Stratton Mountain stands at 3,940 feet as the highest peak in Windham County and the highest point on the Long Trail through southern Vermont. Its summit holds an outsized place in hiking history: in 1909, Green Mountain Club founder James P. Taylor conceived the idea of a trail running the length of Vermont while caught in a fog here, and years later Benton MacKaye stood on the same summit and envisioned extending such a trail the full length of the Appalachian Range. The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail converge at Stratton's summit, a meeting that traces back directly to those two moments of inspiration.
The standard approach follows the Long Trail north from the Kelley Stand Road trailhead, covering 7.3 miles round trip with roughly 1,745 feet of elevation gain. The trail climbs at a gradual grade for the first mile and a half before steepening through dense spruce-fir forest; a few partial viewpoints break up the wooded ascent. A second approach from Stratton Village via the resort's summer gondola cuts the hiking distance substantially, though most hikers arrive on foot from the trailhead.
A 70-foot fire tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps around 1934 and renovated in 2011 marks the true summit. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it offers 360-degree views taking in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts on clear days. Winter ascents are popular on snowshoes, though icy conditions after freeze-thaw cycles can make the upper trail demanding.
