Smugglers' Notch State Park

Smugglers' Notch is a dramatic mountain pass carved through the cliffs of Mount Mansfield's northeast shoulder in northern Vermont, its name derived from the War of 1812 era when Vermont farmers used its hidden rocky corridors to smuggle cattle and goods to Canada in defiance of a trade embargo. The notch is a narrow, boulder-strewn cleft along Vermont Route 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville, where the road squeezes between cliff faces rising approximately 1,000 feet on either side and passes beneath enormous detached boulders that have toppled from the cliff walls over millennia. The road through the notch is closed to RVs, trailers, and large buses due to its extreme narrowness, and closes entirely to vehicles from mid-October through late May due to snow and ice. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources manages the notch as a natural area, with a network of hiking trails radiating from the pass floor. The most dramatic hiking option is to Elephant Head, a rocky outcrop with exposed summit views accessible via a 1.5-mile trail. Bingham Falls, a beautiful cascade roughly 0.5 miles south of the notch on a marked side trail, is a highlight in its own right. The Sterling Pond Trail climbs from the notch floor to one of Vermont's highest mountain ponds at 3,000 feet, with excellent wildlife habitat and Green Mountain views. During foliage season in early October, Smugglers' Notch is among the most spectacular scenic drives in the entire Northeast, with sheer cliff walls framing the narrow pass in brilliant autumn color. Visitors should plan two to four hours for a comprehensive stop including a short hike.