had to take a look around and see what was inside.  When I entered I immediately felt like the door was going to slam behind me and the horror movie would begin…but it didn’t.  It was a a very well planned space with sleeping quarters and a kitchen.  I wanted to unpack my bag and move in…permanently…but figured I’d eventually get kicked out.  The view out the large 10′x25′ window overlooking the entire valley was spectacular and I could hardly believe that such a prime piece of real estate could be abandoned.

I decided it was also completely necessary to climb up the ski lift and take a look around.  When you ski you really only appreciate the structure for its delivery services, but in fact it really is amazing that these thousands of yards of cable and steel just emerge through the millions of acres of forest.  I really was able to appreciate the amount of time, planning and resources that go into ski mountains.

It was now lunch time and what better place to sit and eat than atop a mountain overlooking miles and

Yet another breathtaking view

miles of beautiful untouched forest.  As I sat and enjoyed the beautiful, although humid, weather I started to really understand Thoreau and his desire to separate from society.  There something empowering and enjoyable about knowing you only have to answer to yourself and the forest around you.  If you respect the forest, it will respect you.

The remainder of my hike was slightly less satisfying having made it to the top, and it always seems the descent if less exciting then the ascent, but I guess that is due to the anticipation of the unknown.

Check out more photos from this hike on my flickr photostream.

Related posts:

1. Ponkapoag Pond Walking Trail
2. Photo of the Week: 8-28-09
3. Middlesex Fells: Rock Circuit

Middlesex Fells Rock Circuit is a moderate to hard 4 mile hike that includes an array of ascends and descends. This is part of the greater Middlesex Fells Reservation The trail runs through the east side of the reservation and its pinnacle (aptly named Pinnacle Rock) overlooks Oak Grove, and in the distance a great view of Boston.

The trail start out on Woodland Road and the best place to park in in the ice rink on Woodland Road. Alternatively there is parking about 100 yards up from the rink on the same side of the road. The entrance to the trail looks like a utility path blocked by a large metal beam. Just go around this and you’ll see the entrance sign (Photo on left). From here you follow the blue marked trail up the hill for about a 1/4 mile until you see the split in the trail for the white trail (Rock Circuit Trail).

Upon starting the Rock Circuit trail you quickly come to understand the reason for the name. The trail immediately starts to climb to the top of the rock ledges that sprinkle the reservation. As you follow the trail you come across many open rock ledges each providing a higher view than the next, but all still lacking any real exposure. Most are surrounded by the towering oak trees that give Oak Grove its name.

After about 1.5 miles you start to descend back towards see level without having really had any “view” to speak of, but not to worry, the grander views are still to come. About 2 miles into the trail you’ll have to cross a road, East Fellsway Road, at which point you quickly ascend back up the rock ledge. About a 1/2 mile from the East Fellsway you’ll come to your first of several impressive views of more than just oak tree trunks. This high ledge, called Black Rock (not the O.A.R. Black Rock), looks out over the small village of Oak Grove and to the right Charlestown and partly the boston harbor. Here we decided to take lunch as the views were the best of the day, not amazing, but still enjoyable, and the ledge seemed to be very flat and wide, which we had previously not seen.

After leaving Black Rock the trail gets a bit more challenging as we weaved through the cliffside, the trail goes up and down as series of ledges one can only imagine were carved by the glaciers so many millions of years ago. The next large open ledge you come across is White Rock. This gives another angle of Oak Grove, but its view beyond that is thwarted by the larger series of ledges that are to follow, so we didn’t give much time to White Rock. After several more climbs you are almost to Pinnacle Rock and the highlight of your travels.

As you approach Pinnacle Rock, we noticed a great 40 or so foot vertical ledge that had several rock climbers on it. If you feel ambitious I recommend bringing some gear (assuming your expierenced). Once upon Pinnacle Rock, your efforts are rewarded with some of the best views of the greater Boston area that are available on the north shore (on the south shore I recommend Blue Hills Reservation Skyline Trail.

