Mt. Mansfield: The Full Circuit

I never get sick of hiking Mt. Mansfield.  I've hiked it countless time and have tackled just about every trail, but still it doesn't get old.  Something about being at the highest point in the state is quite appealing.  It's such a majestic mountain.  Seeing every day from Burlington and knowing that you've conquered it is quite satisfying.  Part of the allure is the drive.  It's an easy 40 minutes from Burlington, but it has such a remote and far-off feeling once you get there.  Taking the right hand turn onto the dirt road to head up toward Underhill State Park, basically sitting at the base of the mountain, sends shivers down my spine.  Every time.

By far my favorite way to hike the mountain is by doing what we've dubbed the full circuit.  I've recently learned that this is referred to as the "grand loop," but I much prefer the full circuit.  Starting at Underhill State Park, you take the Eagle's Cut trail an easy .6 miles (a nice warmup) to the clearing where the trails split off.  The common approach is to head left toward either the Laura Cowles trail or the Sunset Ridge Trail.  We head right.

The trail follows the old CCC road (basically a slightly wider than average hiking trail) for approximately a mile before it ends and the Maple Ridge Trail begins.  After roughly a mile and a half (maybe 2 miles) of up and down climbing and rock hopping, you reach the Forehead.  While not technically a separate mountain and not even above 4,000 ft, the Forehead is appealing mostly because there is rarely anyone up there.  Next, head north on the Long Trail across the ridge of the mountain for about 2 miles to the chin.  This is where we like to jog.  Jogging at 4,000 ft is pretty cool.  This is also where we start running into people who have either driven up or taken the Gondola up.  Part of me is glad that there is way for everyone to enjoy the mountain, whether they like hiking or not, but part of me wishes it was open only to hikers.  Like Camel's Hump.  This is an issue to be tackled another time.  Reaching the chin and stomping on the USGS medallion is nothing short of gratifying.  From there, its an easy 3.3 miles down the Sunset Ridge trail back to Underhill State Park.

As Sam and I have discussed over and over again, each season of hiking has it's draws.  Summer, obviously, is perhaps the easiest season to hike in because at higher altitudes the air is cooler and because of the warm summer weather you can typically get away with a very small pack and can often pack many more miles into the day.  Spring, with its warm weather at the bottom and snow and often storm-like conditions at the top really shows you how crazy the mountains can be.  I don't think I need to explain why fall is appealing.  Foliage.

And winter.  Oh, winter.  There is nothing quite like winter hiking.  It takes a lot more preparation to get all layered up, make sure you have the proper gear and supplies to stay warm, fed, and hydrated, and the hike itself always takes longer, particularly depending on how much snow is on the mountain, how recently it was dumped, and how well-traveled the trail you are taking is.  But the winter just turns the mountain into a whole new experience.  As Sam puts it, the mountains become playgrounds.

Sam and I did the full circuit last March, with plenty of snow on top.  I don't think we saw another soul until we got close to the Chin on the LT.  Then all we saw were skiers and snowboarders "hiking" over to the Chin from the Gondola.  We were questioned on several occasions as to where our boards were.  Some people just don't understand the allure of hiking.  Here's a view of Lake Champlain and across to the Adirondacks:

And here's the same view from an early summer full circuit hike with Sara, this time at Twilight:

If you've never hiked Mt. Mansfield before, I recommend the full circuit.  And if you've hiked it countless times but have never done this particular loop, I again highly recommend it.  It's a great experience that doesn't disappoint.