From gentle nature trails to rugged peak climbs, from remote fishing holes to historic ghost towns, from rushing waterfalls to rare peregrine falcon habitat, the Green Mountain State has much to offer hikers. This completely revised and updated sixth edition leads hikers up classic peaks like Camel's Hump, Mount Mansfield, and Mount Ascutney, as well as revealing many more lesser-known gems.

The hikes range in length from a half-mile stroll to a 22-mile backpacking trip. Each hike description includes a topographic map, mile-by-mile directions, and information on distance, difficulty, terrain, and hiking time. An overview chart makes it easy to pick a hike for every ability. And each hike description is enlivened by knowledgeable commentary on the area's geology, history, flora, and wildlife. 50 black & white photographs, 51 maps, index.

There is a separate section on the magnificent Long Trail, the 260 mile hike which runs from the Massachusetts border to he Canadian border. My one slight criticism is the photos, which could be of better quality, but the text, route descriptions and ancillary material are of high quality.


Good not Great   August 29, 2002
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book does provide good trail descriptions for a reasonable number of hikes in Vermont. I've hiked about a dozen of the trails listed in here, of those 10 there were:

2 in which the directions to the trailhead listed the wrong forest service road to take.

3 in which I saw other trails at junctions that weren't mentioned in this book leading to nearby attractions (without giving full descriptions it would be nice to mention alternatives for longer hikes available).

1 in which the directions led to a difficult hike, but it turned out talking to people at the top that a much easier hike was available to reach the same destination from the same trailhead.

Having said that, this book does give the visitor an easy way to plan some hikes in Vermont. The Falcon guide looks to be similar, so it might be useful to read both before planning your hikes.


Before you buy this book...   June 11, 2001
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I liked this book - easy to read and informative. The only problem was it didn't have very specific information on things like shelters, camping, etc. - it's more of a day-hike book. I phoned the Green Mountain Club (the authors) to get more info, and it turns out that they have written a book of their own called "The Long Trail Guide")that is much more comprehensive and they recommend it more than this one. I would check that book out before you get this one. But if you just want a good book for day hikes, I like this one fine.


Comprehensive hiking book for the right price   September 17, 2000
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

The fifth edition of this book, written by two members of the Green Mountain Club, covers hikes everywhere in the State. To no one's surprise, the majority are located along the Appalachian trail and the area with the least hikes covered is in the Northeast Kingdom.

The authors offer a very good "At A Glance" section in the beginning with hike name, location, and so forth-- many of the things also covered in the individual hikes, but what stands out in this secion is whether or not each hike has a view, good for kids, nearby camping, good for winter, and my personal fav, notes that state whether the hike is good for x-c skiing, snowshoeing, waterfalls, historical interest, etc. The book also contains a "hiker's" guide to trail map symbols, safety, what the pack and more.

There are no surprises in the write-up for each hike. The authors have not left anything out: distance, hiking time, vertical rise, difficulty rating, pictures and topographical maps.

You won't find a better book about hiking in Vermont for this reasonable price.