The last part of the hike is simply just getting back to your car . I recommend staying for a few minutes and enjoying the sites, although i don’t recommend waiting to eat here, as the rock is not very flat and doesn’t afford many sitting areas. For the rest of the hike just follow the white trail back to where you started hiking, or if you are tired after this, then you can take the Cross Fells trail (orange).

For the GPS data and map on this route see my EveryTrail page and for several more photos my Flickr

Related posts:

1. Middlesex Fells Reservation
2. Ponkapoag Pond Walking Trail
3. Photo of the Week: 8-28-09

Location: Medford, MA (15 miles north of Boston)

Difficulty: trails range from easy walking trails to moderate/hard hiking.

Bikes? Yes

Pets: Yes, most people had dogs

Middlesex Fells Reservation is located right off of Interstate 93, exit 33, just a stones throw from Boston.  The main entrance is the best to use as it has the most parking and a trail map with other useful information about particular plant and insect life in the reservation.  There are plenty of trails to make this more a great spot for frequent visits as well as several bike paths that include a wide array of biking abilities. 

When we started out, we chose to go on the Reserve Trail (Orange), but shortly decided that we were looking for something a little harder and shortly switched to the Skyline Trail.  One thing to note is that the Reserve Trail is about 5.5 miles around all three lakes, but the Skyline Trail, if you follow the entire thing, is about 7 miles and takes a detour, after going around the lakes, to the far southeast corner of the reservation that has a great look out over Boston (perfect for sunsets). 

When we first pulled up we noticed that is was very busy and parking can be a bit dodgy, but it seemed ok to just pull up on the middle barrier if there wasn’t any spots.  We also noticed that a lot of people had dogs, so this would be a great place for a little dog-meet-up with other owners.

The Skyline trail starts with a quick ascent up about a 500 ft bit of rock to get the the “skyline” part of the trail. As you follow the trail it winds up and down the hills of the reservation with the occasional break in the trees providing spectacular views of the whole park.  eventually after about 2 miles you reach a spot where you can go sit on one of the lakes that is part of the town water supply.  It’s really peaceful place to sit as very few people take the skyline trail.  Great for a small snack or just a quick rest to enjoy the weather.

As the trail winds around the back side of the reservation it crosses the bike path several times, so be sure to watch out for speeding mountain bikers.  You’ll find that the trail seems to go up and down over the hills and on each down it crosses the Reserve Trail sever times, so its easy to switch to an easier path if you over estimated your fitness, or just are tired of climbing rocks.  One thing to note is that, as with most trails in the northeast, there are lots of snakes, especially this time of year, but they are just regular garter snakes so there is no need to worry (my girlfriend freaked out when the first one crossed our path).

When you get to the point in the picture to the right, it is important to note that this is the best(and last) place to switch to the Reserve Trail before you head up the moderate-hard hike to the southeast cliff that overlooks Boston.  There are beautiful view of Boston if you are up for the additional 2+ miles, but if you are running out of time, or just tired, it’s the best place to head back to the car (which will still be about half a mile away). 

If your up for the addtional 2 miles of the hardest part of the trail, then your up for some oustanding views of boston, as well as a great spot to have lunch, sit and relax, or even take a nap.  The top has a very old lookout tower that is closed to the public, but it adds a bit a scenic beauty to the whole skyline. 

Finally that last part of the trail is the final descent back to the parking lot.  This part is a series of ups and downs and each time you feel your making the final descent, it goes right back up.  Its about 2 miles of this before you are dumped right back to the main entrance that you entered the reservation and the parking lot is just up the hill.  If you make it this far, then congraduations you just made it about 7.5 miles of moderate-hard hiking and at about 370 calories/hour for about 3.5-4.5 hours i’d say its time for a nice hearty dinner!

You can check out my GPS trail as well as all the other photos from the trip on my flickr photostream.

Related posts:

1. Middlesex Fells: Rock Circuit
2. Lincoln Land Reservation
3. Ponkapoag Pond Walking Trail