Unfortunately, I don’t mean a literal camel… Props to any who have traversed a great desert on a true camel’s back! I’m jelly!
The hump I’m actually talking about is the “Camel’s Hump” mountain in Huntington/Duxbury, Vermont (VT), located in the Camel’s Hump State Park in Vermont’s Green Mountains.
… I know, probably doesn’t sound nearly as cool as actual camels.
But alas, I left my apartment just after 5am on June 10th, 2018, and drove for about 4 hours to scale this beauty. Now I get the pleasure to tell you about it!
The first bridge to be seen on the Forest City Trail. After crossing this, the climb officially begins.
At 4,083 feet, The Hump is Vermont’s third highest peak, following Killington Peak (4,241 feet) and Mount Mansfield (4,393 feet). Even though it is only the third highest peak, however, some may argue that it is Vermont’s finest, as the summit offers a stunning 360-degree view at the summit.
When ascending the mountain, there are a couple directions one may choose to come from. There is the Huntington, VT side, which is the side I was on, and there’s the Duxbury, VT side. Both directions offer a variety of trails that can be kid-friendly, or if you’re looking for something a bit more challenging, there are more difficult trails available as well.
Some of the most commonly known trails are:
- The Monroe Trail: This trail starts out on the Duxbury side. I’ve actually heard it can be a little boring unless you eventually decide to venture off the left side of Monroe onto the Alpine Trail, which features the wreckage of a World War II B-27 J Bomber plane that crashed there in October of 1944.
- The Dean Trail: This one starts out on the Monroe Trail, but after about a mile or so veers off to the left for a more difficult trail that involves some rock scrambling and high exposure. For those who may be unfamiliar with climbing terminology, this means that the trail will be steep enough in some areas that you will have to use your hands in order to conquer some obstacles, and some spots may be particularly dangerous, where one misstep could result in a serious fall. **(Disclaimer: I cannot attest to the danger level of this trail, as I have never trekked the route myself).**
- The Burrow’s Trail: The easiest and most popular of the three trails, this one makes for a pleasant family hike with younger children. It begins on the Huntington side at the end of Camel’s Hump Road where there is a parking area, and passes alongside a stream, where you will get to see some small waterfalls.
The beginning portion of the Forest City Trail involves hiking alongside a stream… Gotta love the sound of water trickling over rocks!
For my hike, I wanted a bit more of a challenge, so I started out on the Forest City trail, which is on the Huntington side and begins about 0.7 miles southwest from the starting point of the Burrow’s Trail, also on Camel’s Hump Road. Ultimately, my route looked like this: Forest City Trail > Long Trail > Burrow’s Trail. So overall, my journey over and around Camel’s Hump totaled just under 7 miles, which for me, took about 5 hours, including the time I spent enjoying the summit. To view the map I used, click here: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/vermont/camels-hump-loop-via-burrows-trail
Parking:
Camel’s Hump State Park is an undeveloped and free state park, so there are no visitor facilities or phones or indoor bathrooms available. There are, however, porta potties up at the small parking lot right at the start of the Burrow’s Trail… But be aware that there may not be any toilet paper! Luckily, I had brought some tissues with me.
This little parking area fills up quickly, especially on a beautiful day, so I highly recommend getting there early (I had gotten there a little earlier than 9:00am and would have taken the last official spot, had I decided to park there). For additional parking, cars are allowed to park on the right side of the road leading up to the parking area; but just take note that there are people’s homes lining Camel’s Hump Road, so at some point there will be no (legal) nearby parking because there are signs telling you that you are not allowed to park in front of someone’s home.
Since I was starting at the Forest City Trail, not the Burrow’s Trail, I parked in the designated patch of dirt off on the shoulder of Camel’s Hump Road located right in front of the trailhead. I recommend parking perpendicular to the trailhead, in a slanted manner, so that you leave the most room possible for other cars to park there.
Once I was parked, I changed into my hiking boots, put on some bug spray, slapped on my backpack, and was good to go!
Part of the beginning of the Forest City Trail
The Climb:
It was about 50°F on that June morning just after 9am, so it was a little chilly, but even still, I decided to wear my shorts instead of the sweatpants that I brought, and after only 15 minutes of hiking, I was warm enough to take my jacket off.
It was such a pleasant hike!! The bugs weren’t bothering me at all, except for the occasional silk line of spider web that I would walk into. The sound of water trickling over rocks and down a stream is one of the most relaxing sounds to hear, and kept me excited to finally be in nature after having had such a long break from the great outdoors.
