Hiking Mount Ascutney, Vermont
Caroline and I hiked up Mount Ascutney a couple of weeks ago. It was the first mountain we climbed after our wedding and I think it’s fair to say that we were both in better shape before the wedding. Weeks of preparations and celebrations didn’t exactly allow us to work out or hike and stay in shape.
Mount Ascutney is located in eastern Vermont, near the town of Windsor and quite close to Saint-Gaudens. (Remember we were there for Memorial Day?) The mountain is in fact visible from that historic site across the New Hampshire border.
The eastern slope of the mountain comprises Mount Ascutney State Park. The North Peak, South Peak and the majority of hiking trails leading to the summit are located in the park. Mount Ascutney is a monadnock – lone-standing mountain – and is 3,144 feet (958 m) high. It actually used to be a volcano reaching 20,000 feet (6,000 m) into the sky. Wind, water and time have eroded the mountain to the gentle green peak it is today.
There is a nice selection of hiking trails on the mountain and we chose to hike the Weathersfield Trail. The trailhead is situated off Route 131 in Weathersfield. It takes about an hour and forty-five minutes to complete the 2.9-miles (4.7 km) to the summit. The trail runs up and down for the first mile or so and then starts to climb steadily. On the way there are a few points of interest, including the Cascade Falls, Gus’ Lookout and West Peak Vista. In particular the West Peak offers pretty great views and it is in fact a major hang gliding site in New England.
Unlike Mount Moosilauke and Mount Cardigan, this time the summit was a complete disappointment. The actual summit is surrounded by trees and occupied by communication towers. It’s a terrible summit and I didn’t like it at all. There is, however, an observation tower about 0.1 miles (160 m) from the summit that you climb and the views aren’t too bad.
It’s another hour and forty-five minutes back down along the same trail. Although the trail itself was quite good and well-maintained and we did see some nice scenery and landscapes, I would not suggest climbing Mount Ascutney. It’s not worth it. Whenever I’m hiking up a mountain, I appreciate some form of reward when you reach the summit. That wasn’t the case whatsoever here.
On the way down we found two awesome walking sticks, which kind of made up for the crappy summit…
Bummer about the summit. If I’m hauling my butt up a mountain, I better be rewarded with some stellar views.
Haha, right?! 🙂
An hour and 45 minutes….what did you do, run up??? By most accounts, my own as well, it is about a two and a half hour hike up the Weather’s field trail to the summit.
Rick
It’s less than 3 miles from the trailhead to the summit. A steady walking pace will get you to the summit in under 2 hours. We definitely didn’t run up 🙂
Disappointing summit!? Not a chance! I hike this mountain, specifically this trail frequently. It’s a fantastic hike with great views.
Hi Meg. I totally agree it’s en enjoyable hike, but I do also think there are many and much better summit hikes in Vermont.