Distance: 4.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 940 feet
Trailhead location: Endless Brook Trailhead, 937 Endless Brook Road, Poultney, VT
Directions to Trailhead: Route 30 south from Poultney. Go 3 miles and turn left onto Endless Brook Road. Continue for 0.8 miles and turn left into the Endless Brook trailhead parking lot just before Dayton Hill Road. This is a small lot and can fill up quickly. There is no parking along the roadside so please consider another hike if the lot is full.
Overview
This hike encompasses the first set of trails built in the Slate Valley Trail system. The trail winds through a range of forest habitats, from dark hemlocks to open hardwoods with grassy undergrowth. It is a gentle yet sustained climb to the highest point in the Slate Valley trail network with a scenic lookout overlooking Lake Saint Catherine. At the view there are several benches to sit and enjoy the views southward and westerly into the Adirondacks.
Description
From the Endless Brook kiosk go straight on Franz’s Fall trail. The trail begins as a wide flat woods road through the hemlock forest and then narrows before reaching a stream with a picturesque waterfall and bridge crossing at mile 0.2. Once across the bridge you will start to gently climb and traverse a hill until you reach the intersection with the Rusty Bucket trail. At 0.7 miles turn left onto the Rusty Bucket trail and continue a gentle climb to the top of a grassy knoll that affords some short-range views when the leaves are down. Continuing down the knoll the trail weaves through the hemlocks and across some boardwalks to the intersection with the Hardy’s Hill trail. At mile 1.4 turn left onto Hardy’s Hill and begin a 500 foot to the summit at 2.9 miles.
Continue over the top of the hill to the Shale Shifter trail, a wide gravel road and head downhill. At 1.1 miles you approach a small clearing at the bottom and bear left onto a short section of trail that exits onto Dayton Hill Rd. At 4.2 miles follow the one lane Dayton Hill Rd. downhill until it tees with Endless Brook Rd. At 4.8 miles turn right and return to the trailhead on your right at 4.9 miles.