Belvidere Mountain

The 5.8-mile round-trip hike up the Long Trail to Belvidere Mountain in Northern Vermont offers beautiful views and is great for all seasons. There is a small trailhead parking area off of Route 118 between Belvidere center and Eden.The trail climbs very gradually for the first 1.3 miles and has a few small stream crossings. This section of the trail can be very wet and muddy during the spring. But the trail is not this easy for the whole hike; it becomes much steeper with a few false summits for the remaining 1.5 miles to the summit. When hikers are 0.2 miles from the summit (2.7 miles from the trailhead) there is a junction for the Forester's Trail and the Long Trail North, but hikers should bear right up a final climb to reach the viewpoint. The Forester's Trail is the same length as the Long Trail to the summit at around 2.8 miles. Like many Vermont peaks, this summit has a fire tower. On windy days when the fire tower is unsafe, there is also an amazing view from the summit itself past the wind turbines on Lowell Mountain towards the White Mountains of New Hampshire. On a clear day the views also extend to Jay Peak to the north and beyond.From the summit there are also views of an old asbestos mine to the southeast. But don't worry -- the mine closed in 1993. Asbestos was first found there around 1824 and mined starting around the turn of the 20th century. The mine now remains as part of the landscape, but the other surrounding peaks seen from Belvidere Mountain's summit are some of the most rural and least-traveled in Vermont, despite the beauty and scenery!The route returns to the trailhead via the same trails. This is a stunning hike for intermediate hikers and is highly recommended for low crowds and amazing views.