Planning on hiking the first 100 miles or so of the LT this summer (late July) with two of my college age kids that will continue on and thru-hike. My wife and youngest daughter want to join us for a few days off and on but have little interest in sleeping in tents/shelters with us. My son hiked the AT a couple of years ago and said there are tons of hostels and hotels on or close to the AT. Wondering if anyone could suggest some good places to stay in first 70 miles or so. Even better, is there a good resource to find lodging. Thank you!

Hi everyone, this will be my first thru on the east coast. I was curious to if anyone had any good recs for rain jacket brands or any other good tips for the long trail gear wise. Mainly just downsizing my pack is my biggest plan. Any little tips/tricks would be much appreciated!

17yo female planning an LT thru-hike in (probably) October. What do I need to know? I'm leaning NOBO, but open to suggestions. Hammock camping? Food storage and bear rules? All the things!

I have a few questions regarding gear/ planning if anyone could help me out. I plan on hiking the trail in mid May- early June and am aware that this is not an ideal starting time, but is not flexible for me, this is the only time I can fit the trail into my schedule due to work. Attached is my gear list, feel free to critique to try and help me get my base weight to sub 15. I would like to bang this puppy out in 20-22 days hoping to average 16 miles a day, 19miles a day for the first 104miles in 6 days, then slowing that down to 15 when it gets tough.

I am a college athlete with backpacking experience but never over 3 days out at one time. My goal is to stop only three times, the first after 6 days in Rutland, then in Waitsfield and finally at Jeffersonville.

https://lighterpack.com/r/q5m1ut

I am debating taking a puffy? I have a fleece that I will bring as a mid layer, is a puffy needed, how cold could I expect it being?

Looking into trading my heavy pillow for a blow up and wrapping clothes around it to minimize weight.

Am I missing any gear that I should bring?

I plan on earing a TYR sun hoodie I got for free and Nike 5inch shorts with compression socks to prevent recurring shin splints with Altra lone peaks and dirty girl gaiter's. I also plan on treating my clothes and pack with Permethrin.

Anyone familiar with the Hikers hostel in Rutland? Unfortunately the Inn at Long trail is closed when I plan on arriving so Hikers Hostel is the only cheap alternative.

Thanks for any feedback!

Hello! I’m planning on potentially hiking the LT in July. In my beginning planning stages i’m trying to figure out where to have my first resupply. I have no clue what my pacing would be and wanted to ask what sort of mileage I could expect to go. I’m a college aged woman who’s in good shape, but I know the terrain is rugged and I have 0 backpacking experience. I was thinking starting off with expecting 8-10mi/day and then titrating up gradually as I gain my legs and more confidence. Is that a crazy low or high amount to expect? I figured after Manchester I could determine my next resupplies based on my true mileage instead of planning every resupply now.

I know this is a tough question since none of you know me or my athletic skill, but I’d appreciate any insight on planning mileage and resupplies. That is my most confusing part for me as a newborn backpacker! Thank you and happy eclipse day! 😁

Are there any women/femmes out there who have experience hitchhiking? If so, I would love some advice on avoiding bad situations or if it's even remotely safe to try and hitch a ride in the first place. All the content I've been reading/watching on the trail has been made by men, who of course say that hitchhiking isn't a big deal so I'd love a different perspective. For context, I'm a 5'9" college aged woman and I'm fit, but wouldn't stand a chance against a random guy in his car. I plan on thru hiking the trail solo and in the spring(a few weeks earlier than the first wave of people), so I probably won't be able to find many hiking buddies to pair up with.

Can anyone tell me if Lincoln Gap Rd is closed for the season? Im looking to hike Mt Ellen and Abraham from the Long Trail trailhead this Saturday. Thanks!

Looking to do a section of long trail for a ~10-15 mile day hike, we have access to two cars so will just need two access points.

Are there any small sections you love or would suggest for a solid day hike? Location is not super important but south of Waitsfield preferred

I (F23) and my boyfriend (M24) and I have visited Vermont several times and it is actually where we plan on moving to within the next five years (housing is expensive!). We have hiked numerous different state (we are from PA) parks, national parks, neighboring state parks, yatta yatta….here and there. He is more experienced than I (having more experience with a weekend trip or two on the AT). I personally love walking/hiking…. though I mean, yes I still complain about any sort of incline but I get it done (just let me complain while I do it). We don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to walking the trail this year since we both work 9-5s and have other vacations planned… so we were thinking of doing a Thursday to Sunday trip. (I am a rambler, pardon me. I am giving more information than need be).

