Hiking Vermont

by Larry B. Pletcher

Book Overview

This guide features sixty trails across the Green Mountain State. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560443952
• ISBN13: 9781560443957
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: FalconGuide
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Good Guide That Makes for Great Reading

In a rural state such as Vermont, although plenty of opportunities for hiking exist, finding them can be difficult since they are off the beaten path. This guide will help you find those hidden (and some not-so-hidden) hiking gems that are scattered throughout the Green Mountain state. This guide describes 61 hikes scattered fairly evenly across Vermont. Hikes range in length from 0.5 miles to 15 miles with the average at around 4-6 miles. Each hike comes with some basic facts about the trail, a rather detailed set of directions to the trailhead, a map, a detailed trail description, and usually a photo. The maps are typical Falcon maps: they show the trail, a couple of main features, and not much else. I have to say I don't understand why Falcon doesn't upgrade their maps to the USGS topo variety that are found in the 50-hikes series and most other top hiking guides these days. Still, I have lots of Falcon hiking guides on my shelf, so I guess my wallet speaks louder than this review. Perhaps the most outstanding quality of this guide is the author's wide and varied vocabulary. In fact, this guide has a literary quality not found in most hiking guides. Occassionally this gets in the way of clarity. For example, the author describes the trail to Camel's Hump as a "bony" trail. Does he mean rocky? narrow? These cases are the exception, and usually the author's vocabulary simply makes the reading experience more enjoyable. I have heard some other people complain about the lack of Long Trail information in this book. On this point I must respectfully disagree. True, if you are looking to hike the Long Trail from start to finish, you will need better information than what is provided here. Still, 16 of the hikes in this book describe dayhikes along the Long Trail, and this is a book on hiking, not backpacking. Most dayhikers will find plenty on the Long Trail here to keep them busy for a long time. In summary, this may not be the best guide to Vermont hiking on the market, but this book merits serious consideration. I withheld one star, mainly for the maps and slightly for the potentially vague descriptions. As I said though, this book has a literary quality not found in most hiking guides. So if you enjoy reading hiking guides or you are interested in Vermont hiking, this book should find its way onto your shelf.

Excellent guide for discovering Vermont

This is an excellent addition to the Falcon Guide hiking series, and the author adds a touch of humor and class to each route description. The driving directions to each trailhead are detailed and accurate. the route descriptions are similarly packed with information that any hiker can use. If there was a chance of seeing wildlife, Pletcher duly notes it and informs you when the best times are for seeing bears or moose. If you're backpacking, he tells you where to find water and where reliable springs are located.I was a little disappointed that he didn't concentrate more on the 260 mile Long Trail which traverses the length of Vermont. I was looking for information of their shelters and side routes into towns along the way. But for day hikers, this is a good, reliable and handy guide. Recommended.