Managed by the Park Service, the Forest Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, state agencies and volunteers
Beds around a short season
Gateway towns matter here because the seasons are short and staggered. Forest campgrounds usually open from Memorial Day through Columbus Day, the Mount Ascutney parkway runs from the third weekend in May to the third weekend in October, and forest roads shut from 15 December to 1 May.
Rutland, Manchester Center, Middlebury, Stowe and Waterbury are where the beds are on the spine of the state. Island Pond is the last of them before the Nulhegan gravel in the northeast.
Nobody plans a trip around motels, and almost every long trip uses a few. After a week of wind, when the weather turns, while the truck is in a shop, or when the people you travel with have simply earned a hot shower.
What makes lodging work for overlanders
It comes down to parking and attitude.
01Room to park tall and long vehicles, and trailers without unhitching
02Parking you can see from the room, or that is lit
03Late arrivals and early breakfasts
04A hose, a laundry, and no fuss about dust
05Staff who know the local roads and what is open
Before you book
Call rather than click when you have a big vehicle.
01Ask about parking for your height and length.
02Ask about the access road in wet weather.
03Ask about pets, and about leaving gear on the vehicle.
Questions people ask
Will my rig fit?
Ask before you book. Roof tents, campers and high-roof vans do not fit many parking garages, and trailers need pull-through space. Small-town motels and lodges are usually easier than city hotels.
Is it safe to leave gear on the vehicle?
Use judgment, park where you can see the vehicle or under lights, and bring in what you cannot replace. Ask the front desk where they would park it.
How high is Vermont?
From Burlington at 195 feet to Mount Mansfield at 4,393.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
WilmingtonThe east end of the Molly Stark byway, near Somerset Reservoir1,496 ft
DanvilleMore unpaved road than any other town in Vermont1,412 ft
Island PondThe last real services before the Nulhegan Basin gravel1,187 ft
LincolnThe west foot of the gap that carries its name973 ft
WarrenThe east foot of Lincoln Gap, in the Mad River valley923 ft
RochesterA ranger station, and the turn for the Bingo Road875 ft
Manchester CenterServices beside the Manchester Ranger District and Lye Brook750 ft
StoweThe south side of Smugglers Notch and Mount Mansfield State Forest720 ft
JamaicaThe village by Ball Mountain Lake and the state’s only Corps campground720 ft
BenningtonThe southwest corner, and the west end of the Molly Stark byway679 ft
RutlandThe largest services in central Vermont, near the forest headquarters at Mendon648 ft
ArlingtonThe western approach to Kelley Stand Road645 ft
WaterburyInterstate services, Waterbury Reservoir and the Camels Hump trailheads441 ft
BrandonThe west foot of Brandon Gap on Route 73430 ft
MiddleburyThe west end of Middlebury Gap and the way in to Moosalamoo390 ft
BurlingtonThe largest city, on the lake that is the state low point195 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount MansfieldThe state high point, as USGS publishes it. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 4,3814,393 ft
Killington PeakOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Rutland County4,206 ft
Mount EllenOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, above the Mad River valley4,080 ft
Camels HumpOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the 21,258-acre state park of the same name4,076 ft
Stratton MountainOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, north of Kelley Stand Road3,940 ft
Jay PeakOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, near the Canadian border3,848 ft
Glastenbury MountainOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, inside the Glastenbury Wilderness3,750 ft
Mount Ascutney Parkway lotMount Ascutney Parkway2,800 ft
Mad Tom NotchMad Tom Notch Road, Forest Road 582,439 ft
Lincoln GapLincoln Gap Road: Warren and Lincoln2,419 ft
Roxbury GapOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on a gravel town road east of Warren2,397 ft
Appalachian GapOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on Route 17 between Fayston and Buels Gore2,371 ft
Brandon GapBrandon Gap, VT Route 73: Brandon and Rochester2,184 ft
Smugglers NotchVT Route 108 through Smugglers Notch2,160 ft
Middlebury GapMiddlebury Gap, VT Route 125: Hancock and East Middlebury2,133 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
