Hi All,
To all those who have hiked the entire Long Trail my question is- If you had two weeks to hike, would you do the northern portion or southern part of the trail? Why?
I’ll be able to hike the last week of June and the first week of July.
Thanks for any feedback!
ldhiker
I’d say it depends on what type of hiker you are and what type of experience your looking for. I’ve hiked the northern half once and the southern half twice, so I’d definately do the northern half (loved it). If you’re kinda inexperienced or are looking for a more social experience, I’d say, stay south. There are many pretty parts and you’ll get to hang with some thru-hikers, and have plenty of company. Plus the terrain is pretty managable, even if you’re not in shape.
The northern half is a lot more rugged, and the trail gets a lot less crowded (except near Camels Hump and Mansfield). 15 mile days killed me up north, and I wouldn’t recommend them at all. End of june, the bugs will probably be bad in either section, but it’ll be a bit cooler further north. Basically depends what you’re looking for…
A-Train
Everything A-Train said.
I hiked north of Inn at Long Trails in June and it was very cold, there were still pockets of snow on the ground. Then the next day would be warm and the black fies were horrible. I think I liked the cold better then the flies. Much less hiker traffic once you get into the northern sections. A bit muddier and overgrown in spots, but it is very majestic.
Hammock Hanger
I’ve done the whole thing twice and keep doing the sections. By the end of June the black flies will be mostly gone and so will all the snow. The southern half has some real nice swimming at Stratton, Griffith Lake, Big Branch, Little Rock Pond and it might be real nice on a hot July 4th to take a dip. From route 4 south, the hiking is pretty easy. Going north, once you hit Brandon Gap, it’s like A-Train and HH say, fewer people, rougher trail. But I would opt for the north, it’s more rewarding. Easy hikes you can get anywhere, but the northern Greens are only in VT.
Rick “Pots” Provost
I’ve hiked the Southern half three times and the northern half once. I’d agree with everything everyone has said here. The only thing I would reiterate and emphasize is the difficulty of the northern half of the LT. It is extremely rugged & wild. I absolutely loved it, but I think its perhaps the most consistantly difficult section of trail that I’ve ever hiked anywhere.
The A.T. portion of the trail from Mass. to Sherburne Pass has many more camping and swimming possibilities. One thing that I missed up North, were camp sites. I managed to find some tight spots here and there, but I ended up staying in a lot of shelters (which I hardly ever do on the A.T.)
If you are an experienced hiker and are not intimidated by brushy, steep trail with some extremely slippery rocks (when wet), you might like the northern half. Otherwise, maybe stick to the beautiful Southern section with the ponds to swim in. Keep in mind that the hikers above who seem to prefer the northern half are all very seasoned thru-hikers. (they have put up with a lot of suffering in their hiking careers!) If (when?) I hike the LT again, I will look forward to the whole trail and appreciate the beauty and diversity along the way - you really can’t go wrong anywhere on this awesome trail!
Happy Trails!
freebird
I also hiked the northern half the year after my thru-hike, Freebird is not exaggerating, it is widely thought as being some of the hardest trail anywhere. I can’t honestly say I enjoyed most of it, I did it, and I’ll most likely never do it again. I liken it to doing the Mahoosuc Range over and over and over again. Steep up, steep down, ledgey rocky laddery trail.
Good luck with your decision!
Oh and don’t forget that VerMud got its name rightfully so, though after being in the DAK’s last Fall, I’m not sure who wins that prize.
Bluebearee
Hi sorry for above. I’ll be hiking the northern section the first two weeks in July see you on the trail.
Orlando