Stratton mt Vt, road access

[1SlowHiker]

I want to snag one of my VT NEHH tomorrow and was thinking about Stratton. The trail I'm looking at starts on Stratton Arlington Rd which may also be Kelly Stand road. Are they the same? Is there any road closure concerns. Is this the best (shortest) way to get to the peak?

 

[jfb]

Yes. The road is not open all the way between Arlington and Stratton, but you can get to the AT/LT trailhead just fine from the east.

No road closure problems. I drove by there last weekend. Check out the fresh pavement and shiny guardrails on Rt. 100!

Yes and No. The easiest road to follow is I-91 to Brattleboro, Rt. 9 west to Wilmington and Rt. 100 north to the obvious sign to Stratton. The shortest way is I-91 to Greenfield, west on Rt. 2, north on Colrain Rd., north on Rt. 112 to Rt. 100 and north through Wilmington to the turnoff.

 

[Driver8]

Yes. The road is not open all the way between Arlington and Stratton, but you can get to the AT/LT trailhead just fine from the east.

No road closure problems. I drove by there last weekend. Check out the fresh pavement and shiny guardrails on Rt. 100!

Yes and No. The easiest road to follow is I-91 to Brattleboro, Rt. 9 west to Wilmington and Rt. 100 north to the obvious sign to Stratton. The shortest way is I-91 to Greenfield, west on Rt. 2, north on Colrain Rd., north on Rt. 112 to Rt. 100 and north through Wilmington to the turnoff.

The shortest hiking route to Stratton's summit is from the Forest Service Road, which meets Stratton-Arlington/Kelly Stand Road maybe 3/4 mile east of the AT/LT trailhead. You walk the fairly level forest road for about half a mile and meet up with the AT and take a right. It's a pretty easy hike - the first half mile is fairly rocky, then briefly moderately steep. After that it's pretty easy going. This route cuts off a good half mile each way versus the AT/LT trailhead. Depending on your inclination, making a loop by descending the AT northbound from the summit and catching the same forest road is pretty, and a side trip from that junction, west, to Stratton Pond is worthwhile, with the ability to drop down from there via the Stratton Pond Trail to Kelly Stand with a mile-ish road walk at the end back to your car.

 

[Jay H]

That's a very nice loop Driver8, you can also stay at the AT/LT shelter at Stratton pond or camp at stratton pond (fee in the summer) if it's not flooded...

Jay