VT

There are a number of opportunities for hiking near the convention site. Mt Mansfield and Camel’s Hump, two of the most popular hikes in Vermont are nearby, with trails from moderate to challenging and offering beautiful views of Vermont and the Champlain Valley. There are also numerous access points for Vermont’s Long Trail within easy driving distance of the convention site. At the moment, there are no plans to have led hiking trips, but maps and directions to more popular sites will be available at the convention and complete maps of the Long Trail are available online and at local bookstores.

NY

The high peaks region of NY's Adirondack mountains is a quick ferry ride across Lake Champlain. Several hikes are highlighted below:

Although not a very high mountain at 3169 feet, Catamount is a classic short “Alpine-type” hike, with a splendid panorama at the summit.  Most of the last mile up is over steep bare rock, with many scrambles and a chimney or two. The round trip is 3.4 miles with a 1600 foot elevation gain. Directions, a topo map, GPS log, and photos are here: 

Driving directions: From the Port Kent ferry landing, follow signs 6 miles to I-87 Exit 34. Continue past I-87 on NY 9N for 16 miles to Jay. Turn right on NY 86 for about 5 miles to Wilmington. Start up the Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway but at the toll gate (which leads on to the summit of Whiteface), bear right and continue to a junction 6.9 miles from Wilmington. Turn right and continue to Plank Road at 7.0 miles. Take a right. At the bottom of a long gradual downhill slope (2.1 miles from the above intersection), look for red or yellow flagging tape on the left side of the road. This marks the trailhead, about 43 miles from the ferry. WGS84 trailhead coordinates are 44.442856N, 73.880319W.

A High Peaks hike which offers quick rewards is The Brothers. After 20 or 30 minutes in the woods, views begin to unfold as you climb a series of knobby outcroppings along the Johns Brook valley. Across this valley looms the precipitous Great Range. The First Brother is 1.5 miles in and 1480 feet up, Second Brother is just beyond, and Third Brother is 2.6 miles in and 2160 feet up. From the Third Brother you can retrace your route to the trailhead, continue on another 1.4 miles to Big Slide Mtn (elev. 4215 ft, ascent 2800 ft), or even do a return loop along Johns Brook. To return along Johns Brook, take the red trail south from its junction with the Brothers trail under the summit of Big Slide. It’s 2.4 miles down to Johns Brook, then 3.2 miles back to the trailhead.

Directions: From the Port Kent ferry, follow signs 6 miles to I-87 Exit 34. Take I-87 south 22 miles to Exit 31 and turn west on NY 9N towards Elizabethtown. After 14 miles on 9N, bear left on NY 73 and follow it about 3 miles to the center of Keene Valley village. Look for the large brown and yellow “Trails to Marcy” sign on the right and follow the road about a mile to its end called The Garden (about 46 miles from the ferry). The Brothers trail starts to the right of the kiosk. In crowded times the lot fills up and a shuttle bus runs from the junction of 73 and 9N north of Keene Valley.

The ridge trail to Giant Mountain (4627 ft) is one of the most spectacular hikes in the Adirondacks. It involves over 3000 feet of ascent, much of it over open hard-rock outcrop. After an initial mile of steep climbs through the woods (passing an overlook cliff and small lake along the way) you come out onto the metanorthosite ledges with sweeping views to the south and west. The summit, at 2.94 miles, gives good views of the Adirondack High Peaks, and of the Green Mountains across Lake Champlain in Vermont.

To reach the trailhead, follow the directions above for The Brothers but follow NY 73 about 4 miles past Keene Valley to scenic Chapel Pond in a rocky pass. The “Giant Ridge Trail” sign is on the left several hundred feet past the Chapel Pond parking area (about 49 miles from the ferry).

A good overview of the Adirondack Park and Forest Preserve is at the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) site: http://lakeplacidmedia.com/uploads/PDF/AdkForestPreserve.pdf