Mount Ascutney via Brownsville Trail

This route starts and ends at the Brownsville Trail parking area on VT Route 44, climbing to the summit of Mount Ascutney. From the parking area, climb a steady, moderate grade past the historic Norcross granite quarry at 1.1 miles, with its old derrick booms and cable relics, then Quarry Top Lookout at 1.2 miles; the grade steepens over looser, rockier ground just above and below the quarry itself. Continue past Knee Lookout at 1.6 miles and over North Peak, a wooded, viewless high point, followed by North Peak Lookout at 2.0 miles. At about 2.3 miles, turn left onto the Windsor Trail just below the bare summit rock, continuing past the Stone Hut site to the summit and observation tower at 2.6 miles. Retrace the same route back down to the trailhead for a round trip of about 5.3 miles, gaining roughly 2,400 vertical feet. Aside from the steeper quarry sections, this trail holds a gentler, steadier grade than the mountain's other direct routes.