Elevation: 3,840 feet (1,170 meters) Prominence: 280 feet (85 meters) Location: Killington / Mendon, Vermont (Rutland County) Range: Green Mountains Coordinates: 43°35'42" North     72°50'46" West Rating: Difficult - This hike follows logging roads for roughly 3 miles but the last mile or so is a bushwhack, thus the difficulty rating. The first 3 miles is all flat and low inclines, but there are several river crossings that can be tricky in high water. Features: Logging roads, Bushwhack, summit sign & canister, river crossings Distance of highlighted hike below: Roughly 7.75 miles (depends on your bushwhack route).

Mendon Peak is a 3,840 foot mountain located in Killington and Mendon, Vermont in Rutland County in the famous Green Mountains. The peak sits in the Calvin Coolidge State Forest. It is flanked to the East by Little Killington Mountain and to the South by Robinson Hill.

There is no trail to the summit of Mendon Peak. The most common routes to reach the summit is by hiking along old logging roads then bushwhacking for about a mile to the peak, which is on the New England Hundred highest hiking list.

Lists Mendon Peak are on:	= A patch is available for this list
New England Hundred highest New England Hundred highest in Winter season

The map below shows a suggested route to the summit of Mendon Peak via old logging roads and a bushwhack. There are several ways to reach the summit, but these directions will show a loop hike, which requires several river crossings. (There are a lot of forks and turns in this route, and it took me, personally, 2 attempts to locate the summit based off of other website's directions, so I have tried my best to be as descriptive as possible, so you don't end up going in circles like i did on the many twists and turns on these logging roads :)

(NOTE: THIS IS A BUSHWHACK HIKE. THERE IS NO MAINTAINED TRAIL TO THE SUMMIT OF MENDON PEAK, SO ONLY ATTEMPT THIS IF YOU ARE SMART WITH A NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND/OR KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.)

NOTE: The map below shows only the logging roads used to reach Mendon Peak for this hike. There are many other logging roads, that are NOT drawn into this map. As you will see below in in the instructions, there are many many turns.

If you are looking at the Bucklin Traillhead on Wheelerville Road in Mendon / Killington, Vermont, there is a black gate located just to the right; this is the start of the hike to Mendon Peak.

Hike on the old logging road past the gate for roughly 1 mile where you will find yourself at a fork. (You will pass a house on your left at the [roughly] 0.65 mile mark). At this fork go left. In roughly 0.25 miles, fork left again. Then shortly after (roughly 0.10 miles) fork right. You will fork right again in roughly 0.70 miles. In roughly 0.20 miles go left, then shortly after (roughly 0.10 miles) go right. In roughly 0.10 miles you will cross a river. Shortly after (roughly 0.10 miles) you will fork right. You will cross the river again at roughly 0.30 miles. You will see a cairn in roughly 0.25 miles, and the main logging road you are on turns left. In roughly 0.20 miles, there is another cairn that marks the beginning of the bushwhack. Turn right into the woods to begin your bushwhack. There is a herd path the entire way up, but you may lose it, and pick it back up again on and off. The herd path closer to the summit is obvious.

NOTE: If it is a cloudy day and you have no views, when close to the summit, there is an area that looks like a high point on the mountain that has herd path going left and right. To get to the SW peak, which is the higher of the 2 peaks that make up Mendon, go right to find the summit with sign and canister.

Click to download PDF Trail Map of Mendon Peak

The old logging road that begins your hike. Taken on October 12, 2014.

The cottage you will see roughly 0.65 into the hike. Taken on October 12, 2014.

Summit sign on Mendon Peak. Taken on October 26, 2014.

Summit canister on Mendon Peak. Taken on October 26, 2014.

If you have a GPS, the traillhead is on Wheelerville Road in Killington (or Mendon), Vermont. (If you enter 20 Wheelerville Road, it should take you close to the traillhead parking lot).

From the South, get onto I-89 North. Take exit 1 for US 4 / Woodstock Road towards Rutland / Quechee. Turn left onto Route 4. Drive 10.4 miles on Route 4 West and turn slight left to stay on Route 4 West. Drive 25.9 miles on Route 4 West, and turn left onto Wheelerville Road. Drive roughly 4 miles to the Bucklin Traillhead parking area. The hike to Mendon Peak starts after the black gate to the right of the parking area.

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