Date(s) Hiked:October 5, 2005
Trails(s) Hiked:Unofficial town reservoir road and and trail to summit.
Total Distance:About 3 miles
Difficulty:Easy to moderate
Conditions:Some damp rocks, but the trail was easy to find and obvious.
Special Required Equipment:A topo map of the area would help, camera. :wink:
Trip Report: IT IS A TRADITION that Vermont Law Students hike to the local legenda Kent's Ledge, which are a set of cliffs high above the White River Valley in Royalton, Vermont. The trail is not known outside of town--a Google search turned up nothing. Only the access road, under I-89, and the end point, Kent's Ledge, appears on the local topo map compliments of Terraserver.
A group of students hiked the mountain in August and I regretted not being able to attend, but this opportunity came up and I could not resist
. Today, the ten of us found plenty of company at the top, mainly local students, but that was OK.
The hike begins in the village green where one heads SW across the railroad tracks and picks up a dirt street that climbs away from the Crossroads Pub and Grill and up the hillside.
After about ten minutes, the road comes to gated parking lot where one may park. From here, the road climbs up past the town chlorine water treatment plant and reservoir and underneath I-89 in a concrete tunnel.
Steadily climbing, the trail comes to an intersection with a pond straight ahead. The trail turns right and follows a street up hill. Do not swim or disturb the area around the pond--this is a public drinking water source.
The road now becomes a rough footpath and continues past a springhouse on the right. The S ascent is gradual and the trail hooks to the East and then back SW making the final cliffs--the first is the Kents Ledge proper and the second is a more limited view point. There is a trail that continues to the WSW towards Barnard.
The main view is spectacular--looking down onto I-89 and the rolling hillsides surrounding the White River. It was a bit hazy, but the distant hills and mountains in NH and VT were visible including Smart's Mountain off in Lyme, NH.
After taking in the view, we returned down the trail at an easy pace and celebrated with beers and wings at the Crossroads Pub and Grill--a local landmark with many good local microbrews on tap :beer:
A nice, local landmark that offers a great view.
Trails(s) Hiked:Unofficial town reservoir road and and trail to summit.
Total Distance:About 3 miles
Difficulty:Easy to moderate
Conditions:Some damp rocks, but the trail was easy to find and obvious.
Special Required Equipment:A topo map of the area would help, camera. :wink:
Trip Report: IT IS A TRADITION that Vermont Law Students hike to the local legenda Kent's Ledge, which are a set of cliffs high above the White River Valley in Royalton, Vermont. The trail is not known outside of town--a Google search turned up nothing. Only the access road, under I-89, and the end point, Kent's Ledge, appears on the local topo map compliments of Terraserver.
A group of students hiked the mountain in August and I regretted not being able to attend, but this opportunity came up and I could not resist
. Today, the ten of us found plenty of company at the top, mainly local students, but that was OK. The hike begins in the village green where one heads SW across the railroad tracks and picks up a dirt street that climbs away from the Crossroads Pub and Grill and up the hillside.
After about ten minutes, the road comes to gated parking lot where one may park. From here, the road climbs up past the town chlorine water treatment plant and reservoir and underneath I-89 in a concrete tunnel.
Steadily climbing, the trail comes to an intersection with a pond straight ahead. The trail turns right and follows a street up hill. Do not swim or disturb the area around the pond--this is a public drinking water source.
The road now becomes a rough footpath and continues past a springhouse on the right. The S ascent is gradual and the trail hooks to the East and then back SW making the final cliffs--the first is the Kents Ledge proper and the second is a more limited view point. There is a trail that continues to the WSW towards Barnard.
The main view is spectacular--looking down onto I-89 and the rolling hillsides surrounding the White River. It was a bit hazy, but the distant hills and mountains in NH and VT were visible including Smart's Mountain off in Lyme, NH.
After taking in the view, we returned down the trail at an easy pace and celebrated with beers and wings at the Crossroads Pub and Grill--a local landmark with many good local microbrews on tap :beer:
A nice, local landmark that offers a great view.
