Mt. Mansfield advice?

[crazymama]

I'm getting ready to venture into the Green Mountains for the first time, and would like some advice from folks who have hiked there before.

I'm thinking of hiking Mt. Mansfield, starting at Underhill S.P. and going up Sunset Ridge and return via Laura Cowles, or vice versa. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? I have the Long Trail guidebook, and these seem like fairly direct approaches, and probably the closest trails since I'll be coming through Burlington.

I'd like to stay at a no frills motel the night before, as near the trail head as possible. Any suggestions? (All I could find on the internet were a lot of upscale inns and b&bs).

I'll be doing this hike before mud season officially begins in Vermont.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Whiteman]

You'll love it!

The wind is usually from the NW, and Mansfield is very exposed. Sunset Ridge is right in breeze, but then again when you are walking down Sunset Ridge you are soaking up views the whole time. Laura Cowles is in the woods for the most part, so you are out of the wind 'till you hit the ridge. When I did this in February I went up LC and down SR. Sunset Ridge was a mixture of bare rock, icy rock, and thin snow cover. The views can't be beat.

Have fun!

 

[Daniel Eagan]

It's not more than a half-hour drive from Burlington to the trailheads at Underhill State Park. You can find a number of cheap motels right near the Burlington airport and then start out early in the morning. We stayed at the Anchorage Inn which was functional, convenient, and not too expensive (under $70).

Manchester doesn't have to be a long hike, so if you start by nine or even ten you will be done in plenty of time.

 

[crazymama]

Thanks Whitelief and Daniel...I appreciate the info!

 

[michaelb]

I would personally go up Sunset and down laura cowles, just to get the views on the way up, and the steep gully descent on the way down. Mud season has started in Vermont, but the mountain should still be frozen.

I can't think of any good cheap place to stay in the area, and I live here. Staying in Burlington would be fun for a lot of reasons, but being hung over might slow you down a bit. I can't remember where Ogdensburg is, but I was thinking you were north of the daks. If so, you would cross the bridge and come in from the north? There would be more cheap motel options in that area (St. Albans, maybe Swanton), and you could come across the "backroads" to the mountain. I haven't stayed there, but you could consider staying in Jeffersonville, a google search turns up the Deerrun, which I remember driving by:

http://www.deerrunmotorinn.com/

 

[michaelb]

Ok, I found you, and I had been through there once. You would cross at Rouse's Point over the bridge. Burlington is out of your way, but still well worth the trip.

I can't remember the name of the place, but Jeffersonville has a great place for breakfast. It is the bakery, must be the one at 158 Main. The reason it is the only small town in the area to have extensive tourist services is that Smuglers Notch Ski Resort is there, but they should have wound down by the time you arrive. People seem to like Angelina's for cheap Italian too. Worth considering at least.

http://www.smuggs.com/pages/s-amenities/Off-Resort_Dining.php

 

[ADK4Life]

Mansfield is a very easy mountain if you are ascending the Sunset Ridge route. The mountain was far more exposed to elements than one might think. One of the nicest hikes I have been on, views from beginning to end.