Mount Equinox: Lookout Rock Trail (Blog Hike #157)

Trail: Lookout Rock Trail

Hike Location: Mount Equinox

Geographic Location: west side of Manchester, VT (43.16593, -73.11761)

Length: 1 mile

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: August 2004

Overview: A short trail, rocky at first, from the summit of Mt. Equinox to a beautiful overlook.

Area Information: http://www.equinoxmountain.com/index.php

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=719306
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Getting to this trailhead is half the fun.  From Manchester, go south on SR 7A for 4.2 miles to the beginning of the Mt. Equinox toll road on the right.  You will need to purchase a token from the gift shop to access the toll road.  Drive the toll road up Mt. Equinox to the only parking lot at the summit.  The trail begins behind the white summit building. 

The hike: At 3835 feet, Mt. Equinox is the tallest summit in the Taconic Range in western Vermont.  The mountain today is owned by the Monastery of the Carthusian Order; this has been the case since 1960.  One overlook called the Monastery Overlook along your drive up the mountain allows you to see the monastery building in the valley below.  Fortunately for us, we are allowed to share in the peace and serenity they enjoy on the mountain.  Respect their property by leaving it the way you found it.

The summit is accessible by a paved 5.2-mile road.  You are not allowed to walk the road to the summit; you must go by automobile.  Of course, that means you must drive down, which should be done carefully, stopping several times to let your brakes cool.  Also, remember to bring a jacket on this hike, even in July.  The mountain summit is usually 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the valley, so the jacket will come in handy as you tackle the trails on the higher mountain elevations.

There are three trails on Mount Equinox itself.  The Red Trail starts at the Monastery Overlook and climbs steeply for 2 miles to Lookout Rock.  The Yellow Trail is somewhat more forgiving, still rather steep but climbing for only 1 mile to reach the same destination.  This hike describes the easier Lookout Rock Trail, which starts from the summit and descends for 0.5 miles to Lookout Rock.  The descent involves a 150 foot drop in elevation.

Summit house on Mount Equinox

            Before beginning the trail, take a few minutes to take in the view from the summit.  The view extends 360 degrees, and on a clear day, you can see the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts to the south, the Adirondacks of New York to the west, the Green Mountains to the east, Mount Mansfield, the highest point in Vermont, to the north, and even Canada to the far north.  The white summit building is not open to the public, but you can climb to the porch to get yourself above the rock walls that surround the parking lot.

View west from summit house

            Continue past the summit building and pick up the wide dirt trail heading downhill to the north.  The steepest part of the descent comes first, as the trail loses 100 feet of elevation in the first 0.2 mile.  Some of this descent is over bare rock that could be slippery when wet.  Take your time, especially if you are not accustomed to mountain hiking, and choose your steps carefully.

At the bottom of a particularly rocky section, pass a transmission tower for a local television station on your right.  The damp forest consists of scrubby balsam fir and red spruce trees with a very sparse understory.  At 0.25 miles, come to the gravesite of two dogs that once belonged to members of the monastery.  The older of the two is marked by an elaborate headstone inscribed with a poem, while the more recent of the two (1997) is marked by a simple pile of rocks and a typed poem.

Past the gravesite, the trail flattens out, and the combined yellow and red trail can be seen just downhill from our trail.  An intersection with these two trails is reached at 0.35 miles, and at 0.4 miles, the Beartown Trail exits to the left to descend to Beartown Gap.  This steep trail leads into the National Forest and should only be attempted by those with appropriate gear and conditioning.

View east toward Manchester from Lookout Rock

            After a wet area, the trail ascends slightly to arrive at its destination, Lookout Rock.  A bench is provided so you can rest and look down into Manchester some 3000 feet below you.  Admire the Green Mountains in the distance, view Mount Tabor, the nearest of these mountains, or trace your way along the 36-hole golf course in the valley just south of Manchester.  While I visited this area in August, this would be a particularly compelling site to view the fall leaves in late September.  When you have finished looking, retrace your steps back uphill for 0.5 miles to return to your car and complete the hike.