, Lake Willoughby Region Haystack Mountain, Westmore k _Mountain (elev. 2712 ft.) is an aptly named small peak 'th flaYsta~dst es and a wooded summit located in the town of westmwi ore. steeP k ·s accessed by two routes, the North and South Trails a d l1pa ystac threeI scenic lookouts, prov1'd' mg a popular hike that with' n 1ear. turesd ·p distance of 2.0 nu· 1 es, 1s. mo derate in difficulty and' well-a roun . d trIt beginning h1'k ers an d 1am1"" ·1· 1es. H'k1 ers should be aware suite ro that the trails are steep in places (particularly on the North Trail)howeve, and care should be use d near th e 1ookouts, especially with chil- dren and pets. NOTE: The land accessed by the Haystack Mountain Trails is pri- tely owned and available to the public at the discretion of the land- ~:ners. Please help maintain good landowner-hiker relations and respect private property. No fires, overnight camping or motorized vehicles. NORTH TRAIL- The North Trail on Haystack Mountain begins on the Long Pond Road, approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Vermont Route 5A and 0.6 miles south of the Long Pond Fishing Access. Lim- ited parking with space for 2-3 vehicles is available at a small road- side turnout near the signed trailhead. From the parking area, the yellow-blazed trail enters an open hard- wood forest and follows a wide path. Bearing left, the trail climbs gently, then more moderately, before leveling briefly and crossing a stream and scrambling up an eroded slope (0.3 mi.). Soon the trail levels somewhat and passes some small forest openings, possibly re- cently logged areas, before crossing a seep and making a short, brisk climb where it reaches a plateau. Here, the trail bears right and bnefly parallels an old logging road before turning left and resuming its climb at a well-marked crossing (blazes, sign, and cairn) (0.4 mi.). Bearing left and all the while winding through open hardwoods, the tmtl passes a short rocky section resumes its gentle climb and crosses a second old logging road {o.6 mi.). Shortly after, the trail passes several large boulders and enters a stand of beech trees clawed by black bears. Crossi ng ath ird,' more faint logging trace (0.7 m1•. ), the trai·1 begms · to 53 Northeast Kingdom Mountain Trail Guide t ply into the higher elevation forest where b 1 climb more s e:Ut.ain ash and white birch dominate. Her: s;rn ftt, red sprufcLe, km~illoughby to the northwest and Bald Mount;• IInited views o a e b f 1 . 10 to th ortheast are visible, as are a num er o. arge granite boulders a e n by Climbing steeply, the trail soon approaches the nd ledges near • . h . sum .. mit knoll where it begms to level so:_ew ~• ~assm_g 1ed~es, boulders birches, and softwoods bef~re reac 1ng t e Junction with the Wes; Overlook on the right (0.9 fill.). West Overlook: Reached via a short spur trail, the West Over .. look provides a broad vanta~e from rock~ ledge with talus be- low. Here, Long Pond with its small island 1s stretched out in the foreground with Mud Pond and the north end of Lake Wil- loughby beyond. To the southwest, the gentle slopes of Stannard Mountain, Wheelock Mountain and the Kittredge Hills are visible and, closer, the east slope of Mount Pisgah and (from left to right) the summits of Mount Hor and Moose, Wheeler, Valley and Barton Mountains are evident. In the distance, the Green Mountain Range is visible where (from left to right) Elmore, Camel's Hump, Mount Mansfield, Belvidere, Hazen's Notch and Jay Peak stand out. To the north, the Sutton Mountains of Quebec and, nearby, the western slopes of Goodwin Mountain are visible. Returning to the main trail, the summit of Haystack is just a short distance ahead and marked by a large rock cairn (approximately 1.0 mi.). From here, the South Trail leads a short distance to the West Overl?ok and another mile to the Long Pond Road. It is a pleasant 1.2 mile road walk back to the North Trail parking area. Total distance: approximately 1.0 mi., elevation gain: 875 ft. SOUTH TRAIL- The South Trail on Haystack Mounta· b · ~r f th L p . 01J o e ong ond Road, approximately 3. 7 miles south1n eg1nsf V moot Route SA in Westmore and 1.2 miles south of the eagt O e~- parking area. The trail may also be accessed from the T North Trad ark by following the Long Pond Road north approxim own of New- from the junction with the Newark Pond Road. ately 1.9 miles 1'!0TE: Be advised that this portion of the Long Pond R. zgnated Class IV town highway and is therefore not O ~ad is a des- and may be difficult for vehicles with low clearance. 'Pen zn the WintPr 7 Lake Willoughby Reg1on . trailhead for the South Trail is located t h . The . k d b a t e beg . ods road an d is mar e y signs (from b h . tnnmg of a sm 11 wo d . d. 1 ot direct. ) a arking is l~cate imme iate y off of Long Pond R ions . Limited ~n old cleanng. oad on the edge of Leaving the trailhead (0.0 mi.), the trail follows an old ome time and passes through pleasant hard d woods road for s · , h woo forests · proaches the mo~nta1? s sout slope. The yellow-blazed . as it ap- left at a signed Junction (0.6 mi.) and soon pass es th e remamtrail ~ranches f h N b O old camp or sugar. ouse. f ear y, .stone piles and oth er debns . ps ,'d an clues to the existence o an ear her clearing at th. rov1 e climbs gently through mixed forest before turning mis sit;. The trail assing rock outcroppings and becoming increasingore skeeply uphill, P · d.l h · roe Y underfoot Climbmg stea. d1 y,. t e. trail . hwends up the mountai·n s1'd e an d soon· reaches a s1gne. ) Junction wit a spur trail leading to the sou th 0 ver- look (0.9 m1. South Overlook: From the lookout, located on a granite 1 d . f h .c. e ge, there are views o t e 1orested landscape below with McShe Mountain in the foreground and, beyond, Job's Mountain (le~ Newark Pond and Burke Mountain. Continuing on, the main trail soon reaches a second, shorter spur (1 .0 mi.) leading to the East Overlook. East Overlook: From the narrow lookout, Bald Mountain and its summit fire tower is immediately recognizable to the northeast and, panning eastward, the backside of Job 's Mountain and Bald Hill Pond are also visible. After another short climb, the trail soon gains the summit, marked by a large stone cairn (approximately 1.0 mi.). Beyond, the path drops off the summit, following the North Trail, and soon reaches a junction with the South Overlook. The spur to the South Overl?ok _de_scen~s rapidly to an open ledge overlooking Long Pond (with its. di5tmct is- th land), the much smaller Mud Pond beyond, and, in the dtStance, e north end of Lake Willoughby. Mt. Pisgah and Little Hedgehog are · · . M t · Wheeler VlSlble m fo reground with the summits of Moose oun am, Mountain and several of the Green Mountains beyond· 520 Total distance: approximately 1.0 mi., elevation gain: ft. 55 aysta --~ \. ! ,- .( "t- \ 4l ,; ; l { ; :,t { \ \- ~ \"}.,\ ~:: : i,.~\ .t tii \ t , , ~ 1 , \\\I ; f'hli{ >'../. / ! l t\ / ' .. .!" ~l .,/ ,l ~' .3 ,. ...../ ' ·'\ . 1,..,,,-...- .....i, • ' ' ; l'J ... .,..,.;,• ....... ~. ( _..,. ·• .----~ ...\ ::"t_ \:.. ............... / t .. '~ :-.: .. ~"-, \~ ..,. '( :i.~_..... ~.\..... .. , ... , 1\ :- ., 'If ; "' . .. ~ ..•.,~2(1(19 ox 1Mi1esl .