Snowflea
New member
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2003
- Messages
- 1,104
- Reaction score
- 284
Elmore Mtn. via Firetower and Ridge Trails - 9/03/14
This is a gem of a hike in Elmore State Park near Morrisville/Stowe, Vermont.
Rising above beautiful Lake Elmore, Elmore Mtn. is not very high at 2608 feet but makes for a perfect 2-3 hour hike complete with a firetower which provides awesome views.
We paid our $3 entry fee and proceeded up the Firetower Trail. The first part of this trail is a woods-access road and coincides with a section of the Catamount Trail, Vermont's end-to-end ski route. About 1/2 mile up this road, the Catamount Trail continues straight (looks like a lovely trail!) while the Firetower Trail hangs a right. The trail becomes steeper and rougher as it climbs, with the final 1/4 mile or so the toughest. Total climb is just under 1500 ft.
The firetower near the summit is quite tall and offers spectacular 360 degree views. Some of the floor boards were being replaced on this day.
We continued to Balancing Rock on Ridge Trail encountering a smattering of nice ledges along the way. As of just 2012, the Ridge Trail continues another 1 1/2 miles along the - duh - ridge and connects back up to the Firetower Trail on the lower road section. Being only two years old, a lot of the Ridge Trail is still spongy underfoot.
It is almost exactly 4 miles total for the loop. We also did the separate 1/2 mile Nature Trail which is accessed from the same trailhead. This short but hilly loop passes by a nice cascading brook that is crossed and recrossed on wooden bridges.
We finished off the day at Lost Nation Brewing in Morrisville. (My fave was the Petit Ardennes!)
This is a gem of a hike in Elmore State Park near Morrisville/Stowe, Vermont.
Rising above beautiful Lake Elmore, Elmore Mtn. is not very high at 2608 feet but makes for a perfect 2-3 hour hike complete with a firetower which provides awesome views.We paid our $3 entry fee and proceeded up the Firetower Trail. The first part of this trail is a woods-access road and coincides with a section of the Catamount Trail, Vermont's end-to-end ski route. About 1/2 mile up this road, the Catamount Trail continues straight (looks like a lovely trail!) while the Firetower Trail hangs a right. The trail becomes steeper and rougher as it climbs, with the final 1/4 mile or so the toughest. Total climb is just under 1500 ft.
The firetower near the summit is quite tall and offers spectacular 360 degree views. Some of the floor boards were being replaced on this day.
We continued to Balancing Rock on Ridge Trail encountering a smattering of nice ledges along the way. As of just 2012, the Ridge Trail continues another 1 1/2 miles along the - duh - ridge and connects back up to the Firetower Trail on the lower road section. Being only two years old, a lot of the Ridge Trail is still spongy underfoot.
It is almost exactly 4 miles total for the loop. We also did the separate 1/2 mile Nature Trail which is accessed from the same trailhead. This short but hilly loop passes by a nice cascading brook that is crossed and recrossed on wooden bridges.
We finished off the day at Lost Nation Brewing in Morrisville. (My fave was the Petit Ardennes!)
