Brandon Gap and the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid
Route 73
Goshen, VT
A high notch on Route 73 where a short, steep climb up the Long Trail leads to the Great Cliff, a rock ledge above a beaver pond that is also a nesting site for peregrine falcons.
Brandon Gap is one of the high passes where a Vermont highway climbs clear over the ridgeline of the Green Mountains. At the top, Route 73 crosses the Long Trail, the footpath that runs the length of the state, and from that crossing a short but steep climb leads up to the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid, a bare rock ledge with a long view back down the notch.
The cliff is more than a viewpoint. Its sheer face is a traditional nesting site for peregrine falcons, the fastest animals on Earth in a dive, and in some years the trail to the ledge closes for the nesting season to give the birds the quiet they need.
What Guests Love
- A dramatic cliff-top view for a relatively short, if steep, hike
- Watching for peregrine falcons wheeling below the ledge
- The beaver pond that mirrors the cliff face from the roadside pullout
- A quiet, uncrowded corner of the Green Mountain National Forest
Worth Knowing
- The cliff trail may close in spring and early summer to protect nesting peregrine falcons, so check current conditions before you go
- The climb is short but steep and rocky; wear real hiking shoes
- The ledge has a genuine drop with no railing, so keep well back from the edge, especially with children
- The roadside pullout at the height of the gap gives a fine view even without the hike
Details
Goshen, VT
Learn about Brandon Gap and the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid
The climb to the cliff
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.
Peregrine falcons on the rock
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.
The Moosalamoo country
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.
Season by season
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.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Goshen
Brandon
About 8 miles, a 15 minute drive
A designated Vermont art town with a cooperative gallery, restored downtown, and river running through the village.
Texas Falls
About 12 miles, a 25 minute drive
A short interpretive trail past a series of chutes and potholes carved into the bedrock of a mountain stream.
Lake Dunmore
About 10 miles, a 20 minute drive
A clear mountain lake with Branbury State Park, swimming, and the Falls of Lana trail nearby.