Do you like a beautiful view but hiking up a mountain just feels like a lot? Same. I love hiking, don’t get me wrong, but I love the kind of hiking that’s more “ooh pretty” than “ooh I can’t breathe.” Luckily one of the highest peaks in the east, you can drive up to!
After a recent trip to Manchester, VT for a wedding, my mother and I decided to do a little exploring of the area. It was a beautiful day, so where else should we go but the highest peak in the area, Equinox Mountain.
Equinox Mountain is the highest peak of the Taconic Range and the second-highest point in southern Vermont, after Stratton Mountain. Instead of hiking to the top (though that’s an option), you can take the beautiful Skyline Drive. To drive up in a car as two people, it ranges from $25-30 depending on the time of year. You go into the Skyline Drive Welcome Center, pay at the register and get a coin. You put the coin in the toll and then, you start the drive. Just a note, the drive up is very windy so don’t speed up and lookout for motorcycles.
According to their website, “From historic Route 7A between Manchester and Arlington, Vermont, Skyline Drive — the longest privately owned, paved toll road in the United States — ascends 3,248 feet over 5.2 miles to the top of Mount Equinox. In continuous operation since its completion in 1947, it is one of the safest, best engineered, well-constructed toll roads in the country.” On the way down, don’t ride your brake! They’ll warn you there, but your car will start to go really fast down the mountain and you could wreck your brakes that way. There are also places to stop along the way, to see other viewpoints as well as slow down your car.
At the top is the Saint Bruno Scenic Viewing Center with a large parking lot, a gift from the Order of Carthusians to the people of Vermont and all visitors. “Designed and constructed by Vermont workers and completed in 2012, the Center is heated without the combustion of fossil fuels and produces no CO₂ emissions. Power to the building is generated by the hydroelectric plant that powers all mountain operations. The reservoirs that feed the plant can be seen in the valley on your left as you ascend the toll road.” Inside of the viewing center is a chapel and a description of the history of the mountain (as well as bathrooms).
On the second floor of the viewing center, make sure you look all the way around because “at 3,848 feet above sea level, Mount Equinox offers a 360-degree view of Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and, on clear days, Montreal’s Mount Royal.” Don’t forget a sweatshirt, it can get cold up there!