If you want to get out and get a little exercise that leads you to a high spot where you can soak up Addison County’s beautiful fall foliage, we have two recommendations. Both involve hiking, but neither will take your whole day.

The first is the trail up Snake Mountain, which sits on the town line between Addison and Weybridge.

This is the most commonly traveled route to the 1,275-foot summit of Snake Mountain starts near the parking lot on Addison’s Mountain Road just north of Wilmarth Road. This puts you on to the West Trail, which is relatively flat at first, then turns a corner and climbs up a steady incline to the Summit Trail to the peak.

The hike is about two miles up and the elevation change is around 975 feet. Plan for the hike to take 45-60 minutes.

You can tell that the trail was once used as a stagecoach road for taking guest to the Grand View Hotel, which burned down in 1925. The foundation of the hotel is still visible and makes for a nice flat spot overlooking the farmland up and down the Champlain Valley and across to the Adirondack Mountains in New York.

An alternate route up Snake Mountain is the East Trail. It starts at a parking lot on Snake Mountain Road in Weybridge, a half mile north of Prunier Road.

For a little more effort, you can drive up to the Lincoln Gap and hike up to Sunset Ledge. Getting there takes a little longer than driving to Snake Mountain, and the trail is a little rougher, and perhaps a little more challenging. But the views are spectacular. This trail is said to be 2.2 miles out and back, with a little over 400 feet of elevation gain. Budget at least 45 minutes for the hike.

The Sunset Ledge hike is relatively short hike that quickly takes the participant to absolutely spectacular views of the Valley and the Adirondack Mountain Range from an elevation around 2,700 feet.

In Lincoln, drive east up toward the Lincoln Gap and Mount Abraham. There is parking at the 2,000-foot pass. The Long Trail on the north side of the road goes up Mount Abe, which is probably a hike for another day. On the south side of the road follow the white-blazed Long Trail South markings. The trail starts with a moderate ascent through a high range forest as it enters the Bread Loaf Wilderness Area. Be aware of switchbacks in the trail, and possibly slippery condition. As the trail begins a slight decline you will come upon a large rock overhang facing west towards Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Settle in for a long drink from your water bottle and a long, glorious view of the entire Champlain Valley.

Lincoln Gap Road closes after the first October snowfall, so don’t wait too late to go on this hike.

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