| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, VT |
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 | Trails: |
Upper Gorge Loop, Papa's Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, September 1, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Access is at the end of Sterling Valley Road. There are two lots - turning left is the lot for Sterling Gorge Falls with room for 6 cars; going straight is the main Sterling Forest Lot with room for plenty of cars. Both lots have trails accessing the forest. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Significant crossings are bridged |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Easy canine hike with a few steam crossings for water |
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 | Bugs: |
Not bad this day |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Took the opportunity to take in some local trails in the Sterling Forest. Last time up was in early spring when there was still snow. Upper gorge loop largely follows roads with generally gentle ascent and descent. Took the right branch up today. Upper loop was generally dry though there were some spots of mud towards the top. Happy to see they had put in a new bridge at the upper stream crossing, crossing the stream last time was a bit challenging. Followed the loop trail down, note at lower bridge crossing the cross-over trail connects back up the slope to the other side of the loop. Rather than following the loop trail back I took Papa's trail which did have a few spots of mud and at the bottom connected back to the parking lot (keep to the left side of the field and take the obvious path to get the the Sterling Forest parking or follow the path on the right side of the field back to the Sterling Gorge parking). A nice quiet place to visit for a walk in the woods, saw only 2 people all day on the busy weekend as most people head to Sterling Falls Gorge. About 4 miles and 700 feet of elevation gain. |
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 | Name: |
Brian from Maine |
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 | E-Mail: |
brobert1299@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-09-02 |
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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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