Hikes to Backcountry Shelters in Vermont

Trails that reach a backcountry shelter — the natural target for a first overnight, and the building blocks of a longer trip. 35 routes across 12 Vermont hiking areas, each with a real elevation profile computed from the route geometry.

TrailAreaDistanceGainDifficulty
Sterling Pond Shelter via Long TrailStowe6.6 mi1,818 ftStrenuous
Stony Brook Shelter via Appalachian TrailKillington8.5 mi1,524 ftStrenuous
Taft Lodge via Hell Brook TrailStowe2.5 mi1,692 ftModerate
Congdon Shelter Loop via Appalachian TrailGlastenbury3.1 mi345 ftEasy
Duck Brook Shelter via Old Long TrailCamel's Hump5.8 mi641 ftModerate
Sunrise Shelter via Long TrailMoosalamoo4.5 mi729 ftModerate
Rolston Rest Shelter via Long TrailKillington14.2 mi1,677 ftStrenuous
Big Branch Shelter via Appalachian TrailBromley & Stratton9.1 mi518 ftModerate
Clarendon Shelter via Appalachian TrailKillington2.2 mi587 ftModerate
Happy Hill Shelter via Appalachian TrailUpper Valley4.5 mi469 ftModerate
Bear Hollow Shelter via Long TrailStowe4.9 mi786 ftModerate
Bromley Shelter via Corridor 7Bromley & Stratton4.8 mi611 ftModerate
Congdon Shelter via Appalachian TrailGlastenbury8.1 mi1,074 ftHard
Goddard Shelter via Appalachian TrailGlastenbury19.4 mi2,088 ftStrenuous
Governor Clement Shelter via Catamount Side TrailKillington8 mi622 ftModerate
Log Shelter via Futures TrailMount Ascutney3.2 mi834 ftModerate
Lost Pond Shelter via Old Job TrailBromley & Stratton6.8 mi682 ftModerate
Pico Camp Shelter via Sherburne Pass TrailKillington3.5 mi881 ftModerate
Roundtop Shelter via Long TrailStowe2.7 mi728 ftModerate
Sunrise Shelter via Chittenden Brook TrailMoosalamoo4.3 mi1,182 ftHard
Tucker Johnson Shelter via Long TrailKillington5.3 mi852 ftModerate
Amity Pond Shelter Loop via Amity Pond TrailUpper Valley1.5 mi303 ftEasy
Bishop Trail and Rim Run LoopBrattleboro1.9 mi469 ftEasy
Corliss Camp via Long TrailNorthern Long Trail10 mi1,236 ftStrenuous
Cowles Cove Shelter via Catamount TrailCamel's Hump10.7 mi1,306 ftStrenuous
Kid Gore Shelter via Appalachian TrailGlastenbury16.6 mi1,992 ftStrenuous
Churchill Scott Shelter via Appalachian TrailKillington4.1 mi116 ftEasy
Old Job Shelter via Appalachian TrailBromley & Stratton4.6 mi211 ftEasy
Spruce Ledge Camp via Long TrailNorthern Long Trail3.6 mi557 ftModerate
Pine via House Rock TrailChamplain Valley1.4 mi444 ftEasy
Story Spring Shelter Loop via Appalachian TrailBromley & Stratton1.5 mi265 ftEasy
Cloudland Shelter via Appalachian TrailUpper Valley1.4 mi264 ftEasy
Governor Clement Shelter via Appalachian TrailKillington1.4 mi142 ftEasy
Story Spring Shelter via Appalachian TrailBromley & Stratton1.5 mi216 ftEasy
Moose Viewing Platform via Notch Pond RoadNortheast Kingdom9.9 mi349 ftModerate

Where to find them

Frequently asked questions

How many hikes to shelters are there in Vermont?

RidgeSync maps 35 of them, spread across 12 hiking areas. The largest concentration is in Killington & the Coolidge Range.

What is the best of Vermont's hikes to shelters?

Sterling Pond Shelter via Long Trail in Stowe is the most popular: 6.6 miles with 1,818 ft of gain, rated strenuous.

All Vermont hiking