How Long Does It Take To Hike The Long Trail
Ask ten Long Trail hikers how long it took, and you'll get ten different answers. One will say 22 days. Another will grin and admit it took 38. The trail is 272 miles from the...
Ask ten Long Trail hikers how long it took, and you'll get ten different answers. One will say 22 days. Another will grin and admit it took 38. The trail is 272 miles from the Massachusetts border to Canada, but time on foot is a deeply personal math.
For most end-to-enders, the magic number lands between 20 and 30 days. That's roughly 10 to 14 miles a day. Some push harder, some linger longer, and almost everyone discovers the Green Mountains set the schedule.
The Short Answer: Three to Four Weeks
If you're fit, experienced, and blessed with good weather, 18 to 22 days is realistic. If you're new to long-distance hiking, 30 to 35 days is a kinder goal. Fastpackers have done it in under two weeks, but they're basically mountain goats with ultralight packs.
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Direction matters, too. Northbound hikers finish with the rugged northern section, including Mount Mansfield and Camel's Hump. Southbound hikers face that terrain early, then cruise through gentler woods toward Massachusetts.
A classic 24-day pace breaks down to about 11.3 miles per day. That sounds gentle until you factor in Mansfield's rocky scrambles and the mud bogs that seem bottomless. Build in at least two zero days for weather or worn-out knees.
What Shapes Your Timeline
Daily Mileage and Terrain
The southern section overlaps with the Appalachian Trail for about 100 miles. The grades are softer, the paths wider. Then the Long Trail splits north and shows its teeth.
In Vermont, a 12-mile day can feel like 18 elsewhere. Roots, rocks, mud, and relentless ups-and-downs slow even strong hikers. Respect the Green Mountains, and they'll reward you with views that feel earned.
Weather and Season
Most hikers start between late June and early October. Spring brings mud season, a Vermont fifth season that can swallow a boot whole. Black flies and mosquitoes arrive in early summer, so bug spray becomes a food group.
Rain makes roots slick and rivers high. Snow can fall in October, turning a hike into a survival exercise. The sweet spot is often July through September, with crisp fall days as a bonus.
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Resupply and Town Stops
Towns like Manchester Center, Rutland, Waitsfield, and Johnson break up the journey. Hitchhiking is common and usually easy, though it adds unpredictable time. A zero day in a motel with pizza and a shower can reset your body—and your schedule.
Some hikers mail food drops ahead. Others wing it with country stores, where you might find granola, duct tape, and a maple creemee in the same aisle. Vermont does not do bland resupply.
Experience and Pace
First-time thru-hikers often average 10 miles a day at the start. Their legs get stronger, and by week three they're doing 15. Experienced hikers may begin at 15 and hold it, but the northern rocks still humble them.
Section hikers can stretch the Long Trail over years. Weekend by weekend, summer by summer, they chip away at all 272 miles. There's no rule that says an end-to-end has to happen in one go.
Practical Tips for Your Own Clock
Start slower than you think you should. Your body needs a week to adapt to carrying a pack all day. Aim for 8 to 10 miles on day one, then build.
Use the Green Mountain Club's maps and guidebook. The trail is well marked with white blazes, but side trails and shelters can confuse tired eyes. Know where water sources are, especially in late summer.
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Plan food for three to five days at a time. Carry a bear canister or hang your food properly. Shelters are first-come, first-served, and a full shelter on a rainy night is a powerful motivator to keep moving.
Fun Facts and Cultural Asides
The Long Trail is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States. It was built between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club, predating the Appalachian Trail. Vermont's Long Trail Ale is named in its honor, which feels like a fair reward for a 272-mile walk.
Locals call a complete hike "end-to-end," not just a thru-hike. The phrase has a nice ring to it, like a sentence finally reaching its period. You'll also hear "the LT" in trail towns, usually followed by advice about mud.
The trail's southern terminus sits in Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the Appalachian Trail's path. The northern terminus is a simple post at the Canadian border, where you can't legally cross without checking in. It's a quiet, almost anticlimactic finish—until you realize what you just walked.
The Real Answer
The Long Trail takes 20 to 30 days for most people, but the honest answer is: as long as it takes. Your pace, the weather, your resupply choices, and your willingness to suffer a little will all write the final number.
That uncertainty is the point. You can't optimize a mountain. You can only show up, put one foot in front of the other, and let the trail set the rhythm.
Daily life rarely offers that kind of clarity. We schedule, rush, and measure. The Long Trail asks you to trade deadlines for footsteps, and sometimes that's the longest—and best—lesson of all.
