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Underhill is within Vermont's 39,837-acre Mt. Mansfield State Forest. On the headwaters of the Brown's River, at about 2,000 feet elevation, the park lies on the west slope of 4,300 feet Mt. Mansfield, the state's highest peak. Just over the summit ridge is the Stowe ski area, one of North America's original ski resorts.
The elevation and corresponding exposure to harsh climatic conditions have resulted in some relatively unusual vegetation types along the mountain's summit ridge. The low, stunted-plants found in the alpine tundra near the summit, very rare in New England, are more typical of types found on broad expanses of Arctic tundra a thousand miles farther north. These plants are fragile (if you hike to the summit, please stay on marked trails).
The park is probably best known for its hiking. There are four trails to the summit ridge of Mt. Mansfield from Underhill State Park. Walking up the gated road from the park headquarters, the trails begin branching off shortly above the group camp area. The Sunset Ridge Trail, 3 miles to the summit, is the most popular. Vermont’s Long Trail traverses the summit ridge and, with several trails from the other side of the mountain, many loops are possible. Hiking information and trail maps are available at the park headquarters.
Facilities / Amenities
The CCC-built pavilion has a fireplace and picnic tables
The CCC-built pavilion has a fireplace and picnic tables
The upper camp area, about 3/4 of a mile above the ranger station, has 7 lean-to sites and 2 tent sites, pit toilets, and is reserved for organized group-use. In the lower camp area, around the contact station, are 11 tent sites and 6 lean-to sites. There is cold water and flush toilets in the restrooms, but there are no showers.
Access to all campsites requires a short walk. Campsites are not accessible by vehicle.
The park also has a CCC-built sheltered tentsite tentsite that can be rented for up to a maximum of 8 people. The site comes with a picnic table and the shelter fireplace is to be used in lieu of a fire ring. Additionally, there are 2 standing grills adjacent to the shelter. The sheltered tentsite is $51 per night plus the $8 reservation fee.
Off-season access: The park gate remains open after park closes until the first snowfall. Once it snows, the gate is closed until there is sufficient snowfall to ski into the park, then it is reopened until spring melt.
From I-89 Northbound: Take exit 11 and turn right at W Main ST/ US RT 2. Turn slightly to the right, onto River Rd./ VT Route 117. In about 260', turn right onto Governor Peck Highway and follow to end. At stop sign, turn left onto Browns Trace Road and follow to end (about 5.3 miles). At stop sign turn right onto Route 15 for 1/2 mile. Turn right onto River Road. Continue onto Pleasant Valley Rd (2.7 miles). Turn right onto Mountain Road and follow for 3 miles to end.
Easy access, clean campsites, great service, very affordable. The Mt. Mansfield trails are just a few minutes walk from the campsites. It's absolutely gorgeous with well maintained trails and stunning views. I will definitely come again and highly recommend it.
Did the Sunset ridge trail out and back to summit of Mansfield. Beautiful trail me and my dog loved it. It 8s steep, rocky and has some ledges so be prepared.
Visited this state park as it’s the base to Mount Mansfield. The hike is definitely challenging so be prepared with ample time and water. The view was gorgeous as I timed it with the sunset - the trek down though in the dark though is rough so make sure to take that into consideration.
I was so excited for the weekend that my boyfriend and I booked. We booked T03 for 3 nights and from the pictures it looked like a secluded kingdom.
Once we arrived we were met with the reality that the campsites T01-T03 were 20 steps from the parking lot where other campers parked and hikers would park before the Mt. Mansfield hike. We could also see the neighbors on each side us, the campsites are very close to each other. We were met with loud campers, constant noise of people unlocking their cars, turning their lights on and hikers coming early to hike. It was 4:17am and our tent was met with LED high beams and someone’s mini van playing a podcast loud enough I could hear it clear as day (that says something since I’m partially deaf).
The website and campground certainly makes the campground look further away and more secluded from the other campgrounds which we found to be the opposite.
Overall I can say we didn’t get a decent camping experience. Upon walking around the campground if you pick something further away from the parking lot you might get a better experience than us (we mainly picked our spot so we could be in close proximity to our vehicle). The bathrooms were super clean. I just suggest to everyone to be courteous to the campers in T01-T03.
