Killington Peak Summit I rolled my ankle on a hike in September and had been still feeling the effects a couple weeks later. Glenn has a foot slated for surgery so when I was thinking about what 115ers I had left to do, I selected two hikes with ski hill approaches to reduce the amount of time hiking on uneven terrain.
We drove the 6 hours Saturday morning via the southern Adirondacks to Killiington Ski resort in Vermont. The drive down was spectacular as the fall colours were on display despite being slightly past peak. The resort was busy, complete with hikers, mountain bikers, and leaf peeping gondola riders. We set off around 2pm, and followed the "E" trail up. This route up winds it's way up using forested trails, ski hill runs, and ski hill roads. The very well marked trail mixes steep climbs with traverses to catch your breath. Closer to the top, you pass under the gondola and head up the staired walkway which brings you to the top of the gondola and summit hut. When we arrived, we couldn't believe the hoards of people. The crowds were out in full force leaf peeping in all directions. The sunny day made the conditions pleasant - we hiked the last short trail to the summit, only to find about 50 others there at the same time. We took a few summit photos - well actually we got a random stranger to take some photos and enjoyed the views of the Adirondack in the distance.
We scampered down the summit trail back to the gondola and walked back down the stairs and decided to take a the "C" route back down. This route was a great descent as it followed all ski hill roads and was only steep for one short distance. The mountain bike trails that merge with hiking trails are well marked and I give kudos to Killington for their well managed property. Before we knew it we were back at the base and finished the hike. We headed driving north to Chittenden State Park campground for the night, arriving with just enough light to spare to set up our tent.
Hike Stats:
Distance: 7.83km
Time: 2 hours, 27 mins
Ascent: 541m or 1773ft
Hiked October 12th, 2024. Peak #95/115
We drove the 6 hours Saturday morning via the southern Adirondacks to Killiington Ski resort in Vermont. The drive down was spectacular as the fall colours were on display despite being slightly past peak. The resort was busy, complete with hikers, mountain bikers, and leaf peeping gondola riders. We set off around 2pm, and followed the "E" trail up. This route up winds it's way up using forested trails, ski hill runs, and ski hill roads. The very well marked trail mixes steep climbs with traverses to catch your breath. Closer to the top, you pass under the gondola and head up the staired walkway which brings you to the top of the gondola and summit hut. When we arrived, we couldn't believe the hoards of people. The crowds were out in full force leaf peeping in all directions. The sunny day made the conditions pleasant - we hiked the last short trail to the summit, only to find about 50 others there at the same time. We took a few summit photos - well actually we got a random stranger to take some photos and enjoyed the views of the Adirondack in the distance.
We scampered down the summit trail back to the gondola and walked back down the stairs and decided to take a the "C" route back down. This route was a great descent as it followed all ski hill roads and was only steep for one short distance. The mountain bike trails that merge with hiking trails are well marked and I give kudos to Killington for their well managed property. Before we knew it we were back at the base and finished the hike. We headed driving north to Chittenden State Park campground for the night, arriving with just enough light to spare to set up our tent.
Hike Stats:
Distance: 7.83km
Time: 2 hours, 27 mins
Ascent: 541m or 1773ft
Hiked October 12th, 2024. Peak #95/115
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