Scenes of Vermont Forums

Kevin: I was just in contact with someone from the NEK who ran the tour up Nichols' Ledge last year. Here are the directions to the Nichols Ledge trailhead! It was part of the Cabot Fall Festival from the grand NEK Fall Foliage Festival. They are doing it again this year just as an FYI.

I am glad to have been of help so that you and your son do all the wonderful things in Vermont that you wish! Enjoy!
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"A NEW SCENIC ADVENTURE you might like to experience is hiking to Nichol’s Ledge (16). (This is one of our afternoon guided tour adventures. ) The ledge is actually in the Town of Woodbury, very close to where the town lines of Cabot, Walden, Hardwick and Woodbury come together. To reach the ledges you must climb a rather steep and unforgiving trail, which is not to be attempted by timid, frail, or sedentary types. The beginning of the trail tends to be pretty wet, and you should wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots, and it’s helpful to carry a walking stick. Once at the top, please be very careful because the drop is sheer and there are no railings or safeguards. DO NOT BRING CHILDREN HERE UNLESS YOU CAN KEEP A FIRM HAND ON THEM AT ALL TIMES, ESPECIALLY AT THE TOP NEAR THE LEDGES. The view from the top is well worth the trouble to get there. You’ll see breath-taking views to the south and west, and miles of unbroken forest. To reach Nichol’s Ledge, take the South Walden Road at the north end of Main Street (Rt. 215) past the recreation field to Houston Hill Road on your left. Follow this road to Coit’s Pond Road, turn right for a little over a mile. You’ll see small Coit’s Pond on your left, and then you’ll come to a “wide spot in the road,” also on the left and directly opposite a “backwards driveway.” Park in the wide spot and you’ll see the trail heading down into the woods."

Thank you so much for your help. I was aware they are doing the hike again this year. They said it would not start till afternoon and we really wanted to be there soon after sunrise. I kinda thought that might be the start of the trailhead. Looking at a topo map it appeared the climb would not be as steep as if you had to start out near the SE end of Nichol's Pond. On google maps, you can kinda make out the wide spot on Coits Pond Rd to the East of the ledge. I wonder if a small rental car will make it up there?
Just a few more days and we're there. Can hardly wait.
Kevin

You're welcome Kevin. Can you let me know how you made out and perhaps a photo of the overlook from the ledge? I'll be up in VT for my "regular" vacation in 2015, and would like to attend the hike with the group from the Cabot Fall Foliage Festival if timing is right. Have a super vacation and let us all know of your days in paradise!

Absolutely, we intend to post photos during our trip. I'm not sure what day we'll make it there, hopefully we can time peak.

I made it to Nichols Ledge for the first time on Friday. I came a different route, heading south from Hardwick (Mackville Rd to Nichols Pond Rd). While the road is a little rough, I made it through just fine in my low clearance Honda Fit. Just take it slow and it's not a problem.

The hike itself is fairly short (maybe 10 - 15 minutes) but pretty steep. I'm out of shape and was racing up to get a sunset shot, so I was exhausted due to the elevation gain. If it has rained recently it will probably be slippery.

The viewpoint itself is quite incredible. It's similar to Owls Head in many ways, but you're much more "on top" of the pond than you are at Owl's Head. Unfortunately the conditions weren't great for a sunset shot (no clouds) plus I had some college-aged girls sitting in my foreground. The nerve!

This is defintely an underrated spot. If forced to choose I'd say Owls Head is a bit better for photography but it's a close call.

Here's what the view looks like (not my photo).
https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/42467910