"The Stowe 10". Tackle these 10 peaks surrounding the famous Vermont outdoor town of Stowe. Includes 6 peaks in the Green Mountains to the west and 4 in the Worcester Range to the east. All peaks have trails to the summits with approach trails from the Stowe Valley. A standout highlight of this challenge includes an alpine-zone ridge traverse over Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont.
Highest peak
Mount Mansfield
4,393 ft / 1,338 m
Most prominent peak
Mount Mansfield
3,633 ft / 1,107 m prom
Most summited peak
Mount Mansfield
407 summits
Most difficult peak
Mount Mansfield
Class 2
Difficulty breakdown
Class 1/2 1 peak
Highlights
- Traverse the 2.3 mi alpine ridge of Mount Mansfield, the longest stretch of above treeline terrain in Vermont
- Picnic on the popular Stowe Pinnacle, a short 3 mi hike to a bald, open summit with views back over the Stowe valley toward the Green Mountains
- Negotiate the cliffs and ledges of Elmore Mountain en route to 360 views from its fire tower
- Stand on the highest point in Vermont (Mt. Mansfield 4,393 ft) and take in sunset views over Burlington and Lake Champlain
Latest summits
"Skinned up Stowe after closing day, and took the backcountry gate exit from the top of the gondola towards Profanity Chute. Unfortunately the very top of the chute was too bare to think about skiing (I actually didn't even recognize it as I passed it) so I ended up skinning (with a bit of hiking here and there) to near the ridgeline along Profanity Trail. From there it was just a quick walk on mostly snow with some rocky patches to the summit, with only the last ~200 feet completely snow-free. If I hadn't had some pretty terrible blisters at that point I would have gone back for my skis and started higher. As it was, I was happy I was able to get as high as I did given the time of year. Skiing down was a blast: the chute along the trail was mostly filled in, aside from one precarious large posthole that I had to glissade past. After that, the trees were fantastic, with great coverage and plenty of nice open lines to the point where the only thing that slowed me down was my aching quads and the occasional rough tree snag (I did rip my jacket sadly). After re-joining the trails, there were a few bare patches that required navigating, but overall pretty damn good conditions for after ..." — wazoheat • Apr 23, 2024
"Hiked Mansfield for some Side to Side trails and another Calendar Day. Parked at the ski resort and headed up the road into Smugglers Notch. Went up Hell Brook Tr. Steep trail. Went up and over the Adams Apple. Very windy day and it was pushing me around. Backtracked briefly to claim all of Hell Brook Tr, then headed up to the summit. Windy on the northwest side. Tagged the summit and kept on moving southward. Followed the LT until the Forehead Bypass. Took that for 0.5 miles, then took South Link to Haselton Tr. Then quickly descended down Haselton Tr back to my car. 7.7 miles!!!" — newenglandwarrior • Sep 16, 2023
"Returned to our favourite peak in VT to bag Adam's Apple which we orphaned last time out. Hiked along the ridge, over Mansfield and to the Apple. Awesome day in the mountains in what has become our favourite destination. " — HikingViking • Aug 12, 2023
"Returned to our favourite peak in VT to bag Adam's Apple which we orphaned last time out. Hiked along the ridge, over Mansfield and to the Apple. Awesome day in the mountains in what has become our favourite destination. " — HikingViking • Aug 12, 2023
"Started at Stevensville Road Trailhead. Went up the Frost Trail to Long Trail and summited The Forehead. Kept on the Long Trail and summited The Nose. Returned by heading south on the Long Trail the Forehead Bypass then Wallace Cutoff to Butler Lodge. The Bypass has a lot of slick wet rock. Checked out the Butler Lodge and then descended via the Butler Lodge Trail. Total distance was 6.15 miles with 2,678 feet of elevation gain." — Zardoz • Jun 30, 2023