Hi all! I'm planning a potential 5-7 day hike of the Long trail in mid October. Does anyone have any experience hiking around this time?? My current worries are temperature/ potential fall bear activity lol... (tho I may be overthinking it). Thanks!!! :)

Anyone have any advice on how safe it is to leave a car overnight at the Beane Trailhead? Does anyone know of any shuttles/services that can take a hiker from Route 2 trailhead back to Beane on Sunday afternoon?

Hey, anybody have any information on these shelters? Is there area to set up tents nearby? Are they near water sources? Can't find a lot of information/pictures about them. Thanks!

Hey! Seems like there’s potential showers in Vermont this week. If you were going to do a 4 day backpacking trip tomorrow-Friday with about only 5 miles a day, where would you start and finish?

😌

Totally subjective, I know, but if someone were looking for a way to judge their physical fitness for doing the Long Trail, what would you suggest?

I'm planning a NOBO hike of the Long Trail from Rte 4 to the northern terminus, and will have to drive about 3 hours to get to the Rte 4 road crossing. Is there anywhere near Rte 4 that offers long term parking (either paid or unpaid) where I could leave my vehicle during the hike? I anticipate taking about 10 days to do this section of the trail.

I contacted the Inn at the Long Trail and was told they offer free parking at the trailhead across the street, but I am hesitant to leave my car at a trailhead for over a week. I see that the Rutland airport offers free parking as well- is that a feasible place to park for 10ish days? Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Hi friends,

First time, long time. I am planning on an overnight portion of the Long Trail from Lincoln Gap to Camel's Hump.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/vermont/lincolns-gap-to-camels-hump-via-long-trail?u=i&sh=thvrj2

My schedule and cardiovascular system are open to make this trip in 2 days or 3 days.

Where are the best places to sleep on this trail? I will have my tent with me just in case.

Shine On!

Hi all! I’ve been looking into trying a SOBO thru hike of the LT this October, starting sometime within the first week of the month. I know I can expect to be decently cold at night, but I’m just curious if I’ll be fine with predominantly 3-season gear? (Some reference, I currently have a 15° sleeping bag & 4.5R sleeping pad). Also, how comparable is the LT to the sections of the AT in the White Mountains? I live in the Whites & hike them frequently, with the longest continuous section of the AT I’ve done being only 70mi (5 days, Kinsman to Pinkham notch). That & a 2 day Pemi loop is pretty much the extent of my solo backpacking experience so far. Is this unrealistic to try? Honestly, any thoughts, concerns & feedback from anyone who’s done sections during this time of year/at all would be really helpful:)

Hello, I plan on hiking end to end on the Long Trail next summer. What are some good shakedown hikes, that would be around 2 to 3 nights, within the area? (Or further west into the Adirondacks) Thanks! All suggestions are helpful.

Hello, I plan on hiking the Long Trail next July after I graduate from high school. I've got no family or friends who are interested in pursuing such a goal, are there any resources as to where I can find other people to group up with, atleast near the beginning? I'm new to longer distance hiking, and I'd rather not start alone. Thanks!

Good morning,

My wife and I are considering hiking portions of the Long Trail, inn-to-inn format. I've got questions about distances. When I map the distance from Bennington to Rutland, on foot, I get 70 miles. However, when I reference the larger map as a whole, I see that that portion is 86 miles. For my wife and I, that's an entire stage.

With that in mind, these are the stages I'm looking at:

Bennington

Arlington

Manchester Center

Danby

Rutland

Killington

Doable? I know lodging in some places is an issue; we can work around that.

Heading out on my first thru attempt in about a week. I’m curious what your favorite stops along the way were? Maybe it’s a don’t miss shelter/hostel, a great in town meal, a special place to see a sunrise/sunset or somewhere to just hang out for a bit. What advice can you offer from your trip that you wouldn’t want another hiker want to miss? So excited! Many thanks in advance!

