Sunset Rock: Stowe’s secret hiking gem

Want to incorporate a short hike with stunning views into your morning or afternoon in Stowe village? The Sunset Rock Trail is potentially the most under-used hiking trail in the area and perfect for your children or dogs that need a quick romp in the woods. Plus, with two viewpoints, the hike offers immediate gratification, which is a good thing when you’re hitting the woods with little ones.

If you’re in the village already, you won’t need to get in your car. The trailhead is located at the end of Sunset Street, about three blocks from the center of town. Or, if you’re just looking for a great picnic spot without the hike, drive into the parking lot off Tabor Hill Road (0.3 miles from the village) and walk up the Summit Access Road to the viewpoint.

When my kids were smaller and not yet in school full-time, we’d often spend a full day in the village. The nearly hour-long hike (if you’re taking it slowly) on the Sunset Trail was the perfect prelude to a scoop of ice cream at one of the two ice-cream shops in town. Nowadays, it’s a great place to walk my dog Zipper, especially when unusually warm temperatures send us looking for shade.

Getting there: You’ll need to park in the village, as parking isn’t allowed at the trailhead. Main Street is always a safe bet, or the parking lot behind the Butler Building. If you’re really having a tough time finding a spot, head for the town parking lot, located on Depot Street just across from the post office. This will add about five minutes to your hike, but who’s counting?

Distance: You could make this a long, drawn-out affair with little ones, or short and sweet. It totally depends on you and your schedule. It’ll take you about 10 minutes to reach the first destination on the trail, Sunset Rock, with a picturesque view of Stowe village from above. Or you can keep going another 15 minutes or so to the top of the trail for a stunning, panoramic view of Mt. Mansfield. It took Zipper and I exactly 30 minutes round-trip, but we were moving at a good clip. I would allow an hour with younger children who like to dawdle or take time for a snack along the way.

Trail: The trail is located on land preserved by the Stowe Land Trust and beautifully maintained by the town of Stowe. Leaving the village, the trail zigzags up a hill of 50-year-old white pines. At the crest, you’ll see a sign for Sunset Rock, providing a pretty overlook of the village. Look for the kettle hole, which if you didn’t know (I didn’t) is, according to Wikipedia, “a shallow body of water created by retreating glaciers.”

After you’ve taken in the view, keep following the Meadow Loop Trail up the hill through a young hardwood forest to the final viewpoint. If you look to your left on the way up, you’ll see the remnants of a stone wall. This likely dates back to the 1800s and early 1900s, when much of the local land, now forested, was used for farming, primarily sheep, goats and cows.

Information and a map of the trail are available at stoweland trust.org. Click on “Conserved Properties” and find “Sunset Rock” on the left.

Note: This story was posted recently on vtskimoms.com.

Amanda Kuhnert lives and writes in Stowe.