Vermont

Vermont's Green Mountains offer hiking the 272-mile Long Trail (which inspired the Appalachian Trail), world-class fall foliage, skiing (Stowe, Killington), paddling, and a deep farm-and-forest charm. Mount Mansfield (the state high point), Camel's Hump, Lake Champlain, and Smugglers' Notch anchor it.

Fall foliage (late September–early October) is among the most famous on Earth; summer is prime for hiking and the lakes. Winter brings excellent skiing; spring is mud season in the mountains.

Moose, black bears, white-tailed deer, and beavers inhabit the forests, with loons on the lakes and a recovering population of peregrine falcons on the cliffs.

Northern hardwood and boreal spruce-fir forest blanket the Green Mountains — one of the most heavily forested states (about 75%) — with the rich Lake Champlain basin and small alpine zones on the highest peaks.

The Green Mountains — ancient metamorphic rock worn and rounded by time and ice — run the length of the state, flanked by the Champlain Valley lowlands to the west and the Connecticut River valley to the east. Mount Mansfield reaches 4,393 ft.

The Western Abenaki inhabited this land. An independent republic before joining the Union, Vermont became the 14th state in 1791, the first added after the original 13.

A deep tradition of hiking the Long Trail, farm-to-table and maple-sugaring culture (Vermont leads U.S. maple-syrup production), ski heritage, and a strong conservation ethic define Vermont's outdoors.

Protecting forest health, conserving working farms and forests through land trusts, restoring Lake Champlain water quality, and maintaining the Long Trail are central efforts.

Burlington (BTV) is the main airport, with Boston, Albany, and Montreal nearby. A vehicle is best for the rural mountains and back roads; the state is compact.

Mountain weather changes fast, exposed summits (Mansfield, Camel's Hump) hold fragile alpine plants — stay on rock — and black flies plague late spring. Mud season closes trails to protect them.

State parks charge a day-use fee, and Vermont Fish and Wildlife administers licenses; the Green Mountain Club maintains the Long Trail.

Stay on rock above treeline, and avoid the mountains during spring mud season.

Tour Vermont in late September–early October for legendary foliage, hike the Long Trail and Camel's Hump, and avoid the mountains during spring mud season. Pair hikes with farm stands and maple country.

Vermont borders New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Quebec, Canada, linking the Green Mountains, Lake Champlain, the Adirondacks, and the White Mountains.