In your experience or just your best overall judgment, what would be a great place in Vermont to start and then stop? We are fine hiking 10 miles a day! 15 might be pushing it but with enough ‘training’ before mid May, I wouldn’t say we would rule it out.

Not sure if it means much… but something big for me for hiking is taking in the view or getting to an overlook/view point. It is what motivate me to keep going!

Finally put this together from my thruhike this past fall. Enjoy!! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2gVtLWJprt/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I have a week off of work in February, and there's an 8 or 9 mile stretch of the LT/AT that I haven't done yet, between Clarendon Gorge and Mt Tabor. I like to chip away at parts of the trail I haven't hiked before when I have down time, but haven't backpacked/camped in real winter before, at least any more than a mile or two. Would it be a terrible idea to try for that little section next month? I know there are survivalist people who hike the AT even in the worst of weather. I don't want to risk anything on top of mountains, but I'd maybe be alright in normal VT terrain.

I’m thinking of doing a LT thru hike in the fall but I can only manage 16 days — two weeks, Friday to Sunday. That’s inflexible.

I’m a very experienced backpacker and can do 20-25 mile days end to end, but I’ve never been out longer than a week

I don’t mind the feeling of being in the clock. I did the 100 mile wilderness in Maine last summer and had set aside just 5 days. A lot of things went wrong so keeping on schedule was a challenge. But this is a lot longer and more complicated. The logistics is what worries me. Losing half a day to resupply. Not having long days for 12 hours of hiking in late September.

So does this sound too ambitious? I’d go North to South so that if I have to bail before the finish I don’t miss the big mountains in the north.

I'm planning a SOBO thru hike in August. I have never done a thru hike and I am still a little new to backpacking but have 8 months to figure that out. I will have my dog with me, so I know my options are limited for shelters and getting into town. I have a great tent that's not too heavy and am upgrading my sleeping system. Still figuring out food, extra gear, and clothing and wanted any recs. Thanks in advance!

Not a post asking for advice, just sharing something I’m really excited about.

My wife and I decided to do a road-trip cross country and visit my sister in Albany. We finished the LT NOBO 2022 and wanted to pay it forward for all the help we got. Were thinking about posting up somewhere (maybe clarendon gorge) 4th of July with a cooler filled with beer/soda/seltzer and a grill rocking hotdogs with all the fixings. Then we will probably do a two day trek. Wish we could do more but we have a kid now.

Evening everybody! Vermonter here back in the State for good after 5 years in Florida, coming up on 30 next year I've decided I'm going to do the Long Trail, unfortunately I can't thru-hike it due to the way my vacation time works for my job so I'll have to chunk it up. I'm looking to start in May or June depending on weather, hopefully it won't be like last summer.

What I'm curious about from other Vermonters and those who've done the trail, how did you prepare for it? I haven't done any long distance hiking with a pack since I left the military 8 years ago, so I'm a little out of the game. Does anyone have any tips and good guides for prepping to begin the trail? I'm planning the South to North route in sections so It'll start not bad and get tougher over time which seems like the right move, but are there any day hikes in Vermont that are good prep work? I've turned myself back into a gym rat over the past few months running 3 miles 3-4 times a week but obviously that doesn't really compare to what the Trail has in store.

Every piece of info helps!

Hi all,

Me (20m) and a friend (21f) are planning on thru-hiking the trail this June-July. We know this isn't an ideal time bug wise, but as college students our options are limited. As Boston natives, we're both experienced walking 10ish miles a day, however that's on bricks, not hills and mountains.

Since we can only really train in Boston, we've been doing our best by training with incline treadmills and stairmasters. Is only training at the gym feasible, and if so is there a certain point/milestone that we might be "ready," or are we screwed from the start since we can't train on actual trails?

not a thru hike post but just wondering how conditions are with all the recent snow. Do you think snowshoes are needed if trying to go up mansfield?

