Smugglers’ Notch State Park
A narrow mountain pass concentrates cliffs, boulders, caves, and road history
Artwork inspired by Francis Colburn
A narrow mountain pass concentrates cliffs, boulders, caves, and road history The park’s campground and trail access sit below Vermont Route 108, where immense glacial blocks and a serpentine seasonal road divide Mount Mansfield from Spruce Peak. The Notch is both landform and corridor: Indigenous travel, prohibited trade, tourism, climbing, and modern traffic all use the same constriction differently.
Walk the boulder zone when traffic is light, then choose one marked trail rather than wandering onto unstable talus. Route 108 through the Notch closes in winter and traps oversized vehicles; parking is scarce and rocks can be wet or icy.
- Pass
- Route 108
- Between
- Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak
- Feature
- Glacial boulders
Quick guide
- Arrive early
- Small lots fill before the narrow road does.
- Walk the boulders
- Foot travel reveals the pass’s true scale.
Know before you go
- Arrive early
- Small lots fill before the narrow road does.
- Walk the boulders
- Foot travel reveals the pass’s true scale.
- Choose a marked route
- Talus gaps and wet rock punish improvisation.
- Respect winter closure
- Route 108 is not a through road when closed.
Good to know
Route 108 through the Notch closes in winter and traps oversized vehicles; parking is scarce and rocks can be wet or icy.
Notice these
- Notch road
- giant boulders
- cliff walls