Long Trail: Monroe Skyline

The 273-mile Long Trail tracing the spine of Vermont’s Green Mountains has a well-deserved reputation for bringing the pain—to your quads. It shoots straight up and over peaks, instead of switchbacking. This 15-mile section—known as the Monroe Skyline—is a prime example. Expect 8,000 feet of ups and downs, challenging routefinding around blowdowns, hand-over-hand scrambles up steep granite slabs, and thin sidehill traverses. No pain, no gain, right?
You’ll enjoy wicked multi-state views from the tips of the ‘Dacks all the way down to the surface of Lake Champlain. The bald, 4,083-foot summit of Camel’s Hump, which is this section’s crux, features rare (for this latitude) alpine vegetation and a stone lodge for weary hikers. You’ll also find pure solitude on seldom-traveled Mounts Ira Allen and Ethan Allen, and then finish up by descending one of the Long Trail’s few long, rocky ridgewalks.
INFO: No permits required. (802) 244-5867; greenmountainclub.org.
-Mapped by Berne Broudy

Trail Facts

• Distance: 24.3

Waypoints

LNG113

Location: 44.211026, -72.930738

The LT re-enters the woods and begins a steep climb up a two-tiered climb up Baby Stark and Molly Stark Mountain. This climb is one of the steepest, stretches on the LT. Ahead, the LT passes a junction with the Overlook Trail.

LNG114

Location: 44.225163, -72.925326

Just past the summit of Molly Stark Mountain, reach Molly Stark’s Balcony, an overlook that offers great views of Camel’s Hump to the north/northeast. From here it’s a short descent to Birch Glen Camp, the end of section 8.

LNG115

Location: 44.23659, -72.930078

Section 8 ends at Birch Glen Camp.

LNG116

Location: 44.236663, -72.929879

Section 9 departs northeast from Birch Glen Camp heading toward Huntington Gap.

LNG117

Location: 44.240892, -72.909341

The LT crosses Huntington Gap and also the Catamount Trail.

LNG118

Location: 44.25456, -72.905827

The LT passes the Cowles Cove shelter.

LNG119

Location: 44.262763, -72.897048

The LT passes the Hedgehog Trail. Ahead, the climb up Burnt Rock Mountain gets steep with a few scrambling sections.

LNG120

Location: 44.267714, -72.895918

Burnt Rock Mountain: Enjoy views north of Ira and Ethan Allen as well as Camel’s Hump. The LT is about to head up all three. Ahead, the LT drops off Burnt Rock via a trail ladder before making a steady ascent of the east slopes of Ira Allen up the “Paris Skidway.”

LNG121

Location: 44.301002, -72.879868

The LT meets the Allis Trail and turns left to continue towards the Montclair Glen Lodge and then then Wind Gap.

LNG122

Location: 44.293876, -72.884331

Mount Ethan Allen: Enjoy the overlook to the east. Ahead, the LT descends north to Wind Gap before the steep climb up Camels Hump.

LNG123

Location: 44.303489, -72.882915

The LT passes a junction for the Forest City Trail; ahead at Wind Gap, the trail jogs west then east to begin clambering up the southern face of Camels Hump.

LNG124

Location: 44.318861, -72.887004

The LT meets a bad weather bypass option (the yellow-blazed Alpine Trail) which leads around the Jump to rejoin the LT heading north. Ahead, the LT skirts below th southern face of the hump and climbs the more manageable (but exposed) rocks on the south/west side.

LNG125

Location: 44.319551, -72.886335

Camels Hump: Great views abound from the summit–Mt. Mansfield to the north, Mt. Washington to the east, Mt. Marcy (and other Adirondacks) to the west. The LT continues north across the exposed rock summit area; use caution not to disturb the sensitive alpine plants in this area.

LNG126

Location: 44.321994, -72.885498

Continue through Camel’s Hump Clearing, the site of an old 19th century mountain lodge. from here, the LT begins a steady descent off the Hump on an exposed ridgeline (one of only a few on the entire LT).

LNG127

Location: 44.32907, -72.87918

The LT meets up again with the Alpine Trail (the bad weather bypass around the Hump summit).

LNG128

Location: 44.349478, -72.865148

The LT passes the Bamforth Ridge shelter. Here, the descent mellows and the trail soon widens.

LNG129

Location: 44.362036, -72.876348

The LT turns north to descend through a drainage. Here there is access to the Gleason Brook. Ahead the trail crosses over the Brook via a bridge before finishing the descent.

LNG130

Location: 44.369202, -72.879408

Here the LT meets Duxbury Road. Turn left to continue continue 3.2 miles to Cochran Road. There, turn right, walk across the Jonesville Bridge, across US-2, under I-89, and continue north for about .3 mi to re-enter the woods at waypoint 131.

Hiking in the Green Mountains

Location: 44.360985, -72.868195

Camel’s Hump State Forest

Location: 44.211234, -72.931334

Cowles Cove Shelter

Location: 44.254562, -72.905809

Climbing Burnt Rock

Location: 44.265501, -72.895639

Blazes on Burnt Rock

Location: 44.26607, -72.895403

The LT’s white blazes are painted on the bare rock on the way up Burnt Rock.

Trail Ladder

Location: 44.272154, -72.895875

Dropping down a trail ladder into Ladder Ravine.

Ethan Allen Overlook

Location: 44.293906, -72.88373

Montclair Glen Lodge

Location: 44.301032, -72.882571

Up the Hump

Location: 44.306253, -72.8827

Steep rock scrambles are the name of the game.

Camel’s Hump

Location: 44.307359, -72.883258

The prominent summit is present throughout the climb.

Sidehill Scramble

Location: 44.319534, -72.887592

The exposed sidehill slab on Camels Hump.

The Final Push

Location: 44.319365, -72.88682

A hiker approaches the Camels Hump summit.

Views on the Descent

Location: 44.329389, -72.878923

The descent from Camels Hump offers great views as well.

Hump Cairns

Location: 44.330372, -72.878709

Cairns mark the route down from Camels Hump.

Steep Roots

Location: 44.359973, -72.86871

The descent down towards Bolton steepens here.