White Rocks Cliffs Trail

The vista at White Rocks Cliffs offers beautiful views of the Route 7 valley, the Taconic Mountains, and the Adirondack Mountains in the distance.  The trail begins at the White Rocks picnic area on the Keewaydin Trail.  It passes the cascading Bully Brook  before joining the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and coincident Long Trail. The stunning “White Rocks” below the cliffs can be seen from Vermont State Route 7 just south of the village of Wallingford. 

General Information

From Route 7 in Wallingford: Follow Route 140 east 2.1 miles to the junction of Sugar Hill Road on the right;

From Route 103 in East Wallingford: Follow Route 140 west approximately 4.0 miles to the junction of Sugar Hill Road on the left; 

Follow Sugar Hill Road for about 200 feet to the sign for the Green Mountain National Forest-White Rocks Picnic Area and turn right onto White Rocks Picnic Road (Forest Road 52). Follow Forest Road 52 for 0.5 miles to the end.

Additional Resources

White Rocks Cliffs Trail Recreation Guide and Map

Trail Information

The trail is found at the far end of the parking lot and is marked by blue blazes.  This is a side trail to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and coincident Long Trail. The first part of the hike follows the Keewaydin Trail and winds around the northeastern edge of the cliff area. About 0.2 miles into the trail, the cascades of Bully Brook can be seen on the left. The Appalachian Trail/Long Trail junction is reached at 0.4 miles from the parking lot. At the junction, turn south (right) following the white blazes past the Greenwall Shelter spur trail, which is at about 1.0 mile.

Continue south to a stone cairn at 1.4 miles, which identifies the spur trail on the right that leads to White Rocks Cliffs. The spur trail descends 0.2 miles to several beautiful vistas of the Route 7 valley, the Taconic Mountains, and the Adirondack Mountains in the distance. Please pack out all trash.

Area History

During the last Ice Age, glaciers scoured and exposed the Cheshire quartzite that makes up White Rocks Cliffs. Since that time, the White Rocks area has had a long history of human use. Native Americans quarried stone for tools, and in the 1850s European settlers cleared the land for grazing. As the abandoned fields reverted to forest during this century, logging came to the area. Today, the White Rocks Cliffs have been set-aside as part of the Robert T Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area.