Grand Isle County Highpoint Trip Report

Date: June 13, 2004
Author: Denis Hanson

The road directions in Michael Schwartz's trip report were perfect. I have a few updates.

point 1.5 miles northeast of Grand Isle

New houses have been and are being built on Loverslane Road. It looks like an exurb for Burlington. Lots of Subarus, the "official" car of Vermont. The wigwam poles are gone; the thermometer remains. I didn't notice the spikes but that may have been because I was distracted by the zillions of mosquitoes trying to suck me dry.

I also "felt" that the thermometer area was the highest but could not be positive. Back up Loverslane Road a short distance is a driveway to a water tower from where you can also access the northern part of the contour region.

Just across from the roped woods road is an opening into a field that gives a good view of the Adirondacks.

point 1.5 miles southwest of South Hero

I parked at the Snows Farm Vineyard and got permission to hike up the hill from there. To the west of the tasting room there is a field. At the top of the field is an old woods road heading uphill. The opening contains, in June, the clamped off end of a maple sap collection system. If you follow the sap collection hose uphill to its end you will be very near the highpoint. I though it very fitting that a maple sap collection system be found on a Vermont highpoint.

Grand Isle is a great place to view prominence and there isn't a road that isn't scenic. From the causeway, I could see Lyon Mountain in NY, all the Adirondacks, all the Green Mountains from Jay to Abraham and maybe Killington, and unknown peaks in Canada.