Mount Philo State Park(Vermont)

We woke up to mostly cloudy, humid conditions at our hotel in Burlington this morning.  After enjoying our continental breakfast we hit the road.  A short distance south in the town of Charlotte is Mount Philo State Park, a 168 acre park with several miles of hiking trails as well as a seasonal road to the 968 foot summit area.  The park is extremely popular and offers camping options as well as the phenomenal views.  A nominal fee is charged in season, and a friendly park attendant greeted us as we entered the park.  Just past the toll booth is a parking lot for hikers.  The paved road continues on just past the kiosk and trail head.

The trail climbs through hardwoods.  Several wooden steps help in muddier parts.

The trail crosses the access road and then gets steeper as it nears the summit.  We continued towards the summit past a trail junction for the Devils Chair and soon arrived at a small overlook.  This is a view to the north over the Route 7 corridor and nearby Pease Mountain.

A bit further up the trail we arrived at the summit overlook, with fantastic westerly views over Lake Champlain and the Champlain valley.  State Park Road can be seen directly below leaving Route 7.

The view to the south.  Unfortunately the overcast conditions took away from our views.

A panorama south and west with the Adirondack peaks in the distance.

The summit area is often crowded but is large and offers plenty of great views.  Adirondack chairs provide this pleasing vista.

The cabin and restrooms at the summit area.  Looks like this is a nice area for a picnic too, with grills, picnic tables and a large fireplace.  We strolled around a little before heading back down the mountain on the access road.

Walked about 2 miles on a humid afternoon, ready to head home.