Planning a section hike for this summer in Vt and wanted to get clarify on the trail location outside of Rutland, VT as it crosses Route 4. I find two different crossing points … one at the Inn at Long Trail then up the Sherburne Pass and the other crosses about a mile closer to Rutland and and around the western side of Pico Peak ski area? Which is it … plan to ship to the Inn if it crosses there.
Papa Bear
The crossing at the Inn at the Long Trail is the old AT crossing. The current crossing is the on closest to Rutland. This trail is much nicer then the old trail. The trails meet up about a mile behind the Inn on the north side of the road and in the gap a couple of miles before Killington on the south side. Both make for nice loop hikes if you are day hiking. If you are going north bound drop your pack at the junction and walk to Deer Leap for a nice view of the notch you just came out of.
Big B
How much of a detour is it to get to the Inn. Is there a Blue Blaze that gets to it?
Papa Bear
The AT crosses Rt 4 about 3/4 mile west of Inn at Long Trail. It’s an uphill walk to the Inn. No blue blazes. You walk along the road. We stayed one nite at the Inn last May. It was terrific. Decent room with a magnificent breakfast for less than $70.
swamp fox
If you are NOBO, when you are coming down off of Mt. Killington, you will arrive at Jungle Junction where you can take a blue blaze down to Pico Camp and then to the Inn. Leaving the Inn northbound, it’s a short blue blaze back to the main trail. There’s no real detour by taking the blue blaze, in fact it might even be a wee bit shorter than the white blazes.
Sending a mail drop to the Inn is not really necessary as there is a bus that stops right out front that will take you to Rutland for $1, and it will take you back to the Inn for another $1. There’s a WalMart and a grocery store in Rutland, so re-supply is really quite good. For the $2 for round trip bus fare, I’d rather go to town to resupply than to mail a package
Loup
If you want to stay on the AT the shortest side trail to the Inn (for a NB) is to cross route four and at the junction past the side trail to Deer Leap head NB on the blue blazed old AT back to the Inn.
Big B
Papa Bear - I’ve walked both the current official AT & the Blue blaze (old AT) multiple times.
If you’re not a purist, the old AT route (blue blaze) is MUCH shorter (maybe 2 miles) and, in my opinion, more scenic. It will lead you past the historic Pico Camp (& cabin) directly to the Inn @ the Long Trail.
I was disappointed when the ATC/GMC relocated this section over a decade ago, until I found out the real motivation (the excuse was that the crossing of VT HWY#4 @ the Inn is dangerous).
I was told by some crew leaders that the ATC & GMC were using the Federal designation of the AT as a national scenic trail to block development by Killington/Pico ski areas to develop the backside (west side) of the mountains…
freebird
Freebird, That could well be. We camped at Churchill-Scott shelter on that section the year that it opened. The GMC caretaker came by and he told us that he thought that some federal grant money was used to fund the trail cutting work and the shelter on that section. He said that Churchill-Scott has a fully ADA compliant privy, as part of taking the federal grant. And quite a privy it is. Check it out.
digit
We popped out there SOBO…not knowing how far the INN was we hitched…wet and muddy. A guy stopped in a 2 door BMW. I sat in the back with my pack on my lap. I really felt bad for the muddy job we did on his car for such a short ride… We went and had a couple perfect Guinness, then hitched back to Rutland and had a Zero.
Farsang
I took the Pico camp option during my thru and as others said, the official aka current AT is routed in deference to a clear cut resort, oops i mean ski resort.
I stayed overnight at the Pico cabin. Was fun. Then i hiked the pico trail/old AT direct to the Inn ( had a great stay there ). That avoided a road walk.
Jason
Anyone knoe why the “Long Trail” is not a trail selection on trailjournals?
Want to start a new journal.
ATBob AKA Tattoo