One day I was perusing Pinterest and blogs and I came across an area of Vermont I had never been to called the Northeast Kingdom. As I researched further into this area, I found a place called Dog Mountain. As soon as I read about it, I knew I wanted to go. So we went ahead and booked a long weekend Columbus Day weekend!
We stayed in a cute Airbnb called The Mountain Pines. As we made our plan for the weekend we should have stayed a little more in the middle of the areas we would be but it was a very quiet, scenic place to stay. It was also closer to Dog Mountain which was really where I wanted to go.
We arrived later Friday night and would leave Monday morning leaving us two full days.
Saturday
We started our day at a beautiful lake trail called Lake Willoughby. This lake was so stunning with the fall colors and because we got there early we didn't see many people.
This is a short trail that goes around part of the lake.
Following Lake Willoughby we went to my goal destination of the trip: Dog Mountain. Dog Mountain is a place where dogs can run, play, swim, and just enjoy being dogs. Dog Mountain includes trails, an art gallery and something called the Dog Chapel. The Dog Chapel is dedicated to the memory of passed dogs. The entire chapel is covered with letters and pictures of dogs from their owners. It just felt so special to be here and to remember our passed dogs.
After Lake Willoughby and Dog Mountain we headed over to the Stowe area. This was quiet a long drive at about an hour and twenty minutes. As I said, I would have stayed a little more in between in hindsight. Just outside of Stowe is the Stowe Pinnacle trail. Moderately easy at 3.7 miles with 1604 ft. of elevation gain this was a quick little hike to see more of the beautiful fall colors of Vermont.
After our hike we decided we wanted to be basic Vermont tourists and indulge in the tastes of Vermont. This included:
Ben & Jerry's (we waited over an hour for this ice cream)
Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Company
Cabot Cheese
The Alchemist (we just picked up cans)
Idyletime Brewing
The lines were so worth it for all of these.
Sunday
On Sunday we changed our plan of a longer hike to a shorter one since we had hiked so much the day before and it didn't look as if we would get many views that day. With this plan change we decided to hike Mt. Hor. This was another moderately easy hike at 5.3 miles and 1332 ft. of elevation gain. Sure enough, at the top was nothing but fog but it was still a beautiful day on the trail.
As that took most of the morning, we then headed back over to Stowe for the afternoon. Our plan was going to include hiking the Sterling Pond trail which was across from Mt. Mansfield, (the tallest peak in Vermont), and in Smuggler's Notch. We very quickly realized we would not find the parking needed for this trail Smuggler's Notch was this beautiful drive between mountains under a canopy of trees. Even just driving through was incredible. We were so regretful we didn't realize this to get their early.
Once we realized we needed to change our plans, we first decided to go back to Vermont Artisan Coffee because it was just so delicious.
We then stopped at one of the infamous covered bridges of Vermont and walked along a pretty creek trail.
And then we drank some beer!
Von Trapp Brewing (Sound of Music fans!)
Stowe Cider (actually wasn't too crowded)
Back to Idyletime for a flight
This was a fantastic two days in Vermont and just made us wanting more!
Places we didn't get to visit but are saving for next time:
Sterling Pond Trail
More time in Smuggler's Notch
Mt. Mansfield
Waterbury Reservoir
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Covered Bridges
Burlington
Mt. Pisgah
Moss Glen Falls
Bingham Falls
See post here for our 2022 trip to Vermont that covered more of these places!
Tips
If you go the time of year we did you will be fighting crowds wherever you go. It's doable but just be prepared for this.
Cell phone service can be super spotty so just have back up plans for when you can't pull up directions
Plan for more time than two days! Luckily for us, it's not hard to make it up for a weekend trip.
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