Camel's Hump Trail is a 6 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Huntington, Vermont that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
backpacking
birding
camping
hiking
nature trips
skiing
snowshoeing
trail running
walking
forest
river
views
waterfall
wild flowers
wildlife
rocky
scramble
Camel's Hump is one of the best hiking trails in the Green Mountains. It is the third highest peak in the state. The summit offers unbeatable views in every direction. The trail can be accessed off of Camels Hump Road, where there is a small parking area. This trail can either been done as an out-and-back hike, which is 6 miles round trip via the Monroe Trail, or a loop hike via Monroe Trail, Dean Trail, and Long Trail. Camel's Hump can also be reached from the Burrows Trailhead via the Forest City Trail to Burrows Trail. This route describes the out-and-back option. You will start the hike on the Monroe trail. The Monroe trail is steep, however has plenty of leveling off during the hike. From the Monroe Trail you will reach the Dean Trail intersection, at which point you have the option to turn left onto Dean Trail and then take the Long Trail up to the summit or continue straight on the Monroe Trail to the summit. If you continue straight on Monroe Trail, you will reach the hut clearing at which point the Monroe Trail ends and becomes the Long Trail. It is then a short climb to the summit. The last part of the hike can become very steep and narrow. If you are afraid of heights this may not be for you. Once you reach the summit you have a 360 degree view of nearly every mountain range in the area. You will see Mount Mansfield to the north and Mount Washington to the east. On a clear day you can even see Canada. From the summit, take the Long Trail south back to the Monroe Trail.
I Hiked 11-7 it was raining in the early am. Then it turned beautiful. It was Diwali and my wife put Tilak on my far head to help guide my way. I went the easy way and followed the Burrows Trail. A little challenging at the very top. But this is very doable. Fantastic view. Saw like further then I could believe. ONE MAN GATHERS WHAT ANOTHER MAN SPILLS.
Great hike with an amazing view. Very popular so the top may be hard to find privacy.
Great trail for a good work out. I would assume that is a great view of Burlington but the clouds were low when I went. Highly recommend.
great hike!
I would say moderate and not hard.
Took us 5 hours in total from the parking lot and back include stops...
Amazing view, wet and a bit slippery forest and impressive pass from the forest to the Rocky summit.
could be better marked tho
Enjoyed this hike. View are great at the top. Not much of a trail run due to boulders but a great workout. Took me 68 minutes both ways.
This is a challenging but rewarding hike. We took the Monroe Trail up and back. There are some rocky and slick spots, particularly after you’re about two miles in. The last .3 miles is very rocky and steep, but doable. It took us about 5 hours total. You cannot beat the 360 views at the top!
Incredible hike with great views but it comes with some work. I highly recommend the popular loop that combines Dean's Trail, the Long Trail and the Monroe Trail. The crowds were out for Labor Day weekend but certainly not overcrowded. The Long Trail isn't for those who aren't able to climb boulders combined with narrow trails. For a smoother climb, take the Monroe Trail both out and back.
This is a nice hike, definitely got my heart-rate up and a good sweat. The Monroe trail ascends through forest, sometimes with a decent pitch but often leveling off to allow you to catch your breath. It is consistently rocky requiring constant vigilance - and the rock can be slippery even if not wet. We were surprised to find a fair bit of water in the trail on the mid to upper part even after a dry spell. You only get views during the final ascent to the summit up the steep rocky section after the end of the Monroe. We are in our late 50’s/early 60’s in good physical shape but this was our first climb of the summer and it took us a solid 4.5 hour round trip with 15+ minute stops on the way up for lunch and at the summit. It was almost 2 full hours to get down surprisingly as we were cautious moving down the rocks. We were both tired and sore but felt good about summiting.
Challenging trail but very worth the effort!
Great hike, I really enjoyed it. We went up the long trail, which was steep in places & there was some scrambling. I rather enjoyed this as I love climbing and haven’t been for a while. The views on the way up are stunning and the summit views are incredible. We didn’t stay up for long as there was a storm due. Highly recommended!!
One of my favorite hikes! Challenging but well worth the effort once you reach the summit.
Kash K.
New hikers. we couldnt do the hike till the summit but the route was fun and scenic. met people from all age groups and enjoyed conversations.
We did this hike yesterday and went up and down via Monroe trail. Steady scent through many switchbacks. View on top was superb. It took us 2.5 hrs to go up and 1.5 hrs to come down. It would be a nice introduction to hiking to new comers to the sport.
loved this hike. pretty steep but enjoyable all the way. Looking forward to coming back to this one.
