Mount Philo Western Loop Hiking Guide
Mount Philo is the small, steep hill south of Burlington that punches far above its height. Its 968-foot summit looks straight across the Champlain Valley and Lake Champlain to the Adirondacks, and it has drawn visitors since the state took it over in 1924. Most people climb the hiking trail from the lower lot, eat on top and come back down a different way.
Permit: Mount Philo State Park charges the Vermont State Parks day-use fee in season (Friday of Memorial Day weekend through the second Monday in October): $5 for ages 14 and up, $2 for ages 4-13, free under 4, whether you walk or drive up. Season passes and 10-punch cards are accepted.
Up the Hill
Vermont State Parks describes a three-quarter-mile hiking trail from the bottom to the summit, and the climb is uphill the whole way. The most-hiked mapping-app route, the Mount Philo Western Loop, goes up and back by different paths for 2.1 miles and about 600 feet of gain; other loops in the park run longer. On busy summer days expect a steady stream of people. Visitors can also drive the summit road, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s, so you will share the top with picnickers.
Fee and Hours
This is a staffed state park, and the day-use fee applies whether you walk or drive in: $5 for anyone 14 and older, $2 for children 4 to 13, and free for kids under 4. A season individual pass is $40 and a vehicle pass for up to eight people is $105. Its season starts on the Friday before Memorial Day and ends on Indigenous Peoples' Day (the second Monday in October), and unlike most Vermont state parks, which open at 10 a.m., Mount Philo opens at 8 a.m. and stays open until sunset. Trail Finder notes the lower parking lot is plowed in winter.
History on Top
The first carriage road to the top was built in 1903 by the owners of the Mt. Philo Inn, whose guests rode up in horse-drawn surreys. Frances Humphreys deeded 150 acres to the state for recreation in 1924, and a CCC crew in the early 1930s built the present road, campground, picnic area and the summit lodge, which seats up to 60 people and can be rented. The park says the summit is an excellent spot for autumn bird migration and is noted for raptor watching.
Dogs and Vehicles
Pets are welcome throughout Mount Philo. Vermont State Parks usually bans pets from picnic areas, but Mount Philo is one of the listed exceptions, so your dog can join you at the summit tables. Leashes must be shorter than 10 feet, dogs need current rabies vaccination, and you clean up after them. The summit road is steep and narrow: buses and limos are not allowed on it and must use the lower lot, and the park says recreational vehicles are not suited to it.
Hiking tips for Mount Philo Western Loop
- Arrive at the 8 a.m. opening on summer weekends to beat the midday crowd.
- Bring cash or a state parks pass; the fee applies to walkers as well as drivers.
- Come up for sunset over the lake, but be down before the park closes at sunset.
- Look for migrating hawks from the summit in fall.
- Leave a large van or RV in the lower lot rather than taking it up the summit road.
Nearby trails to explore
- Burrows Trail (Camel's Hump)
- Sunset Ridge Trail (Mount Mansfield)
- Mount Abraham via the Long Trail from Lincoln Gap
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Mount Philo is the easy-to-reach lake view every Burlington hiker should know. Use TrailMates to find Burlington-area hikers heading to Mount Philo. Download the TrailMates app to connect.