SectionHiker.com Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs 
Mt Mansfield is the tallest mountain in Vermont, and in addition to the Long Trail, it’s crisscrossed by two dozen smaller trails from all four corners of the compass. Some of these trails are very steep, and some are short, but all of them require significant effort to reach if you aim to hike all the trails on the mountain.
I’ve been hiking all of the side trails leading to and from Vermont’s Long Trail since June, which has helped me explore parts of Vermont that I’ve never been to. I realize this sounds mad, but I enjoy hiking all the trails in a trail system and recording the dates I completed each trail in a big spreadsheet. I am a list hiker, and many of my hiking friends are too. It is a fun hiking game that lets you explore new areas and trails, often as a member of a larger community of like-minded souls.
The Side to Side Trail List is divided into Divisions corresponding to segments of the Long Trail, which runs north to south through Vermont for 272 miles. Division 10 has the greatest number of trails, and most of them are on Mansfield, a huge mountain with extensive above-treeline exposure.
While I’ve hiked a few of the trails in Division 10 already, I’m just starting my assault on Mansfield directly and have planned another four or five days trips to finish the remaining trails I need to hike. Last week, was my first foray, a 1-night trip to hike some of the longer trails on Mansfield’s south end, including Mansfield’s Forehead which is the rocky outcropping at the south end of the peak.
My trip plan looked like this:
- Lake Mansfield Trail – 2.3 miles (from the overnight parking lot)
- Clara Bow Trail – 0.4 miles
- Long Trail South – 0.3 mile
- Nebraska Notch Trail – 1.5 miles
- Road Walk – 0.2 miles
- Butler Lodge Trail – 1.8 miles
- Wampahoofus Trail – 0.6 miles
- A segment of the Maple Ridge Trail – 0.2 miles
- Long Trail North – 0.3 miles
- Forehead Bypass Trail – 1.2 miles
- Long Trail South – 3.3 miles
- Lake Mansfield Trail – 2.3 miles
I could have hiked this entire route in a single day, but I wanted to sleep outside because autumn is my favorite time to hike and backpack in New England. The weather is cooler and the trails and shelters are less crowded. Carrying a full backpack with a 25-pound load also made the hike more “interesting,” especially on the trails with caves I had to squeeze through.
I started this hike on the Lake Mansfield Trail, at the lower parking lot reserved for overnight use. I didn’t realize I’d be parked there when I planned the route because the upper lot at the Lake Mansfield Trout Club is only for day use. That added about 1.5 miles to my route along a rocky and hilly trail.
The Lake Mansfield Trail climbs to Taylor Lodge, a shelter on the Long Trail, and a junction with the Clara Bow Trail. Taylor Lodge is pretty interesting, but it’s not a shelter I’d want to sleep in. The outside porch and the door to the interior are both fenced off, so the place looks like a cage to keep hikers in rather than prevent bears from entering. There is an excellent viewpoint just south of the shelter that’s well worth a climb if you want a view of the mountains south of Mansfield. There’s also one wooden tent platform for a tent.
From the shelter, I turned on the Clara Bow Trail, a rocky scramble through a series of cliffs, including one cave. The trail is wasn’t particularly challenging, but I can see why it’s a popular hike. It’s quite short though, only 0.4 miles long, and I was soon back on the Long Trail headed south to the Nebraska Notch Trail junction. I turned onto it and headed to the west side of Mansfield, losing most of the elevation I’d gained hiking up to Taylor Lodge. It’s quite a pretty trail and surprisingly well-maintained.
The end of Nebraska Notch Trail ends at the Stevensville Rd parking lot, which is adjacent to a stream. I was out of water, so I popped down the embankment and filtered 2 liters. The streams along the Long Trail are surprisingly dry this summer, so I decided to carry more than usual.
A short road walk led me to the start of the Bulter Lodge Trail, which climbs about 1500′ to a shelter on the west face of Mansfield just below the treeline. I was feeling good and make good time despite the elevation gain. Butler Lodge is a two-story shelter with an upstairs loft. Judging by the corner nook screened off by a sheet, it looks like a caretaker is on site. I sat on the front porch for a while and admired the view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks in the distance.
I followed a spur trail behind the lodge to the start of the Wampahoofus Trail which is like Clara Bow on steroids. It is a rocky scramble that you only want to hike going uphill, and not down. It also has a cave, which I got temporarily stuck in because I was carrying a bulging backpack. I worked myself free, though, but not without some effort. I’ll come back to hike this trail again with friends in tow. It was fun.
I turned onto the Maple Ridge Trail and followed it a short distance to treeline on the Mansfield Forehead. The view is great if you ignore the cell phone towers on top – a common problem across all of Vermont’s major mountains. The day was cool but there wasn’t much wind on top, but I didn’t linger and pressed on to the Forehead Bypass trail as the day was waning and I wanted to get to camp well before dark.
The Forehead Bypass Trail is a piece of work! You’d think it’d be easier than hiking the Long Trail across Mansfield in bad weather, but I’d think twice about using it. The trail slopes steeply down slick rock ledge for quite some distance. It’s so steep that the Green Mountain Club has lined the trail with climbing rope so you can walk down backward and avoid slipping if the rock is wet. I hiked this trail on a dry day, but I’d want to avoid it if it was wet. Then again, I haven’t been on the portion of the Long Trail that it avoids for 14 years (when I hiked it last), so don’t take my word for it. But I was impressed by this trail’s pucker factor.
After the Forehead Bypass Trail, I turned onto the Long Trail south and headed to the Twin Brook campsite for the evening. Camping is illegal on Mansfield above 2500′, which I never knew previously. The Twin Brook Campsite is quite large with many wooden platforms to pitch tents. I’d come prepared with platform anchors for pitching my tent, but it still took a while to set it up, and I found myself cooking dinner in the dark.
I’d had a great day of hiking though and polished off another 6 trails on the side-to-side list. I slept well that evening and hiked out the next morning, knowing that I’ll be back on Mt Mansfield soon to hike more trails.
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