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Blue Ridge Mountain (3278 feet) |
My main goal for today was to visit Sawyer Brook Falls just off the Canty trail (picture above). The trail head is on Old Turnpike Road. There was space for parking for a few cars. I arrived around 10:30am, and I was the only car there at the time, although there were a few others by the time I returned. The trail itself was well maintained (by the Green Mountain Club).
The trail started out by winding through the woods over easy grades. After a bit less than a mile, the trail crossed Sawyer Brook. Today the water wasn't particularly high, and the stream crossing was easy. However, I could imagine the crossing to be quite challenging at times of high water. That is something to keep in mind if you are coming here to visit the waterfall.
After crossing the stream, the trail turned uphill and followed the the water more or less closely. The grade steepened considerably for a short time. At about 1.6 miles the trail came to a short spur trail on the right that led a short distance to Sawyer Brook Falls. The falls were quite lovely and definitely worth a prolonged stop. Today, with most of the trees bare (or nearly so), there were views through the branches across the valley to Pico Peak and Killington. It was really quite a beautiful spot.
After the falls, the trail turned away from Sawyer Brook and ascended over steady, but more gradual grades to the summit. The summit itself was entirely wooded with no views through the conifers. However, a few feet below the summit there was a spur trail that led a short distance to a limited vista from which the city of Rutland and the mountains beyond could be seen. The air was somewhat hazy today so the view was not as clear as it could have been.
This was a nice hike although the mountain itself wasn't particularly interesting. However, Sawyer Brook Falls and the views across the valley (probably not visible in the summer) made up for that.
Return to the Vermont 100 highest list.