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Smugglers' Notch State Park, Stowe, VT

Photo: Eunice, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor Adventure

Smugglers' Notch State Park

6443 Mountain Road (VT-108) · Stowe, VT

Why you should go…

Smugglers' Notch State Park sits at 2,119 feet on VT-108 near Mount Mansfield, in a narrow pass through Vermont's Green Mountains named for 19th-century smuggling. The park has 20 tent sites and 14 lean-tos, most of them walk-in, with trails such as the Long Trail and Sterling Pond Trail close by. Black bears are active here daily, so you must stow food securely. The road through the notch closes in winter.

  • #state park
  • #camping
  • #hiking
  • #mountain pass
  • #mount mansfield

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Smugglers' Notch State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Stowe Mountain Resort

    $50+

    Ski Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont, and Spruce Peak, then unwind in the slopeside Spruce Peak Village.

    1.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Mount Mansfield

    Free

    Hike or drive to the alpine ridgeline of Vermont's highest peak for views from the Chin, its 4,395-foot summit.

    2.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Stay
    Iconic

    von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort

    $50+

    Stay at the Austrian-style mountain lodge run by the singing von Trapp family on 2,600 acres above Stowe.

    4.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Ben & Jerry's Factory

    Under $25

    Take a 30-minute guided ice cream factory tour with a sample, then visit the Flavor Graveyard for retired flavors.

    12 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Vermont State House

    Free

    Tour Vermont's gold-domed capitol, whose House and Senate chambers are the oldest active legislative halls with original interiors.

    20 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Vermont Association of Snow Travelers

    Free

    Nonprofit trail association that maintains and grooms Vermont's statewide snowmobile trail network.

    24 mi awayMore like this