Cliff Hangers
Posted August 26th, 2009
The cliff was small, maybe 10 feet wide, though it seemed to shrink as I neared the edge. I felt dizzy and terribly heavy, as if gravity pulled harder on me the closer I got to the abyss. I sat down with my feet toward the drop-off, then slowly inched forward. The white-capped waves 500 feet below looked like dotted lines traveling across the deep black water.
This is the view from Pulpit Rock on Mount Pisgah, a tiny perch poking out from the side of a massive cliff that overlooks Lake Willoughby. Typical of many mountains in Vermont, Pisgah’s summit is covered with trees that block the view. But not Pulpit Rock. It is precariously perched halfway up the trail and offers the mountain’s best views. It drops off sharply and steeply and is not for the faint of heart. Whether you scare yourself by crawling to the edge like I did, or carefully stay back a few feet, this viewpoint is sure to give you a shot of adrenaline.
A cliff might not be a bald summit with a 360-degree view, but it’s arguably more satisfying if you are an adventure junky. The adrenaline rush as you near the edge will make you feel free as a falcon or something akin to terror, depending on your tolerance for heights. Vermont has many trails with scary cliffs, and they offer a whole new way to get up high and take in an unobstructed view, often without the ski area clutter and crowds common to the popular mountain tops.
Here’s a selection of Vermont’s classic cliff hangers:
DEER LEAP
Location: Top of Sherburne Pass between Killington and Pico
Mileage: 2.2 miles round trip
It’s an easy climb to this popular lookout that offers a view across Sherburne Pass near Pico Peak. The trail parallels Route 4 at first, then bends away to the north, coming to a junction with the Appalachian Trail near its halfway point between Georgia and Maine. Follow the AT south (though you are heading north briefly), then turn left on the Deer Leap Overlook Trail. After climbing to a wooded ridge, the trail dips sharply and goes downhill over a narrow boardwalk which leads to the lookout.
MOUNT HORRID’S GREAT CLIFF
Location: Goshen
Mileage: 1.4 miles round trip
This is a short stiff climb to a big reward. Mount Horrid’s Great Cliffs tower above Route 73, forming the north wall of Brandon Gap. Take the Long Trail north from the top of the gap. The trail soon crosses into the Breadloaf Wilderness, the largest federally designated wilderness area in the Green Mountain National Forest (24,237 acres). The path climbs steeply at times, eventually climbing stone steps. Just beyond the steps, look for the short spur to the cliff on your right.
ELEPHANT’S HEAD CLIFF
Location: Smugglers’ Notch
Mileage: 4.8 miles round trip
This hike takes you up the northern side of Smugglers’ Notch, opposite Mount Mansfield. Follow the Long Trail north (formerly Elephant’s Head Trail), immediately crossing the West Branch Waterbury River. The trail climbs southward at first, opening up to views of the ski trails on Mount Mansfield. Switchbacks aid the climb up the wall of the notch, then the route turns north on a long traverse. Eventually you come to a spur trail on the left that takes you 0.1 mile to Elephant’s Head Cliff. Save this one for a dry day, because the rock slopes downward to the cliff, from which you can see Route 108 snaking through Smugglers’ Notch 1,000 feet below, and across the way, the wall of Mount Mansfield at the Notch.
WHITE ROCKS CLIFFS
Location: Wallingford
Mileage: 2.8 miles, round trip
Follow the Keewadin Trail up the hillside above Bully Brook. At the junction with the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail, turn north. The trail narrows and becomes rockier as it climbs, eventually leveling off at the junction with the White Rocks Cliffs Trail. The junction is cluttered with small manmade rock formations. Various hikers have created this cairn art by stacking small rocks to look like mini towers and intriguing shapes. Turn right to reach the cliffs, which drop 1,000 feet to the valley floor. The view is eye-popping, including the Otter Creek Valley, the Taconic Range, and even the Adirondacks in New York.
RATTLESNAKE CLIFFS
Location: Lake Dunmore
Mileage: 3.0 miles round trip
Follow a forest service road past the Falls of Lana, which tumbles into Lake Dunmore. From the top of the falls, the trail parallels Sucker Brook, climbing gently. The trail crosses the brook on a substantial bridge, then bears right onto the North Branch Trail. Take your next left on the Rattlesnake Cliffs Trail. The route gets steep climbing through a lush temperate forest. A series of wood steps leads to the cliffs where Lake Dunmore spreads out before you, hemmed in by the mountains beyond.
WHEELER MOUNTAIN
Location: Barton
Mileage: 4.6-mile loop
Wheeler has a wooded summit, but the journey there traverses a dramatic cliff. A second cliff, called Eagle Point, is just beyond the summit. Take the Red Trail up, which traverses in and out of the trees across lengths of slab. The trail bends briefly south and climbs a rock spine which becomes a tilted-up cliff walk. A dazzling panorama unfolds as you ascend, revealing Mount Pisgah and Bald Mountain (fire tower) near Lake Willoughby. After re-entering the woods over the summit, the trail comes to Eagle Point, a living-room-sized perch over a 500-foot drop to the farmlands and forest below. Return via the White Trail to make a loop.
PEREGRINE FALCONS
Before hiking to one of Vermont’s cliff tops, it’s worth checking with the Forest Service or the Green Mountain Club to see if peregrine falcons are nesting there. If so, then the cliffs will be closed to hikers. Once an endangered species due to the thinning effect of DDT on their eggshells, peregrines have made a dramatic recovery. Peregrines might be in residence between May and August. If you are lucky, you will see them soaring nearby on a summer thermal.
MORE INFO
Green Mountain Club, 802-244-7037, www.greenmountainclub.org.
For more cliff-top destinations, check out Lisa Densmore’s new book Hiking the Green Mountains (FalconGuides, 2009), available at bookstores throughout Vermont.
Lisa Densmore is the author of Hiking the Green Mountains (FalconGuides, 2009). She can be reached through her web site, www.DensmoreDesigns.com.
