Mount Mansfield, Stowe VT


• 5-star hikes
• 5 to 8 mile options
• Moderate & Hard | Gain 2,550 to 2,930 feet
• Stowe & Underhill, VT | Northwest Region
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A high-angle vista looking along the rugged, rocky spine of Mount Mansfield's ridgeline, where two distant hikers descend among granite outcrops and alpine brush toward a prominent rocky knob, with green forest slopes dropping off to the right and tall communication towers standing along the far peak under a bright blue sky with light clouds.
South view from Mount Mansfield's ridgeline

Not to be outdone by New Hampshire, which lost theirs in a rockfall in 2003, imaginative Vermonters claim to have their own ‘Man In The Mountain’ in Mount Mansfield near Stowe, which is also the highest point in the entire state. When viewed from the east, Mount Mansfield’s summit ridgeline is said to form the outline of a reclining human face. Its named high points run north to south: the Forehead, Nose, Upper and Lower Lip, Chin, and Adam's Apple. The Chin, at 4,393 feet, is Mount Mansfield’s highest point.

Mansfield’s peaks stretch beyond the treeline, revealing granite ledges and alpine tundra that offer superb panoramas across Northwestern Vermont, and across Lake Champlain to the jagged, distant skyline of the Adirondack mountains.
⬤ 5★ Maple & Sunset Loop   7.6 mi loop, hard, gain 2880 ft
GPX File · AllTrails · Directions* GPX?
⬤ 5★ Sunset Ridge Out & Back   5.4 mi out & back, moderate, gain 2550 ft
GPX File · AllTrails · Directions*
⬤ 5★ Ridgeline Route   2.5 mi out & back, moderate, gain 740 ft
GPX File · AllTrails · Directions**
⬤ Long Trail (East) Out & Back [Y]   5.3 mi out & back, gain 2840 ft
GPX File · AllTrails · Directions***
⬤ Long Trail (East) & Haselton Loop [Y]   6.1 mi loop, gain 2930 ft
GPX File · AllTrails · Directions***
 $  *State Park fee    $  **Toll road    P  ***Free parking    Y  Yet to review

Mount Mansfield can be approached either from the east, near the town and ski resort of Stowe, or from the west, beginning at Underhill State Park, which is the most popular option.

Beginning at Underhill State Park on the western flanks of Mount Mansfield, hikers are split on the route they choose to reach the summit. Though a direct out-and-back route on the Sunset Ridge Trail is very popular, the more adventurous hiker might want to try a counterclockwise route that includes an ascent on Maple Ridge.

A panoramic view looking along a rocky alpine ridge trail, where a stone foot path marked with blue blazes climbs steeply through green alpine scrub, leading the eye toward the broad, forest-covered profile of Mount Mansfield topped with transmission towers under a vibrant blue sky filled with scattered white clouds.
Approaching the top of the exhilarating Maple Ridge Trail.

⬤ 5★ Maple & Sunset Loop
Most picturesque. Two hard moments.
We think the Maple Ridge route is the most varied and picturesque of the two routes up the western flanks, but apprehensive hikers may be concerned about two areas on the trail that make us categorize the route as 'hard'. The first is a 15-foot granite wall that takes a little effort to climb, but a slope to the wall and a well-positioned crack make it only mildly technical. Young children and people with mobility problems will definitely want to avoid this section, however.

The second hurdle on Maple Ridge is less of a problem – a four-foot gap between rocks that hikers need to jump across. There's no precipitous drop here, just a six-foot-deep pit between the rocks. We reckon this feature is no harder than many stream crossings that hikers frequently have to overcome.

The loop trail also provides a complete ridgeline walk of Mount Mansfield – from the Forehead to the Chin. Unfortunately, the Nose is adorned with communications masts and is off-limits to the public, but there are plenty of other great vantage points along the ridgeline.

Continue to the summit, the Chin, which marks the mountain’s highest point, before returning to the junction with Sunset Ridge Trail and heading back to the trailhead across more granite ledges and rocky terrain. Expect shade for the first two miles and the last mile-and-a-half of the route.

A stony hiking trail lined with guide ropes winds through lush alpine tundra toward the exposed, rocky summit ridge of 'The Chin' on Mount Mansfield, where small silhouettes of hikers gather under a wide blue sky with wispy clouds, looking out over distant blue mountain ranges.
The Chin (4,393 ft) is the tallest Mt Mansfield peak.

⬤ 5★ Sunset Ridge Out & Back
Shortest route but still plenty to see.
Many hikers opt for this shorter out-and-back route from Underhill State Park to Mansfield’s summit, and they are well rewarded for it.

The trail remains rocky throughout, though after 1.3 miles of hiking the forest recedes and loose rock gives way to large granite slabs. Some slabs are slick with traffic and pitched at angles, so it's important to choose good footwear for this hike, preferably at a time that hasn't seen wet weather in a few days.

A brief spur trail to Cantilever Rock is worth a visit, to marvel at the granite shard that seems to hang precipitously off a cliff edge, ready to drop at any moment, but has likely been there for thousands of years.

Two hikers wearing daypacks walk down an open, rocky granite ledge along the Sunset Ridge Trail on Mount Mansfield, heading toward low evergreen brush as an expansive panorama of green forests, rolling hills, and distant blue mountain ridges unfolds under a partly cloudy sky.
Two hikers carefully descending Sunset Ridge Trail.

⬤ 5★ Ridgeline Route
Hike the summit from the toll road.
It’s gratifying to know that less vigorous hikers can also enjoy the heady heights of Vermont’s tallest peak, either by simply admiring the views at the end of the auto toll road or by tackling this out-and-back hike to the highest of Mount Mansfield’s features. The hike to the Chin is no cakewalk – expect plenty of rocks, uneven ground, and uphill sections as you work your way to the summit.

The auto toll road is accessible from the east side of the mountain, closest to the town of Stowe. For information about toll road fees, see the link at the foot of this article.

A low-angle view looking up at Cantilever Rock, a massive, pointed stone slab jutting dramatically outward from a steep, dark granite cliff face on Mount Mansfield, framed by leafy green foliage below and a soft blue sky above.
Short spur to Cantilever Rock on Sunset Ridge Trail.

A scenic, wide-angle landscape view of a prominent mountain ridge with visible ski trails along its forested slopes, captured from an elevated viewpoint. Dense green trees frame the left side of the foreground, while a valley with scattered clearings and forests stretches out below. Above the mountains, a bright blue sky is filled with fluffy white clouds, with a large cloud casting a soft shadow over part of the mountain face.
Face in profile. Forehead to the left, Chin to the right.

External Links:
Underhill State Park website (West trails)
Stowe Resort Auto Toll Road
Sunset & Long Trail Loop (6.1 mi 2670 ft) at AllTrails

Trailspotting nearby:
5★ Stowe Pinnacle (3 mi)
5★ Island Line Trail (5-8 mi)


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