hikersinger
Member
Route
- Red Gate Trail, from trailhead lot on West Union Street, Manchester, VT (.3 mile?)
- Blue Summit Trail
- returned the same way, for total of 5.4 miles and 2800' gain
GPS Track / Photos: https://www.strava.com/activities/1082285324
Equinox is perhaps one of the more underwhelming peaks I've hiked on the list, though to be fair the summit was totally clouded in. The trailhead is easily accessed within a mile of downtown Manchester, VT, a higher-brow town with fine restaurants, shopping, golf, etc., and home to a private secondary school, Burr and Burton Academy. The trailhead lot is small and doesn't support any overflow parking, so if you're, say, the 10th or so car, you may have come back, or park way down the street and walk up.
The way to the summit is very well-marked, starting with the Red Gate Trail, which starts at -- you guessed it -- a red gate at the end of the trailhead lot. It's a short, easy walk about .25 miles before you reach the junction with the Blue Summit Trail, which takes you to the top. This trail is at least moderate, and mostly steep, climbing over 2,800 feet in its three-mile length.
The trails are well-maintained down low, and quite wide for quite a while. Up high they're overgrowing a little, but those working on the New England 100 are a little used to that sort of thing, right?
Most of the trails on this side of the mountain lie within the 914-acre Equinox Preservation Trust. This does not include the summit, where a newer visitor's center squarely sits. The center is called the Saint Bruno Scenic Viewing Center and is part of the nearby Carthusian Monastery. I'm sure the views are outstanding, but today the mountain was in the clouds, and the center was closed, even though it was just 3:30 or 4pm.
I saw a few people near the trailhead who were exploring the low-land trails. Otherwise, I did encounter a pair of women near the top who were coming from the summit. I met them again on the way down and asked if they were hiking the NE 100. They were unaware of the list, so I spread the Good News in that regard.
Pretty straightforward, if sweaty hike with the steep pitches and high humidity. Thankfully, though, it didn't rain on this parade. Next up tomorrow, is the double header of Dorset and Stratton, then Mendon Peak on Saturday. After that, it's all Maine: the six pack, Elephant, Goose Eye, Baldpate, Coe, and ending on South Brother.
- Red Gate Trail, from trailhead lot on West Union Street, Manchester, VT (.3 mile?)
- Blue Summit Trail
- returned the same way, for total of 5.4 miles and 2800' gain
GPS Track / Photos: https://www.strava.com/activities/1082285324
Equinox is perhaps one of the more underwhelming peaks I've hiked on the list, though to be fair the summit was totally clouded in. The trailhead is easily accessed within a mile of downtown Manchester, VT, a higher-brow town with fine restaurants, shopping, golf, etc., and home to a private secondary school, Burr and Burton Academy. The trailhead lot is small and doesn't support any overflow parking, so if you're, say, the 10th or so car, you may have come back, or park way down the street and walk up.
The way to the summit is very well-marked, starting with the Red Gate Trail, which starts at -- you guessed it -- a red gate at the end of the trailhead lot. It's a short, easy walk about .25 miles before you reach the junction with the Blue Summit Trail, which takes you to the top. This trail is at least moderate, and mostly steep, climbing over 2,800 feet in its three-mile length.
The trails are well-maintained down low, and quite wide for quite a while. Up high they're overgrowing a little, but those working on the New England 100 are a little used to that sort of thing, right?
Most of the trails on this side of the mountain lie within the 914-acre Equinox Preservation Trust. This does not include the summit, where a newer visitor's center squarely sits. The center is called the Saint Bruno Scenic Viewing Center and is part of the nearby Carthusian Monastery. I'm sure the views are outstanding, but today the mountain was in the clouds, and the center was closed, even though it was just 3:30 or 4pm.
I saw a few people near the trailhead who were exploring the low-land trails. Otherwise, I did encounter a pair of women near the top who were coming from the summit. I met them again on the way down and asked if they were hiking the NE 100. They were unaware of the list, so I spread the Good News in that regard.
Pretty straightforward, if sweaty hike with the steep pitches and high humidity. Thankfully, though, it didn't rain on this parade. Next up tomorrow, is the double header of Dorset and Stratton, then Mendon Peak on Saturday. After that, it's all Maine: the six pack, Elephant, Goose Eye, Baldpate, Coe, and ending on South Brother.
