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All the United States Vermont Underhill Wampahoofus Trail
AO Edited

Wampahoofus Trail

This path is named for a mythical half-boar, half-deer creature that once roamed the Green Mountains.

Underhill, Vermont

Added By
dylanvt
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Sign announcing Wampahoofus Trail, with the Forehead in the distance   Famartin
Sign announcing Wampahoofus Trail, with the Forehead in the distance   Famartin
An illustration of a wampahoofus.   Walter Bender
View to the southwest from near the top of the Forehead.   dylanvt / Atlas Obscura User
A pup enjoying the funny name.   dylanvt / Atlas Obscura User
Near the top on Wampahoofus Trail.   dylanvt / Atlas Obscura User
Under a rock on the Rock Garden Trail, just off Wampahoofus.   dylanvt / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Wampahoofus Trail starts from Butler Lodge around 3,000 feet up the side of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, and continues until it meets the legendary Long Trail atop Mansfield's generally comparatively unpeopled Forehead area. To get to Wampahoofus, you'll first have to hike up the 1.8 mile Butler Lodge Trail. You can stay overnight in the lodge or continue directly to Wampahoofus.

The trail was named for a mythical creature of Vermont's Green Mountains that predates even the yeti and Bigfoot in the Western consciousness. Also known as a gyascutus or a sidehill gouger, the wampahoofus was known for its uneven legs (a pair on one side was always longer than the other) that allowed it to move in only one direction around the mountain. If a clockwise wampahoofus met a counterclockwise peer on a ridge, they would fight to the death so one could pass. They could mate only when their circular routes intersected. Eventually, their shorter legs became so short that they couldn't move or mate, and they soon died out. The trail was purportedly named by a Professor Ray Buchanan, who noted a rock formation that looked like the profile of the wampahoofus.

A short way along the trail you can take a detour down the short but aptly named Rock Garden Trail, which connects to Maple Ridge Trail. Otherwise, if you stay on Wampahoofus, you'll soon find yourself clambering up some rugged, rocky faces to the top of the Forehead with spectacular views of the Champlain Valley behind you. The top has 360-degree views and room to picnic, and is one of the few places east of the Mississippi that can support rare alpine tundra, with stunted trees and plenty of delicate flora underfoot. From here, the Long Trail continues north to the Chin (the actual summit) or south toward Camels Hump, Mount Ellen, and Mount Abraham, thus connecting four of Vermont's five tallest peaks.

Take care not to get lost, lest you end up like a wampahoofus yourself, stuck in a perpetual circle on the slopes of Mount Mansfield.

Related Tags

Cryptids Forests Hiking Trails Mountains Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

The trail can be accessed through the Butler Lodge Trail from the Stevensville Trailhead in Underhill Center. Like all Vermont mountain trails, Wampahoofus is either closed or discouraged from use during mud season (roughly April–May). There is likely to be snow or ice from October to May, and it is a possibility September–June.

Rock Garden and nearby Maple Ridge are not ideal for dogs, due to the frequent scrambling and clambering.

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Added By

dylanvt

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October 6, 2020

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  • https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/500677/bigfoot-and-yeti-there-was-legendary-wampahoofus-vermont
  • https://obscurevermont.com/the-strange-wampahoofus/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidehill_gouger
  • https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7041049/wampahoofus-trail
Wampahoofus Trail
Butler Lodge trailhead, Stevensville Rd
Underhill, Vermont, 05489
United States
44.505743, -72.847638
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mount Mansfield

Stowe, Vermont

miles away

Trapp Family Lodge

Stowe, Vermont

miles away

'Snowflake' Bentley Exhibit

Jericho, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 14

Nearby Places

Mount Mansfield

Stowe, Vermont

miles away

Trapp Family Lodge

Stowe, Vermont

miles away

'Snowflake' Bentley Exhibit

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 14

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