When we woke up Sunday morning it was such a nice fall day that we decided to go on a hike not too far from where we live. We drove to Elmore State Park where they have a moderate hike up Elmore Mountain to a Fire Tower. You do have to pay the park entrance fee (which was $4 per person), but I think it is so worth it! The Fire Tower Trail is about 1.6 miles and gets more difficult as you hike on. The trail eventually starts to get rocky and rooted and then steeper and steeper where you will have to climb some rocky stair ledges. There is even a ladder to climb at one point!
A little bit before we reached the Fire Tower came the first scenic viewpoint - the site of a former cabin where you can still see the remains of the foundation where it once stood. It's a great place to stop, take in the view, and relax for a few minutes before another steep section to the Fire Tower. We stopped and took some photos and tried to figure out where our house was from where we were standing! Ryan even has an app that names all of the mountains and we were able to find Mount Washington all the way in New Hampshire!
When we finally got to the Fire Tower we climbed to the top to experience the amazing view! You could see 360-degrees! We were able to spot Killington, Mount Mansfield, Camel's Hump and a few more. Plus, the beautiful Lake Elmore below. We tried to find our house but it was a bit windy and cold up there so we decided to head back! You could continue on from there on the Ridge Trail around the northern ridge of Elmore Mountain, but we decided to go back the way we came since it was going to be getting dark soon. As we were walking we heard this girl screaming and as we got closer to her we noticed she was crying. She had lost two of her friends on the trail and by that time it was basically fully dark. Of course all of their phones were dead so we ended up going with her half way up the trail to look for them. Luckily we ended up finding them and they had only just lost the trail for a little bit. So crazy though! For a moment I thought I might be in the beginning of a horror film!
Anyways, if you are ever visiting Vermont and staying near Stowe you should definitely hike Elmore Mountain! It is totally worth the climb and the views are incredible! Plus, if you ever want to shop any of the outfits I am wearing, you can head to my LikeToKnow.It page!
xoxo. Alexandra
