Bolton Valley: October 12, 2008 (Jonesin' to Ski)

Date(s) Hiked: October 12, 2008

Trails(s) Hiked: Various Ski Trails.

Total Distance: About 4-5 miles RT.

Difficulty: Moderately easy.

Conditions: Pleasant and warm. Great fall colors!

Special Required Equipment: None.

Trip Report:

Took a nice Sunday Stroll up Vista Peak at Bolton Valley to view the colors and what they have been up to. The service road is a nice way to ascend:





About 2/3 the way up the views got better:





The trip was not steep at all...and eventually I made it to the summit station of the quad. Finding the trail to the lookout required a bit of a bushwhack. Be careful on this rustic lookout...the lower rungs of the wooden ladder are broken...but the views are incredible.



Did I mention the great view of Camel's Hump from Cobrass?



And the Waterbury Reservoir with some amazing colors:



And westward to Lake Champlain:



You could see my heartthrob (Sugarbush) as well!



And Mansfield:

The Wilderness Chair area was quieter:



And back to the base area.



I last skied BV in 2003 and it was night skiing. I was interested in seeing the area in daylight...it is much more compact than I remember and the terrain is flatter than I recall. The trails are quite narrow...to be honest only the last few hundred vert are really steep. I'd be interested to know if the peak in between the Wilderness Double and Vista Peak will be developed...that is steep terrain. Some nice gladed areas and some nice narrow old school runs. No snowmaking for the Wilderness Peak area (?). The Quad looked nice, but other facilities are getting old....

A nice hike.

Nice hike and some beautiful colors! It's always fun to get out and climb a ski area off-season, see what's under the snow.

Nice..I've hiked Bolton Valley several times..the mountain was closed for skiing in 1998-99 and I earned some Poe turns at BV..I always climbed up the Lookout tower..for mad steezy views..

Wow...What a day! Cool how you can see Sugarbush, Mansfield, Camel's Hump, Champlain, etc. BV seems well-positioned, views-wise.

Considering how ski terrain usually seems steeper on foot in the summer, I guess BV isn't that challenging.