Vermont Appalachian Trail Backpack
Burlington, VT
4.7 (3 reviews)Trip Highlights
- Appalachian Trail
- Vermont's Long Trail
- Lakeside Camping
- Beautiful Views
- Gorgeous Mountain Country
- Evening Campfires
Description
On this backpacking trip we explore the Appalachian Trail, Vermont’s amazing Long Trail and the pristine backcountry landscapes of Southern Vermont. We hike a figure 8 loop on the combined Appalachian Trail and Long Trail, summiting Green Mountain as our high point of the trip. Then we descend into lower elevation forests to hike for days past a remote mountain creeks and rivers, and camp near two secluded ponds/lakes. There will be time every day to relax at camp before a delicious guide-prepared dinner and an opportunity for campfires in the evening.
This trip is great for families and guests interested in an immersive experience in Vermont’s wilderness, with moderate hiking and time to savor the backcountry. Give us a call at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to learn more or book your trip today!
$1380 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 3
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
This trip follows well maintained trails with moderate distances and elevation gains/losses. There are sections of hiking that are rocky, muddy, slick and areas with tree roots.
Hiking Distances:
4-7 miles
Backpack Weight:
25-35 pounds
Terrain:
Moderately Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
Up to 1000 feet
Heights Exposure:
Light
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 25-35 lb backpack for 4-6 hours
- Maintaining balance and footing on moderately rugged terrain
SOLITUDE LEVEL 2
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this Vermont backpacking trip a solitude 2. You can expect as much as an hour of solitude at a time.
PRIVATE TRIPS
Travel in perfect company by booking a private trip exclusively for your group!
Our sliding scale for private trips is based on the final number of guests in your group. Rates are per person and do not include sales tax, national park fees or guide gratuity. The final rate is based on the actual number of guests on the trip and may adjust based on cancellations or additions.
Please Note: you can also enjoy a private trip at our normal scheduled rates by filling any empty tour to capacity. However, if group members drop from the tour those spots will automatically become available on our website for instant booking. By purchasing a private trip at the rates listed below, your trip will remain exclusive to your group regardless of cancellations.
PRIVATE RATES FOR THIS TRIP
- 2 People: Rate x 2.5
- 3 People: Rate x 1.75
- 4 People: Rate x 1.25
- 5+ People: Rate x 1.15
*all rates are per person
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ITINERARY
Day 1
- Drive Time: 2h 15min
- Hiking Mileage: 5.4 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1,000 ft
- Elevation Loss: 500 ft
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Burlington, and we’ll head south through the gorgeous Vermont countryside to our starting trailhead. From here we will don our backpacks and head out on our 4-day adventure. We follow a local trail to the summit of Green Mountain and will take some time to enjoy the local mountain views over a tasty trail lunch at one of the vistas. Then we will hike down to a tent site right near a spectacular remote pond (“ponds” in Vermont are more like lakes by most other standards). After setting up camp we will walk a loop around the pond and have some time to swim or enjoy the view before dinner.
Day 2
- Hiking Mileage: 4.9 miles
- Elevation Loss: 350 ft
Today we will wake up by the pond and will enjoy a well-deserved camp breakfast before heading out on the Appalachian Trail (also the Long Trail). We will hike on the historic trail for a few miles before looping back to yesterday’s starting point, thus completing the first half of our figure 8. After a well-deserved break and some lunch, we’ll continue on to a Long Trail shelter . We’ll make our way through forested mountainsides to tonight’s campsite next to a beautiful, crystal clear creek. There will be time to relax or explore around camp in the afternoon, before reconvening for our second backcountry dinner and evening campfire.
Day 3
- Hiking Mileage: 4.3 miles
- Elevation Gain: 950 ft
- Elevation Loss: 350 ft
Today we will savor a leisurely morning and big breakfast before setting out on the next leg of our adventure. Our hike takes us along a running creek on an old section of the Long Trail. The trail widens into an old logging road and follows the creek most of the day through gorgeous forests and mountain landscapes. We will arrive at camp near a secluded lake, and check out the nearby Long Trail shelter. We’ll have time to enjoy the lake before a delicious, final camp dinner and cozy campfire to celebrate our last night in the backcountry.
Day 4
- Hiking Mileage: 6.8 miles
- Elevation Gain: 240 ft
- Elevation Loss: 830 ft
- Drive Time: 2h 15min
On our last day, we will get an early start and say goodbye to our lovely remote campsite as we hit the trail. The whole day will be on the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail, following the iconic white blazes of America’s most famous hiking route. We will stop for a guide-prepared lunch at another unique Long Trail shelter before the final section of our hike returns us to our starting point. We will load up into our vehicle and enjoy a relaxing drive back to Burlington, where we’ll say our fond goodbyes. What a week it’s been!
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
TRIP DATES & BOOKING
AVAILABLE TO BOOK
This trip is available and bookable online! Click on the date to register now or contact us online to book through our award-winning customer service team!
GOING FAST
This trip has 1 or 2 spots remaining and is bookable online! Click on the date to book now or contact us online to book through customer service.
REQUEST A RESERVATION
This trip is exclusively booked through customer service due to logistics with lodging, permits, staffing, availability, or something else. Please contact us online or call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to request a reservation.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
What's Included
- Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
- High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use) – or bring your own.
- Use of trekking poles
- All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
- Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
- Roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Burlington, Vermont to the hike and back
- Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device (InReach Explorer or satellite phone)
What's Not Included
- Clothes, raingear, and footwear (see recommendations)
- Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
- Water bottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-20% of trip cost)
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about what to pack.
