Late Summer Hikes with the Best Views in Lamoille County

By seven in the morning, the fog is already burning off the Lamoille River down below Prospect Rock, and the whole valley smells like cut hay. That’s the tell that late summer has arrived in Lamoille County. The black flies are long gone, the trails have dried out from spring mud season, and the light coming through the sugar maples has that thick, gold quality it only gets in August.

If you’re looking for the best hikes with a view in this corner of Vermont, this is the window. School hasn’t started yet, the swimming holes are still warm enough for a post hike dip, and the summits are clear more often than not. Here are the hikes worth lacing up your boots for right now, from an easy family outing near Johnson to a fire tower climb that barely sees a soul.

What makes late summer the best time to hike in Lamoille County?

Vermont’s northern counties sit at enough elevation that the seasons run a little behind the rest of New England. Corn doesn’t really come in around here until late July or early August, which tells you something about how the whole calendar shifts north. By the time August settles in, the humidity of July has usually broken, the mosquitoes have thinned out, and the trails through the Worcester Range and the Green Mountains have had a full summer to firm up.

It’s also the last real stretch before the first hints of foliage show up on the ridgelines, usually by mid to late September. Hike these trails now and you’ll get long, clear views without fighting for parking at the trailhead the way you might during peak leaf season.

Where can you find an easy hike with a big payoff near Johnson, Vermont?

Prospect Rock is the hike I send visitors to when they want a real view without committing a whole day to it. The trail starts along the Long Trail just outside Johnson village, and the first thing you’ll do is cross a suspension bridge over the Lamoille River near Ithiel Falls. Kids love this part, and it sets the tone for the whole hike.

From there, it’s a steady but manageable climb, about two and a half miles round trip with roughly 460 feet of elevation gain, up to a broad bedrock outcropping. The reward is a wide open view down the Lamoille Valley toward the Sterling Range, with the river cutting through the farmland below.

• Round trip distance is about 2.6 miles
• The suspension bridge crossing near Ithiel Falls is a highlight on its own
• The summit ledges are flat enough for a proper picnic, not just a quick photo

This is the one I’d recommend first if you’re hiking with kids, in-laws, or anyone who hasn’t been on a Vermont trail before. It delivers a real summit feeling without asking too much of anyone’s knees.

Which Lamoille County hike has a 360 degree view at the top?

For a full circle view, nothing in the county beats Elmore Mountain. The trail climbs through Elmore State Park up into the Worcester Range, and the payoff at the summit is a fire tower you can climb for a view that runs from Jay Peak in the north all the way to Camel’s Hump in the south, with Mount Mansfield anchoring the middle of the skyline.

Lake Elmore sits directly below the summit, and on a clear late summer morning you can watch the mist lift off the water while you’re still catching your breath from the climb. The tower itself has been part of this ridge for generations, and there’s something satisfying about standing at the top of a working fire lookout rather than just a bare summit.

The climb has some real grade to it, so budget a few hours round trip and pack more water than you think you’ll need. It’s worth every step.

Where’s the best alpine pond hike near Stowe?

Sterling Pond, tucked into Smugglers’ Notch, is one of the more unusual hikes in the county because the reward isn’t a distant view so much as a small, quiet body of water sitting improbably high in the mountains. The trail starts steep, with a short stretch of rock stairs right out of the gate that tends to surprise people who assumed the whole hike would ease in.

After that initial push, the trail settles into a climb through the woods, over roots and past rock ledges, until it opens up at the pond itself, right where it meets the Long Trail. The water is clear enough to see the bottom in most spots, and the surrounding peaks give the whole clearing a closed in, secret feeling that’s rare this close to a resort town.

It’s a popular trail for good reason, so an early start pays off, both for parking at the Notch and for having the pond mostly to yourself before the day hikers show up.

Is there a quieter hike with wide views that skips the crowds?

Laraway Lookout, straddling the towns of Waterville and Johnson, is the hike I point people to when they’ve already done Prospect Rock and Sterling Pond and want something with fewer people on it. The trailhead sits off Codding Hollow Road in Waterville, and the Long Trail heads north from there along an old logging road before it narrows and starts climbing in earnest.

After a bit under two miles, the trail breaks out onto open ledges with a nearly 180 degree view centered to the southwest, looking out over ridge after ridge of the Green Mountains. There’s a Green Mountain Club shelter near the summit for anyone doing a longer section of the Long Trail, but for a day hike, the lookout itself is the destination.

Plan on close to four hours round trip if you’re taking your time, which most people do once they reach the ledges. It’s not a hike you want to rush.

Where can you find real solitude and a fire tower with almost no visitors?

Belvidere Mountain, up near Eden, is the hike for anyone who wants the fire tower experience without sharing the summit with a crowd. Park at the small trailhead area off Route 118 between Belvidere center and Eden, then follow the Frank Post Trail up to the Long Trail and finally the Forester Trail to the summit.

The fifty foot fire tower at the top was first built in the early 1900s and rebuilt in the early 1990s, and it still stands watch over one of the more remote corners of the county. From the top, you’re looking out toward the Northeast Kingdom in one direction and back toward the rest of the Green Mountains in the other, with almost none of the development you’d see from a more popular peak.

Expect some mud and a few downed trees along the way, especially if it’s been a wet stretch. It’s a longer, more committing hike than the others on this list, and that’s exactly why it stays quiet.

• Trailhead access is off Route 118 between Belvidere center and Eden
• The fire tower dates back to the early 1900s, rebuilt in the early 1990s
• Views stretch toward the Northeast Kingdom, a rare angle for this part of Vermont

How should you plan a late summer hiking day in Lamoille County?

Start early. Not just for the parking, though that matters at Sterling Pond and Elmore especially, but because the light on these summits is at its best in the first few hours after sunrise, before the haze of a warm August afternoon settles in.

Bring more water than feels necessary. The humidity here can be deceptive, especially on the longer climbs like Belvidere and Laraway, where there’s no water source once you leave the trailhead. And check in with the Green Mountain Club or the state park office before a longer hike if the summer has been especially wet, since trail conditions on the less traveled routes can change fast.

Layer smart, even in August. The valley floor might be pushing eighty degrees, but the fire towers at Elmore and Belvidere sit exposed to the wind, and it can feel ten degrees cooler the moment you climb the last flight of stairs. A light long sleeve tucked into your pack costs nothing and saves you from cutting a summit visit short.

If you’re bringing a dog, most of these trails welcome them, but Belvidere in particular can get muddy enough to slow a hike down, so plan your pace around your slowest hiker, four legged or otherwise. And if you’re new to the area, pairing one of these hikes with a stop at a local farm stand on the drive home is about as Lamoille County as an afternoon gets, corn and tomatoes are just hitting their stride by the time these trails are at their best.

Whichever one you pick, give yourself permission to sit at the top longer than you planned. That’s the whole point of hiking in this county in August, there’s nowhere else you need to be.