Nobody said getting back in shape was easy--but if you're going to suffer, you might as well do it…read moresomewhere beautiful. I picked a hiking trail in Vermont after getting lured in by some stunning photos online. Inspired (and slightly delusional), I stopped and picked up a pair of Oboz hiking shoes and some solid hiking socks--thankfully, one of my better decisions. Let me be clear: this trail was no joke. It twisted, turned, and climbed in ways that made my heart rate spike enough to question my life choices. At one point, I genuinely thought I heard Bigfoot breathing down my neck--turns out it was just me gasping for air. Here are the stats: 4,083 ft summit 7.4 miles round trip 2,645 ft vertical rise 6 hours of hiking The mountain is known as Tawabodi-e-wadso, which means "The Saddle Mountain" in the Waubawakee Native American language. Yes, I did my research--mainly because I felt like I needed to know the name of the place that almost killed me. (Kidding... kind of.) But here's the real truth: it was absolutely worth it. The trail winds through beautiful groves of maple and oak, with peaceful river streams breaking up the climb. It was majestic, serene, and a perfect reminder of why nature is one of the best places to push your limits. And yes, the shoes held up like champs. Bottom line: A tough but rewarding hike--equal parts humbling and awe-inspiring. If you're looking to reconnect with nature and your cardiovascular system, this one's for you.

We started the hike via the Huntington parking lot and hikes the Burrow trail…read more Do not underestimate this hike. It is all incline up and lots of rock scrambling. We are not experienced hikes and took us 5 hrs to finish. It is true that it is shaded the whole time, but no one mentioned about the amount of bugs on the whole trail. After asking a local, we find out that they are called "black flies". They are small and annoying little bugs that cling on to your skin and bite you. We put bugs spray but did not keep them away from us. Apparently they come in season that received alot of rain. (first week of June) And it just happens to hatch new eggs as the weather gets hot and wet. So if you plan to hike this with there is alot of rain, I suggest wearing a netted hat. Because these flies are soon annoying and just takes out the fun of the hike. Although it was not an easy hike with annoying bugs biting our skin, the summit was one of 360 view of the landscape. It is beautiful and view are breathtaking!!!!

This is a gorgeous park along the shore of lake Champlain, with a wonderful walkway for locals and…read moretourists to enjoy the beauty of the landscape. The downtown Burlington is visible from the park. There's also tiny beach like sand area available. The adjacent park is also very popular among locals. The area bbq stations setup. Multiple playground areas with slides, swing, and marry go round. The park has two parking areas. One closer to main park, another one is further in, closer to the tree house. Both are paid parkings, but when we went on Sunday, we didn't have to pay. There are couple of volleyball fields next to the treehouse. We saw a bunch of people playing. The treehouse itself was underwhelming. Still it is a beautiful park to visit.

What a nice park! It really has everything. Hiking trails by the river, playground, sports court,…read moreand the view! The playground has 2-3 sections so it's not over crowded at the same area. Along the hiking trail, there are equipments for physical therapy. The day we went was chilly but still quite a lot of people biking and hiking. The treehouse is cool but I think it will have better view in summer. Lots graffiti inside tho. I didn't like that. Parking lot on site (kiosk to pay fee?)

Vermont's most peaceful spot: stunning grounds, drive into forest for more history. Friendly staff…read moreshared Joseph Smith's upbringing story. Ideal for history, quiet reflection, nature's beauty.

I'm not an LDS member and I don't know a whole lot about their Church, but I was passing through…read moreand decided that I'd like to see the largest polished granite shaft in the world. So here it is, a total of 50 feet tall with the stone obelisk itself at 38.5 feet (one for each year of Smith's life). It is a beautiful facility and the stone itself is impressive. The center is quiet and peaceful and a lovely tribute to the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is also a full visitors' center here and a meeting house. Admission to the center and tours of the memorial site are free.

Very easy! Follow the path all around~ trail is easy with a slight escalation but not strenuous…read more The state park welcome center had one gentleman who was very rude and passive aggressive to our questions. I will not hold it against him, but the welcome center should be more welcoming~

Rating: 4.5 Came to…read morethe quechee gorge trail. We started our trail at the visitor center and when up stream towards the dam and the fall first and then made it down back down toward down stream. We also stopped at the bridge and looked at the gorge as well from both sides. It was a comfortable hike about 1.5 mile or so. The trail was mostly gravel and some leaves and twigs here and there. There is a pond upstream which was beautiful. Downstream there is a area where you can go down to the water and look and feel the streams coming from the gorge. Lots of flowers, mushrooms and trees. It's cool to see the sediments that water curved over the years at the downstream. Overall a cool hike. Must see if you are in quechee area or passing by. Took about 1.5 hours or so.

Rarely have I gone on a hike in the mountains, but Mount Mansfield was a great experience. We drove…read morefirst to Lot A via the Toll Road, which is pretty pricey to pay... but it's not realistic to climb to the top from the parking lot at bottom of the road... at least for a day trip. The weather was good, although you could feel autumn approaching. Keep in mind - The only "facilities" are Porta Potties by the entrance by the Visitor Center parking, and there are no spots (even in any woods) until you are back! We were lucky to get a spot in Lot A, because the lower Lot B adds to your hike. We explored the initial part of the Long Trail, luciously green, covered my trees and full of moss, flowers, and mushrooms. Then, we returned to the Visitor Center to begin our walk along the ridge trail from the "nose" towards the "chin." I made it about half way, using a useful pair of hiking poles - something I'd recommend. Good outdoor shoes with appropriate treads also made navigating the rocky terrain easier. Both views - on one side the Adirondack mountains across Lake Champlain and the opposite side over to New Hampshire - were spectacular. If you're looking for an active outdoor jaunt for the day, recommend exploring Mount Mansfield. Nevertheless, you may want to check out in advance the Toll Road fees so you won't be shocked once you arrive.

