At 4,083 feet, Mount Ellen ranks as the third-highest summit in Vermont, tied with Camel's Hump for that distinction. The mountain sits at the northern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest in Washington County, with its eastern slopes shared by Sugarbush Resort. The origin of its name is disputed: one account traces it to Joseph Battell, a Middlebury publisher and conservationist who may have named the peak after the heroine in his 1903 novel "Ellen, or the Whisperings of an Old Pine"; another ties it to Ellen Douglas, protagonist of Sir Walter Scott's 1810 poem The Lady of the Lake.
The summit itself is forested, so open views come from the ski runs and lift stations on the eastern face rather than from the wooded high point. The Long Trail crosses the summit between Lincoln Gap to the south and Appalachian Gap to the north, making Mount Ellen a natural link in longer ridge traverses. The most direct approach is the Jerusalem Trail, climbing roughly 2,600 feet over 4.3 miles from Starksboro before joining the Long Trail for a final 1.8-mile stretch. Many hikers combine Ellen with neighboring Mount Abraham via a ridge loop from Lincoln Gap, adding distance but collecting two of Vermont's five 4,000-footers in a single outing.
Winter visits are popular, with snowshoers following the packed Long Trail between gaps. Ice and snow linger well into spring, so microspikes or snowshoes are advisable from November through April.
