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Killington, Vermont, United States

Pico and Killington

Two big Green Mountain peaks with an optional mountain bike descent.

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Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 8.0 miles / 12.9 km
Duration: Half day
Family Friendly • Dog Friendly
 
Overview: Ok, perhaps this is considered "technically" cheating when it comes to bagging both these peaks because you will use a mountain bike to descend that you personally didn't carry up the mountain yourself but who cares because this trip ends with a really fun descent! I suppose you could also do this with backcountry skis as well if you came in the winter or late spring.

Tips: Parking Lot:
Sherbourne Pass Trailhead off Route 4 is just past the Pico ski area heading east from Rutland, VT. It is just beyond the Brad Mead road on the left side of the road. It is free to park here.

How to do this trip:
This trip is a little tricky and takes some personaly persuasion. You'll want to first drive all the way down Route 4 past Pico and down from the highpoint of the pass to the Killington Ski area. Here they operate a Mountain Bike trail system with lift access in the summer. What you will want to do is take $5-10 bucks and your mountain bike over to the lift operator and ask if they will put it on the lift and send it up to the top for you to be held there for when you reach it later in the day. Nobody really does this so you probably will get a funny look on their face and you might not even need to offer the cash if they are cool about it. You will then want to get back in your car and head back up to the trailhead and start the hike from there. At the end of the hike when you bike down to the base of Killington you'll then need to cruise down the Killington Road and if you have the energy bike back up to the parking lot, bum a ride or walk up the hill. I did a combo of the last two. This is the only Northeast 111er I believe that you can do easily like this with a mountain bike. Have fun!

Points of Interest

Parking
map

Sherbourne Pass Trailhead

This used to be the Long Trail and AT crossing over Rt. 4 but it got moved slightly to the west to accomodate a Pico Ski Area expansion that still hasn't happened. You'll follow this trail up through the woods past the start of the alpine slides to an access road to the top of Pico along the ski trails. Still free to park here.
map

Top of the Alpine Slide

Here is the top of the alpine slide. It's just in the woods off the carraige road you will be ascending.
Mountain
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Top of Pico

You are at the top of 3,957' Pico Peak. Although it is not an official member of the Northeast 111ers official peak list it's still a pretty big mountain! Check out the top of the lift and the summit buildings before looking east along the tree line for a herd path that will lead down to the Cooper Lodge and an access road leading towards Killington.
Building
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Cooper Lodge

The Cooper Lodge and the access road towards Killington. You'll be on this just for a short ways before ducking back into the woods. Look to your left as you descend for the trail entering the woods again along the ridge. Remember, you want to stay high on the ridge so if you find yourself descending steeply in a little ways you've probably gone too far down this road.
Mountain
map

Summit of Killington

At 4,241' you are at the summit of Killington. You'll have 360 degree views from the summit rocks at the top, only obscured by some nearby radio towers. Follow the clear path east down from the summit towards the top of the gondola line.
Information
map

Bike Pick-Up

Pick up your bike here, check out your trail map and pick your poison for a descent back down to the base of Killington. If you have time go over to the deck of the nearby lodge and gondola deck to get a good look at what you are about to ride.
Pictures in this guide taken by: JonathanEllinger

Jonathan Ellinger

Pico and Killington Trail Map


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About the Author

JonathanEllinger
JonathanEllinger
333 guides
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Although I have climbed over 250 mountains from various places around the U.S. and have hiked in Europe...

Pico and Killington 3 Day Forecast

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