I kept my eyes peeled for bears, just in case, but I never did see any. I actually didn’t see much of any creatures. Not sure if it was because I wasn’t paying enough attention, or maybe it just wasn’t that time of year yet?… I read that fellow hikers were encountering snow on the mountain even in mid-May, so perhaps some animals just hadn’t come out to play?
It was right around this whole section of the Long Trail where I thought it might be difficult to navigate yourself if snow was present.
Ascending via the Forest City Trail, followed by the Long Trail, definitely cuts back on the amount of traffic, which is something I prefer. It’s a longer route to the summit than the Burrow’s Trail, but even still, I only passed three groups of people who were also climbing their way to the summit. Some areas do require rock scrambling, especially for me, since I am shorter in stature; and I definitely think there are sections near the top that may be difficult to navigate if there is snow on the ground, partially due to the trail markers themselves being white in color. Therefore, if you’re going to be hiking when there’s snow, I highly recommend having a map on hand!
Once I reached above tree level, there was one particularly windy spot where I actually risked balancing myself on the slanted rock so that I could slip my jacket back on. Since I had been sweating for a couple hours, the intense wind made it extra chilly, so I definitely recommend keeping a jacket handy no matter what time of day it is!
Despite the privacy I had going up, when I finally reached the summit, there was a fair amount of people who had already beaten me coming up the Burrow’s Trail route. It wasn’t difficult to find a hunk of rock to sit back and relax on, but it is encouraged not to step on the vegetation at all, so you may have to meander your way around the grass and groups of people to get to your chill spot.
The top definitely has some beautiful views and makes for a great panoramic shot. (Check out the pictures below!) There are views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountain valleys, as well as Mount Mansfield in the north and Mount Washington in the east. It’s always inspiring when you see other mountains that you can climb! Not going to lie though, if I did it again, I would aim to reach the summit even earlier so that maybe there would be less people. Many adults had children with them or dogs, which made for some humorous, yet distracting, people-watching. Regardless, I still enjoyed my time at the summit. I found a nice warm spot to sit down and relax while eating my lunch (most of the summit was pretty windy, but I was able to find a spot with just a light breeze).
My first glimpse at how far I had come. And yes, the trees were actually this green!! It was beautiful.
Views from the summit #1
Views from the summit #2
Views from the summit #3, with meeee!!!
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Coming Down/The Ride Home:
Descending the mountain via the Burrow’s Trail was very easy in my opinion… Perhaps too easy, as I had shin splints in my left leg for the next few days from moving too quickly through the rock obstacles. Before I knew it, I was back at the porta potties and had just a quick 0.7-mile downhill trot along Camel’s Hump Road to go to where my car was parked in front of the Forest City Trailhead.
Once I was back on the road, I was very relaxed, even more so than I was on the drive up. With the hike over Camel’s Hump totaling only 5 hours, there was still a good portion of my day left, and so even though it was a Sunday and I had to work the next day, I didn’t feel rushed to get back so quickly. I was driving pretty slowly, pulling over several times to let the cars behind me pass so that I could leisurely admire the rolling green hills and quaint little town streets.
Not too long into my drive, I happened upon a cute little red bridge in Richmond, VT, which upon crossing, revealed a picnic area to my left and a house-like restaurant called “One Radish Eatery”. What had caught my attention was actually the “Creamers” sign posted above a window, indicating that there may be ice cream!!
I hadn’t tasted ice cream in sooo long, so I just had to check it out. I got me some chocolate flavored soft serve that I was able to pay for with credit card (which I was honestly surprised about, because when you walk into the warm and charming environment, you can tell that it is a very new and family-owned business, so I would have expected to have had to pay in cash). But as it turns out, One Radish Eatery offers more than just ice cream with it’s seemingly delicious spread of sandwiches, soups and salads served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If I’m ever in the area, I will definitely hit this place up again! In the meantime, if you get there before me, let me know what you think in the comments!
Check out the One Radish Eatery website here: https://www.oneradishvt.com/
Well, there you have it! My day and a hike, featuring the Camel’s Hump Mountain. I hope this post inspires you to get outside and explore somewhere new… Even if it means you have to drive a bit! Whether you’re by yourself like I was, or you choose to conquer mountains with friends or family, a trip like this one is sure to leave you feeling refreshed, accomplished and free!
As always, thanks for reading 🙂
-Brianna-Marie
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