Trails
of the Willoughby Cliffs Natural Area

Mt. Pisgah Trail

The Pisgah trail runs from the southern entrance, ? miles south of the south beach, over the summit, and back down to the northern end. The southern trail is a longer hike, but with a much gentler slope. Lookout point juts out a bit from the side of the mountain, providing a breathtaking view of the lake, about a third of the way up to the summit.

The northern entrance is ? miles north of the south beach, on the side of the lake. It is a steeper climb, but shorter. It offers a spectacular view of the lake, as well as a number of mountains to the north and into New Hampshire.

The Pisgah trail dates back to the time of the Lake House, in the 1850s. Harriet Fisher writes about the cutting of the trail in her book, Willoughby Lake Legends and Legacies:

"When Alonzo Bemis built his "elegant and commodious" Lake House, near the foot of Pisgah, he made a trail to the top. Trained horses were always ready to make the ascent, and ladies could ride to the top in perfect safety. In Bemis's 1854 Northern Tourist, there is mention of an observatory on the summit of "Mt. Annance."

Francis Richardson, who took over the Lake House in 1879, built a bridle path on Mt. Pisgah, shorter than the one made by Bemis years before, but its location on the west side commanded charming views of the lake and surrounding scenery. In 1880 Richardson and a crew of men cut a road which extended a quarter of a mile beyond the summit. He had discovered an even finer view from there.

Years later, when Amory and Clemma Seaver ran Pisgah Lodge, probably about 1920, Darrell Hoyt, who was working there, helped cut a trail near the old Lake House barns; this trail led into the trail to Pisgah Mountain.

Editor Charles M. Chase of the Vermont Union wrote in September, 1880: "As we could not wait for this road to be completed, we pushed on through the most impenetrable underbrush, over logs and stones to the goal and were well paid for our efforts by the grand and awful sublimity of the scene. From this point we could see Owl's Head, Jay Peak, Mount Mansfield, Franconia Notch, and the Green Mt. Range, Lake Memphremagog, etc. At several places the rock juts out several feet from the side of the mountain affording a fine opportunity for those who have steady nerves and cool heads to get a splendid view of the rough side of the mountain, not otherwise obtainable. I cannot begin to portray the beauty of this lovely sheet of water, nor the awful grandeur of the towering cliffs above it. To be appreciated, they must be seen." "

Excerpted from:"Willoughby Lake Legends and Legacies," Harriet F. Fisher. Academy Books, Rutland, Vermont. Copyright © 1988.
Reprinted with permission of the author.

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Mt. Hor Trail

Info coming soon!

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