Brandon Gap and the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid

From the parking area at the height of the gap, the northbound Long Trail rises steeply through the forest to the Great Cliff overlook, gaining a few hundred feet in under a mile. It is a short hike by mileage but a real one by grade, rocky and root-laced, the kind of climb that earns its view quickly.

The ledge at the top opens south over the notch, with a beaver pond glinting far below and the wooded ridges rolling away toward the Moosalamoo highlands. Because the cliff is genuinely sheer, there is no barrier at the edge, so it is a place to admire the drop from a step back.

The Great Cliff is one of Vermont's important peregrine falcon nesting cliffs. Peregrines were nearly wiped out across the eastern United States in the mid-twentieth century by the pesticide DDT, which thinned their eggshells, and their recovery is one of conservation's great success stories.

To protect the nesting birds, the Green Mountain Club and the Forest Service sometimes close the cliff trail from spring into midsummer. When the birds are active you may see the adults launch off the rock and stoop after prey, a hunting dive that can exceed two hundred miles an hour.

Brandon Gap sits within the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, a web of trails, ponds, and forest in the central Green Mountains that sees a fraction of the crowds of the state's famous peaks. The name comes from an Abenaki word for the region, and the Abenaki remain part of Vermont's living present.

The wider area rewards a slow visit: the Long Trail and Robert Frost country to the south, quiet lakes like Dunmore, and back roads that thread between working farms and national forest.

Summer and early fall are the best times for the hike, once any falcon closure has lifted, with autumn adding a blaze of color to the view from the ledge. The gap road is a favorite of leaf-peepers and motorcyclists in October.

Spring can mean mud, high water, and a possible trail closure for nesting falcons. Winter closes the highway over the gap to through traffic in heavy snow, turning the notch into quiet backcountry.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Brandon Gap, near Brandon in central Vermont, is a scenic mountain pass through the Green Mountains, dramatically overlooked by the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid, a sheer rock face rising above the gap. The scenic road climbs through the wooded gap, and from a pullout, a short but steep hike on the Long Trail leads to the top of the Great Cliff, where hikers are rewarded with a breathtaking view down over the gap, a beaver pond, and the surrounding mountains. The dramatic cliff is also a nesting site for peregrine falcons. A spectacular and rewarding scenic and hiking destination, it delights visitors. With its mountain gap and clifftop view, the Brandon Gap and the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid offer a spectacular destination in Vermont.

You can drive the scenic road through the Brandon Gap, admire the towering Great Cliff of Mount Horrid rising above, and hike the short but steep trail from the gap to the top of the cliff for a breathtaking view over the gap, a beaver pond, and the mountains. The scenic gap, the dramatic cliff, the rewarding clifftop hike and view, and the chance to see nesting peregrine falcons are the draws, making it a spectacular outing. The view from the cliff top is unforgettable. With its gap and clifftop view, the Brandon Gap and the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid offer a rewarding experience in Vermont.

The trail to the Great Cliff is short but steep and rugged, leading to a clifftop with a sheer, dangerous drop, so wearing sturdy shoes, taking care on the climb, staying back from the cliff edge, and watching children closely are essential. Importantly, the cliff is a peregrine falcon nesting site, and the trail to the cliff is often closed seasonally, typically in spring and early summer, to protect the nesting birds, so checking current trail status before you go is important, as the closure must be respected. Respecting the closure and the cliff edge ensures a safe and responsible visit to the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid in Vermont.

The warm months are best for the scenic drive and hike, but because the cliff trail is often closed in spring and early summer to protect nesting peregrine falcons, late summer and fall are often the times the trail is open, with fall especially spectacular for foliage from the clifftop, so checking the current trail status before you go is essential. The gap drive is scenic whenever the road is clear. For the clifftop hike, aim for late summer or fall when the trail is open, confirming the falcon closure status, at the Brandon Gap in Vermont.

The Brandon Gap and the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid are near Brandon in central Vermont, within reach of the Brandon Artists Guild and the arts town of Brandon, the central Vermont countryside, Rutland to the south, and the Green Mountains. That makes the Brandon Gap a spectacular stop to combine with the Brandon Artists Guild and the other attractions of central Vermont on a visit to the state.