Hey y'all! Wondering what people do with their water bottles that have drink mixes in them at night. I have a bear vault for food but realized I plan to mix Liquid IV in one of my 1L SmartWater bottles and it doesn't fit in the bear vault. Is it recommended I just stash it near where I stash the bear vault? Thanks!!

Hello good people. I'm going to be visiting Keene during the first week of October, and I want to spend a couple of days on the LT. My concern is that I tend to get a little freaked out sleeping in a tent if I'm the only one at a campsite. Looking at the map, presumably if I start near Route 9, and hike for the day, I will get to Goddard or Kid Gore. If I'm hiking midweek, what are the chances that there will be someone else spending the night there? Will the chances be greater on the weekend? If I hike a different southern section, would that change my chances of having a neighbor or two?

Thanks!

I've never hiked the LT, but I'd like to do a 2-3 day hike sometime within the next 2-4 weeks. I'm thinking I'd like to park somewhere near the trail where I can leave my car safely, hike in either direction, hammock camp, and turn around. I'm also open to parking somewhere and then shuttling to somewhere else and then hiking back to where my car is.

I'm coming from Cape Cod, and ideally would not drive beyond mid-Vermont.

Also, is it reasonable to expect to be able to hammock camp, dispersed camping style?

I'd really appreciate any suggestions, thank you!

I’m starting my NoBo thru hike tentatively on Sept. 5th. I’d like to leave my car at the end so that whenever I finish I can just drive home from there. Can you park at the trailhead for the access trail (is it allowed;is it safe) or if not is there somewhere close that is a good place to leave it?

I'm hiking end-to-end in September and I'm wondering which sleeping bag to take. I have a 30 degree bag and a 16 degree bag. I have a neo-air four season sleeping pad.

Hello! I'm planning to section hike SOBO from the AT junction near Rutland all the way down to Williamstown in late september. I'd like some feedback either that my plan to get to the trailhead won't work for whatever reason, that it will, or that there's a better way. Here's what I've got:

1. Day 0 - drive into Williamstown, overnight at motel
2. Day 1 - Green Mountain Express Purple Line from Field Park Traffic Circle to Bennington Green Mountain Express Transit Center (~0900-0930)
3. Day 1 - Vermont Translines from Green Mountain Express Transit Center to Rutland MVRT Transit Center (1400-1530)
4. Day 1 - MVRT Rutland Killington Commuter from MVRT Transit Center to Inn at Long Trail on US4 (1615-1645)
5. Day 1 - Hike in to first campsite (~Tucker Johnson)
6. Day 2 - Begin SOBO

I've been using https://www.longtrailvermont.com/ and the GMC published materials for reference, but the site has some out of date information and the books are light on section hike trail connections.

Other assorted questions:

• Does the Williamstown Motel still offer overnight parking? GMC book suggests that trailhead parking is a bad idea for overnight use.
• Is a 20 degree sleeping bag enough for late september? It seems like it should be especially with layers.
• What's the food storage situation like? Are bear boxes available enough to get away without an Ursack/canister?

I know that seems far off, but I'm already in my second year of a 3.5 year plan to make this feasible.

My first year was literally just physical therapy and walks. My ligaments are all from the Dollar Store, so I started waaaay behind the curve here just learning how to not be injured from daily existence.

This year, I'm hiking more! I've worked my way up from 2-3 mile hikes to 5-12 mile hikes. I'm still incredibly slow with elevation, but my goal is to do Ascutney next month. I've done Mt. Abraham and a few others, and hike almost every weekend, even if it's just something short and local. I have a personal trainer to help with my strength and joint stability, and am up to 4 mile morning walks daily.

2025 is the Year of Backpacking. Figure out gear, develop more than rudimentary camping skills (I've only been car camping), and work on carrying more weight without wrecking myself. I also plan on taking a wilderness first aid course, because the idea of getting injured out there makes me nervous as heck. Plan to do a week long hike somewhere, maybe on the southern half of the LT or elsewhere.

2026: Finesse. Logistics. Whatever health and fitness stuff I'm still most behind on at this point.

