Travelrific® Travel Journal

A Pass Through the Green Mountains

September 17, 2014 8:00 am

By Linda Tancs

On scenic Route 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville in Vermont is Smugglers Notch State Park, a narrow pass through the Green Mountains. True to its name, the passage was used by smugglers. In the 19th century, for instance, smugglers ran contraband through the passage to Canadian markets. In more modern times, alcohol was smuggled through during Prohibition. Today it’s the hiking that draws people in. Several trails lead up to the top of Mt. Mansfield, where you’ll be rewarded with vistas as diverse as Lake Champlain, the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains. Look closely and you may even see the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Canada to the north. Steal a view before the park’s seasonal closing after Columbus Day.