Vermont's second-highest summit rises from the Green Mountains' Coolidge Range, commanding one of the broadest panoramas in New England. On clear days, the view from the exposed rocky top sweeps across the Adirondacks to the west, the length of the Green Mountains to the north, and the White Mountains on the horizon to the east.
Two main routes reach the top. The Bucklin Trail ascends the western slopes from Wheelerville Road, covering about 7.4 miles round trip with roughly 2,500 feet of gain before finishing on a steep scramble to the open summit. The Long Trail approach from Sherburne Pass is longer at around 9.2 miles with close to 2,600 feet of gain; it travels more rugged terrain, passes the stone Cooper Lodge shelter just below treeline, then climbs a 0.2-mile spur east to the top. The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail share the ridge here, and Cooper Lodge offers three tent platforms for those spending the night.
Snow can persist on north-facing slopes into May, and the upper mountain stays cold and windy well into summer. The Killington ski area covers much of the northern and eastern flanks, and the gondola terminal is visible from the summit, though the hiking corridors see no ski traffic. The summit rock itself dates to roughly 900 million years ago, making it some of the oldest exposed geology in Vermont.