August 2026: DO THE THING.

I know it's silly, since a lot of people just up and do it, but this is literally the one thing that's keeping me motivated right now. And I wanted someone out in the world to know about it.

I did end up going to Burrows Trail yesterday. If you're curious about road conditions to the parking area here's what I experienced.

1. The road is completely passable. No need for AWD/4x4. I saw a Prius make it up. So, yeah....
2. The road is still narrow/single lane in a lot of parts due to side washout. Pulling over for oncoming traffic might prove difficult in some spots and in some cases, you'll be pulling over onto someone's private property. Be courteous, be cautious, and maybe even drive a bit slower than the posted speed limit.
3. The parking lot was packed for a Tuesday. Given that access to the Monroe trail is closed off, I would expect this trailhead to be busier then usual for the foreseeable future. Weekends there are going to be hell.

What’s everyone doing for the hurricane

Does anyone know the current condition of Camels Hump Road in Huntington? GMC hasn't updated their road conditions since 7/17 and I can't find anything on Huntington's website. GMC says travel isn't recommended, but I have a 4x4 truck with a lift and off road tires. So, if it's passable, I'd like to get over there today.

Hi folks! I'm headed to the NOBO hike of the LT in early September. I'm headed from Canada and want to pick up a paper map, except the cost of getting one mail to Canada is a bit absurd. Are there any locations close to the southern terminus that are known to the stock paper maps?

I’ll be driving down with two other hikers from the Burlington area. One (me) has to work the day we are leaving so we won’t get to Williamstown until around 5:00 PM. Looking for advice on where to stay that night.

1. Hike into Sherman Brook campsite
2. Find a hotel to stay at and hit the trail early the following morning.

I’m not finding a lot about Sherman Brook and don’t want to end up rushed or without space for three tents the first night.

I should mention, the other to hikers are my kids in their 20s so they are super capable but I’d like to have an idea where we are going to stay night one. Any help or ideas are much appreciated!

Hiking 100 miles of the LT NOBO with my s/o. Plan for resupply in manchester with an overnight stay there. Its about a 5 mile hike from where the trail crosses Route 11… are there usually any trail angels for rides into town? or any issues hitch hiking? im curious to hear any experiences with this. Thanks

I will be heading NOBO (from Williamstown MA) starting Friday 8/2 and just seeing how far I get by Monday afternoon/evening where my wife and kids will pick me up.

It's looking like it will be pretty damn warm that weekend. I will be sleeping in a hammock (mantis with rain fly). Not planning a sleeping bag or even a blanket given the "high" lows for evenings. I have a very thick sweatshirt and sleep pretty warm already.

Anyway...

For others who have hiked the LT, what is your must have item or even something you were desperate to have but didn't pack or didn't have?

This is my first overnight hike and I'm not in shape, so I am packing just about as light as I can. I'm also not "hiking my ass off" - just starting out and seeing where I get to.

I've also yet to purchase any bear-proof storage. I've already spent too much on gear and another $90 on one item makes me sad. I see that bear-proof storage is a requirement - do I have any other option than these expensive canisters?

Thanks in advance! I love any and all advice!

Going to hike the first 70 or so miles of the LT with two of my kids (22 and 20) who have all the gear and are more experienced than I am. I am trying to save money and weight and have been thinking about getting a cheap light blanket off amazon vs an expensive new sleeping bag. Leaving 8/2 so it will be warm (probably) and I’m only on for a week.

Two questions:

Is a blanket a mistake? If not, any suggestions for a blanket?

Thank you!

Hi, I have decided to attempt to thru hike the long trail and am looking for advice on how to plan the trip. I have no experience backpacking (some day hiking experience) but others on this sub Reddit seem to think that’s not a problem as long as I do the right research. Are there any good resources you guys recommend I use for my research, anything specific to the long trail? I just got some time off so I really need to get the research and prep stuff done quickly so I can get out there. Also thanks for the extra motivation from the people encouraging me to give it a shot.