| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Lincoln Peak, Mt. Abraham, Nancy Hanks Peak, Cutts Peak, Mt. Ellen, VT |
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 | Trails: |
Access roads, Long Trail, ski trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, July 11, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Clay Brook Hotel overflow parking lot was empty upon arrival at 10:30am and still empty at 4:30pm on return. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Long Trail between Mt. Abraham and Mt. Ellen is in good shape. Quite muddy in many spots and could use some brushing between Lincoln and Mt. Abraham, but there were no blowdowns to speak of at all. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None |
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 | Bugs: |
Some pesky deer flies between Cutts Peak and Mt. Ellen. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Needed these two peaks to complete the VT5 4k’s. Decided to take a route I’ve not seen any reviews for, but thought looked interesting and gave it a go.
From the beautiful Sugarbush Resort, I used service roads to get to Lincoln Peak first. The road I used the longest, switchbacked up nicely and ended up being about 3 miles to the ridge and the spectacular viewing platform on Lincoln summit. From there the ridge over to Mount Abraham was good, outside of some muddy spots. Stopped to see the plane crash site as well. A small rock at the base of a cairn along the trail identifies the short herd path to the wreckage.
The route north to Ellen, passing over many small peaks, was a mix of dry and muddy conditions. After summiting Ellen, I headed back south towards Lincoln with the intent of taking a ski trail down near Castle Rock-Sugarbush Peak. I decided to head down the first ski trail I came to after descending Lynx Peak. The ski trail was not marked, but I believe it is a blue diamond trail and reminded me a bit of Polecat. There was a herd path on it that helped quite a bit. Eventually I ran into the Troll Road (a signed blue diamond trail) which also appears to be an atv route and took that back to the service road I started on. All totaled the hike was 11.5 miles, with about 3400’ gain. |
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 | Name: |
Mark S |
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 | E-Mail: |
wapacked@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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