This was our first hike in Vermont and we thought this trail was fabulous! It is short but challenging. Wear good shoes because there is lots of rocks and scrambling. We ditched our packs after the first mile at the backcountry campground and I’m sure glad we did! The second two miles were straight uphill and I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much with 50lbs on my back. We made it to the summit later in the evening, so we ended up being the only ones up there. The views are amazing! Definitely recommend this hike!
Take Deans Trails to Long Trail up for a more exciting hike with some rock scrambling, then Monroe to descend. If hiking with kids or dogs, I recommend Monroe up, it’s a steady incline and not exposed. Be prepared for a lot of people at the summit during summer, unless you start the hike very early, 6am-ish.
Trails were wet and rocks were slippery. Recommend sturdy boots and trekking poles. Overall fun hike, but challenging. Not for anyone with bad knees. Beautiful views. Definitely will go back and try other approaches and trails.
great hike! challenging but worth it for the views.
this is a premier hiking trail for anyone considering hiking the green mountains. It is one of the few alpine summits offering a breathtaking 360 degree view of the surrounding Winooski valley, Lake Champlain and Green Mountain valleys. I hiked this trail in June following the Monroe trail from the Camels Hump Rd trailhead. I took the Dean trail to Allis lookout in order to ascent Ethan Allen to the south along the Long trail. At 3680 feet, this little known peak offers gorgeous views of the valley to the east along Waterbury. From there I hiked to the lodge at Montclair Glen Lodge and then followed the extremely steep ascent up the south face of Camels Hump-- not for the faint heart or those afraid of heights. The summit along the rocky west climb offers views of the Lake Champlain valley and the alpine flora there is beautiful. At the summit you have a choice to descend to the west along the
burrows trail, continue on along the Long trail to the north descending 3.5 miles to Duxbury Rd, or switchback to the east along the Alpine trail to hook up once again with the Monroe trail loop back to the parking lot on camels hump rd. Overall this look was 9.8 miles in a leisurely 6 1/2 hours. have fun and happy trails.
p.s. watch out for nuisance bears along the Wind Gap at the junction of Dean and the Long trail south of the Hump. Don't leave your pack unattended. ; )
Absolutely beautiful- a must hike if you’re in the area. Not an easy hike but worth the views. Trail well marked with steep inclines and leveled areas
Tough one!! I camped at the hump brook tent area, and i m happy i set the camp before going to the summit so i had less weight to carry. The whole trail is very nice, steep and slippery sometimes but never boring. Careful if you have weak ankles. Next time i ll cary less thing. Very windy at the summit so bring something warm enough if you want to chill there for a bit. 360 view, amazing. Totally worth the effort. Would do it again for sunset or sunrise.
Tough trail, but totally worth it for the views. And to lay claim for summiting the 3rd highest peak in the state!
This is my favorite hike in Vermont so far. It’s one of the harder hikes in my opinion, so if you’re a beginner I wouldn’t do this one as your first hike. The view is amazing, and the scenery keeps you engaged as you hike. I highly recommend this hike, and I recommend the Burrows trail.
Amazing hike! Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the top because the trail got crazily snowy and slippery. Yup, even in May. Even with the snow, the hike is very doable if you are in good shape. I'll definitely be back.
amazing views!
Fantastic views
Starting to get icy near the summit so be mindful. Took about 3 1/2 hours to complete at a fast pace. Very beautiful views at the summit.
Was not the most strenuous hike, but nearly had us out of breath in some spots. The dean trail was fun, even in the rain. It was like beginner rock climbing. Ninja (my dog) had no trouble jumping over some obstacles. I would not take anyone afraid of heights or a dog that lacks physical ability on the dean trail up to Camels Hump. The dean trail had interesting rock obstacles and overlooks after 3ish miles. The Monroe trail is sort of boring, but a much easier climb up to the peak.
Ben T.
Beautiful views up at the top. I found the segment between mile 2 and mile 3 of the Monroe trail most difficult, but maybe that's just because I started off too aggressive. Took about 1hr 40 min for me to get up, and judging based on the number of groups that passed me vs the number of groups I passed, I'd say I was about average speed.
For any other non-locals, the Ben & Jerry's factory is only a ~10 min drive away. I unwittingly drove right past it, made for a nice post-hike stop.