Long Trail
America’s oldest long-distance trail follows Vermont’s Green Mountain spine
Artwork inspired by Willard Metcalf
America’s oldest long-distance trail follows Vermont’s Green Mountain spine Roughly 272 miles link Massachusetts to Canada over hardwood ridges, ski mountains, alpine zones, shelters, road crossings, and some of the state’s hardest terrain. The Long Trail is not one experience: southern tread overlaps the Appalachian Trail, northern miles grow steeper and more isolated, and weather continually rewrites difficulty.
Choose a named section based on mileage, elevation, mud-season guidance, water, and transport rather than navigating to a statewide map pin. Rock, roots, ladders, cold rain, limited service, and fragile high-elevation vegetation require conservative planning. Overnight use follows Green Mountain Club rules.
- Length
- About 272 miles
- Established
- 1910
- Termini
- Massachusetts to Canada
Quick guide
- Choose one section
- A statewide trail has no single useful arrival point.
- Read elevation
- Mileage alone badly understates northern difficulty.
Know before you go
- Choose one section
- A statewide trail has no single useful arrival point.
- Read elevation
- Mileage alone badly understates northern difficulty.
- Avoid mud season
- Foot traffic can permanently damage saturated tread.
- Plan the return
- Road crossings rarely guarantee transportation.
Good to know
Rock, roots, ladders, cold rain, limited service, and fragile high-elevation vegetation require conservative planning. Overnight use follows Green Mountain Club rules.
Notice these
- Green Mountain ridge
- white blazes
- trail shelter