This is a great hike - well marked, and with great views at the top. My only small complaint is…read morethat I wish the highest peak marker was larger. It looks like there may have been something more there in the past, but now it is just a small circle on the ground marking the spot. Overall, it really feels like a great accomplishment to reach the top. There are multiple trails to the peak and a good bit of rock scrambling to keep things interesting, but nothing too difficult. Definitely a rewarding hike. PS - there is off-season parking, you just will add an extra mile or so getting onto the trail, but it's never closed.

I am so glad my daughter discovered this historic site. It was a great experience!…read more Yes, originally I thought to myself...why did I have to pay $8 per person to visit the site and walked the trail....Well, after the experience, I did not regret paying the $8. The visitor center was well kept. There was a 10 minute video, and so many items discovered from the war displayed neatly inside the museum. We took the green/Baldwin trail. On this beautiful cool breezy day, my daughter and I walked around and saw all the special locations marked along the trail. The trail was well kept. The views were stunning. Highly recommend!

Lived in Vermont most of my life and this place was always on my lists of places to visit: every…read morething is extremely well maintained and the actual visitors center was extremely clean: they do have one unisex bathroom with a changing table in the back stall area. We really enjoyed the extremely informative staff member we spoke with and gave excellent suggestions for hiking with little ones. The views from the top was extremely beautiful. The trail we hiked provided shade most of the way so even on an extremely hot morning we enjoyed our visit

We went here on a whim while visiting Schroon Lake. What a nice surprise! We had a great time…read moreexploring and hiking through the bridges and caves. I think there's potential to expand the trails but we had a great time. Overall about 1.5-2 hrs to take your time and explore all the trails

Just had an amazing time at the only Caves in the Adirondacks! We had a blast walking down and…read moreexploring the caves. All the caves are outdoors and can be self guided! Perfect for families but be careful to wear sneakers as some areas are slippery! We brought our newborn and it wasn't too bad! Just go slow if you're also with elderly parents. Fun place!

I guess this trail doesn't get enough love because parking is extremely limited. We were fortunate…read moreto get one of the three available parking spots near the residential entrance. The trail is well-marked with bright yellow diamond markers on trees, and additionally annotated by sharpie at trail forks. We skipped the alternate route that presumably would've led to a longer loop that included a small waterfall at the river (according to AllTrails), so it only took an hour round trip for us to reach the Wu Ledges vista, then get back to our car before a rainstorm hit. The gorgeous views of the shorter leg were worth the effort. We were occasionally plagued by mosquitoes and flies, so I'm glad we packed the bug repellant.

This is the loveliest place to walk / hike / run / snowshoe with children in the Mad River Valley…read moreIMHO. The loop is about 1.7 miles IIRC, an easy (but not too wimpy) trek for my seven-year-old, with gentle ups and downs, even with thick snow cover on the ground in regular winter boots. (The Pardner forgot to throw our snowshoes and crampons in the car = demerits!) Although there are only three parking spots, there are enough accumulated visitors that there's a nicely packed, easy-to-follow trail. From the top, there's a nice view of the town with, I think, Mad River Glen, in the distance. Yellow trail markers are easy to follow up to the viewing point, less well marked on the other side. Lots of deer tracks, racoon and possum tracks, and a few intrepid squirrels out and about in winter. If you need a break from skiing, head to Wu and stop at the Sweet Spot across the covered bridge after. Perfect use of a winter morning. :)

Great view of Lake Champlain and beyond, the Adirondack Mountains. Probably a fantastic spot for a…read moresunset but I missed that this afternoon. The park has a huge parking area, some walking areas and several benches facing the proper direction of the view. The park is linked with the Burlington recreational paths so try it as a destination or trailhead. [Review 18508 overall - 107 in Vermont - 2030 of 2022.]

My friend showed me this adorable little overlook when we were up in BTV. Unfortunately, we came…read moreon an overcast day, but it was still nice to take in the lovely views! This is an amazing place to see sweeping views of the beautiful mountains and Lake Champlain. I imagine it would also be worth checking out at sunset. This is also a great spot for budding photographers. There is a small parking lot here, plus a couple of picnic tables. I'd say this is a must do for first time visitors to this fabulous city! Plan to spend 10-15 minutes here.

Rating: 4.7 Fall…read morelocated short hike from the road. Offers beautiful fall and clear water if you want to go in. We parked on the side of the road and hiked for about 20minutes or so to the fall. Some area near the fall are steep and some footings are wet so need caution. But aside from that it's a great place to visit. Would have liked to check out the river and bottom area more but there were some people there already and we almost got locked out from the car so we had to rush back. Would come back to experience it fully. Definitely a must stop if you are in stowe and likes hiking/falls

Very short walk that isn't too bad, but is strenuous if not careful towards the bottom of the…read morefalls. You can partake in the water activities, but good traction water shoes are needed. Hiking boots the best if you want to step down to see the water. Careful with children! We saw a poor dude break his leg or something and he had to be helped by his friends going up the slippery rocks. Definitely a must as long as you're well prepared!