I thru hiked the LT in the late 90s, when I was in my 20s. Now approaching 50 in less than 2 years, I’ve been contemplating doing it again. Of course I’m aware I’m not 24 anymore - lord knows I’m aware. I did it in 21 days back then , with 2 zero days. I’m shooting for 30 days this time , if I pull the trigger, but finishing it the only real goal.

Anyone I here ever tried/succeeded in doing an end to end in their 40s?

Tell me your stories, good and bad.

Friends and I are planning our first backpacking trip for next summer. We work at a resort near killington and are hoping to cover 100 miles in 2 weeks. Would we end up around Jay Peak if we started in Killington? Is 7-10 mi/day reasonable or too easy? We're beginner backpackers

I don’t have a ton of free time to do the long trail in a short amount of time so I’ve decided I’d like to hike the entire length of the long trail, over about the next 5 years. I’d like to do it in 3-5 day sections a couple times a year and am looking for recommendations. I’m going to buy the end to enders guide but I’d love to hear any recommendations from people who have broken it up like this for tracking which sections have been done, planning, places to park/drop cars, etc…

I lost my bearikade weekender around NOBO mile 113 back in august after it fell off my pack during a storm and I couldn’t find it due to the undergrowth. It’s covered in stickers and has some reflective tape on it. I doubt it will be found but if it is found it’s serial #20086.

So me and a few friends spontaneously decided to plan a section hike of the 100 miles that coincides with the AT. I know this isn't a lot to some ppl but I haven't had the chance to do a straight backpacking trip this long yet. I'm mostly looking for general advice.

For context me and my 3 friends r avid hikers/ campers and can do an avg of 10 miles give or take (albeit in Pennsylvania on probably easier hikes... I'm working on it lol). We wanna do it mid-late summer but we're in college and go back late Aug.

-How do shuttles work? I hear a lot about them but idk how to find info on them.

Is there any advice u have for planning a trip? Gear advice? Sections to be wary of or that are exceptionally interesting? Stuff u wish u knew beforehand?

I'm sorry this is long I just have never planned a trip like this and I'm really excited but don't know where to start!

I am looking to do a small section hike (2 - 3 days in the northern section near mt mansfield) and I want to find more info on shelters but cant seem to find an online resource for it. Ideally it would be an interactive map where I could view distances between the shelters, but any registry of the shelters would work. Thank you

Hoping to get a start of Oct 2nd and see how far I can get … too late? Anyone else starting at a similar time?

I'm planning a weekend trip (Fri-Sun) for my college's outdoors club for early October and just want to see if my planning is reasonable.

Friday: Leave in the morning and drive to parking (4.5-5hr drive), park at either 3500 Upper Cold River Rd or 7500 Cold River Rd (haven't found very recent information on what these parking lots are like so would appreciate if anyone has been in the area recently). Hike to Clement Shelter and sleep there (4 miles from the further parking lot, 2 miles from the closer one. Sleep at the Clement Shelter (any information on what the shelter is like would also be appreciated).

Saturday: Hike from Clement Shelter to Killington Peak and back, possibly go up to Little Killington (not sure if there is a trail for this?), should be around 8-9 miles round trip (?), camp at Clement Shelter again.

Sunday: Hike out and drive back

In terms of water, would we be fine to use the Sargent brook assuming we have our own filtration system? Overall we may be taking some less experienced backpackers with us so I tried to make the daily distances pretty reasonable so we don't end up hiking in the dark. Let me know what you think!

From bottom to top: First parking lot, second parking lot, Clement Shelter, Little Killington, Killington Peak

I'm planning to start a Sobo thru around Sept 15 and on the fence on whether to bring microspikes. Seems like there's possibilities of snow and freezing temps at that time but don't have a good gauge on what that could mean for trail conditions.

Anyone hiked around the same time last year that can share experience? For those hiking the same area around the same time, are you bringing snow/ice gear?

Howdy all,

I’m trying to tackle LT about 3 days at a time, about 1/2 done.

I haven’t had any luck with shuttles—any thoughts on best approach? My hope is to drive in, park, hike, then shuttle back up to where I parked.

Tried calling off GMC list with no luck yet.

Thanks!