Managed by the Park Service, the Forest Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, state agencies and volunteers
Recovery on roads nobody maintains
This is hardwood country, so a winch and a tree saver do most of the work. The failure mode is a soft shoulder or a rutted class 4 grade in spring, not a rock ledge, and a synthetic line with a good anchor strap covers almost everything.
Traction boards earn their place through mud season, when a town may post its roads at three working days’ notice and the surface you crossed in autumn has turned over. Self-recovery is the plan: the town that owns the road owes you nothing.
Recovery gear is safety equipment. It is rated, it wears out, and it is only as strong as what it attaches to. A good supplier asks what the vehicle weighs before recommending a winch or a rope, and will not sell you a shackle without asking where you plan to put it.
What they sell and install
01Winches, synthetic line and fairleads
02Rated recovery points, front and rear
03Kinetic ropes, straps and soft shackles
04Traction boards and jacks
05Compressors and tire repair kits
How to choose recovery gear
Buy for the loaded weight of the vehicle, and buy it once.
01Buy rated gear from known makers, with the working load marked on it.
02Size a winch to the loaded vehicle. A common rule of thumb is about one and a half times the gross weight, and your supplier can confirm it for your setup.
03Make sure the recovery points are rated and mounted to the frame. Factory tie-down loops are for shipping, not recovery.
04Get trained. A short recovery course is worth more than another piece of gear.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Weight and mounting decide everything.
01Vehicle and loaded weight
02Factory or aftermarket bumper, and whether it takes a winch
03Battery setup
04Whether you travel alone or in a group
05The terrain you get stuck in: sand, mud, snow, rock
Questions people ask
What is the minimum recovery kit?
Rated recovery points front and rear, a kinetic rope or strap with soft shackles, traction boards, a shovel, a tire repair kit and a compressor. Add a winch if you travel alone.
Synthetic rope or steel cable?
Synthetic is lighter, easier to handle and stores less energy if it breaks, which is why most travelers choose it. It needs protection from abrasion, heat and sunlight. Steel tolerates abuse but is heavy, and dangerous when it fails.
Where can I learn to use it?
Look for a recovery course from a trainer, or a club that runs training days. Practicing once in a parking lot beats reading about it ten times.
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.
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