Skylight Pond, Battell Mountain - Skylight Pond Trail, Long Trail - 8-23-2025

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Skylight Pond, Battell Mountain, VT

	Trails:	Skylight Pond Trail, Long Trail

	Date of Hike:	Saturday, August 23, 2025

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	Trailhead is on Forest Road 59 which is .3 miles west of the Breadloaf Campus of Middlebury college on Rte 125. Trail is in about 3.5 miles on the right with room for 10 cars. FR 59 s a dirt road but well maintained; there was some road construction occurring.

	Surface Conditions:	Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable

	Recommended Equipment:

	Water Crossing Notes:	Only one of note without a bridge which which was an easy walk through as water levels were low.

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	Trail is in a wilderness area; 2 small stepover blowdowns but there were two cases where a broken large branch was hanging over the trail that look like they will eventually come down.

	Dog-Related Notes:	An easy canine hike but there is limited water on the hike past the bridges stream about .25 mile in. Didn't check the water source for the lodge but it has been very dry here of late so best to bring some extra.

	Bugs:	Not bad at all today; just a few out.

	Lost and Found:


	Comments:	Something of a unique trail for Vermont! Rather than heading straight up this trail actually made its way up the mountain via switchbacks! Thus the grades were all easy to moderate all the way up. There are areas where brush is encroaching but again it is in a wilderness area. Trail technically ends at the Long trail but the spur to the pond and the lodge is straight ahead at the junction. There are nice views from the lodge across the pond though the water levels in the pond were quite low. From the junction with the long trail you can reach the summit of Battell Mountain by heading south on the long trail for a couple of hundred yards and there is a spur to a viewpoint along the way worth stopping at.

	Name:	Brian from Maine

	E-Mail:	brobert1299@gmail.com

	Date Submitted:	2025-08-27

	Link:	https://
		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.