Meals: What to Expect
All of our hiking and backpacking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola, and more.
For optimal taste and energy, we supplement all our meals with spices, herbs, oils, cheeses, butter, sugar, and fruits and vegetables (fresh and dried). In addition, we provide you with with an assortment of trail mix, snacks, and dried fruits to eat at your own discretion.
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
Gear We Provide
We provide all group gear which includes the following:
- Deuter or Osprey backpacks
- Sierra Designs, Kelty or Big Agnes tents
- Sierra Designs, Big Agnes and Mountain Hardware synthetic-fill sleeping bags (or bring your own)
- Thermarest or Big Agnes sleeping pads
- Leki trekking poles
- Cooking stoves and cookware
- Company-issued first-aid kit
- Emergency communication device(s)
Guest Packing List
When you register for this tour you’ll receive access to a printable, downloadable trip information packet with a detailed packing list specific to this trip (click here to see it now.) All trips require a sturdy pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots, rain gear, a recommended clothing system, a headlamp or flashlight, a hydration system (water bottles and/or bladder) and other items specific to each trip.
Additionally, some guests choose to bring their own sleeping bag. We supply high quality, synthetic fill bags that are professionally laundered after every trip. Synthetic fill is non-allergenic, insulates when damp and stands up well to repeated washings, but is heavier and bulkier than down. If you’re able to bring your own down sleeping bag, there are multiple benefits. If not, we’ve got you covered!
Trip Logistics
How Do I Register?
Reserve your spot today! In the Trip Dates & Booking section of this page, the green and red dates are bookable online by simply clicking on the date, and blue dates must be booked through our customer service team for a variety of possible reasons. To email our customer service team, you can click here to get the ball rolling. Our adventure consultants will confirm availability, and if you’re ready to register we’ll email you a link to a registration profile. You’ll have 72 hours to complete your profile (and that of any dependents) and pay the deposit.
Feel free to call us for more info – we’re here 7 days a week!
Where Do We Meet?
Your guide will conduct a virtual orientation meeting (via conference call) at 5:00 PM the evening before your trip begins to review the packing list, communicate the first day’s logistics and answer any last minute questions you have. Your guide will give you the phone number for this call during the pre-trip contact approximately 10 days before your trip start date.
Early on the morning of Day 1 your guide will pick you up from your accommodations in Burlington, Vermont.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Start/End Times
Your guide will inform you of the first day’s pick-up time during the orientation conference call. Generally, you can expect it to be between 6:30 and 8:30 am, although the exact time will depend on current weather and road conditions. We will drop you off at your hotel on the final day normally before 5 PM (this time is not guaranteed, as a variety of circumstances can influence our exact return time).
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Essential Eligibility Criteria
Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) have been specifically identified to help you understand the skills and abilities necessary to participate on each Wildland trip, and they apply uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability.
Once you identify a trip in which you may be interested, please carefully review the EEC and itinerary details. If after reviewing the EEC that apply to your desired trip, you determine you need an accommodation in order to meet the EEC, please contact us prior to registering to discuss your requested accommodation.
The EEC exist for your own safety and the safety and enjoyment of all participants. If you are unable to meet the EEC for the trip, with or without an accommodation, you are not eligible for that trip. If you register and arrive for a trip for which you do not meet the EEC, you will be disqualified from participation on the trip and will be dismissed or evacuated from the trip without a refund.
Guide Working Parameters
Guides are required to take 8 hours off each 24-hour period to sleep, recuperate, take personal/down time…etc. In addition, as part of the 8 hours off they must sleep/rest or be in their tents/rooms uninterrupted for a minimum of 5 hours each night. We ask guests to respect these requirements and to not interrupt guides’ off time and sleep time unless there is a true emergency.
Age Restrictions
Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:
- 12 and older to join scheduled tours (mixed groups)
- 10 and older to join private tours, with final approval on a case by case basis
- specific logistical requirements (such as porter or stock assist) determined on a case by case basis
Weather in Vermont's Green Mountains
The weather in Vermont’s Green Mountains can be erratic, which makes it important to follow the packing list and be prepared for a diversity of conditions including temperate and humid to below freezing to windy and rainy. Thunderstorms in the summer are common, but so are sunny, blue bird skies on long summer days. The below temperatures are for the mountain town of Stowe. Many of our hikes in Vermont are at higher elevation, so will be 5-10 degrees colder and have a bit more precipitation.
Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit)
| Month | High | Low | Precip Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| June | 62° | 47° | 13 days |
| July | 66° | 52° | 13 days |
| August | 64° | 51° | 13 days |
| September | 57° | 43° | 12 days |
| October | 44° | 31° | 13 days |
Accommodations
Backcountry Sleeping
TENT CAMPING
Sleeping on backpacking trips is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and synthetic-fill sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
FRESH & DELICIOUS
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
IN THE ACTION
Of course campsites vary tremendously by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your backpacking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
Trip Reviews
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- HIGH - LOW
Allison Y
Trip was a lot of fun
Our guide was very organized and communicated with us very well before and during the trip. The trip was a lot of fun and I learned a good bit about backpacking and being in the wilderness for extended periods of time.
Megan B
Fabulous
The team was great at advising regarding the difficulty of trips while I was planning. Our guide Chris was fabulous, the food was amazing!
Ann B
Fantastic
I was very fortunate to have 3 awesome guides. Lindsey and Quincy were finishing the last bit of their guide training. I wholeheartedly recommend this company from top to bottom! Their equipment that I used was top of the line. And their cooked meals were fantastic! All three guides were extremely kind and knowledgeable.
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