A 6-night/6-day, 46-mile hiking loop that starts in Westport and makes its way up to Willsboro before winding back a different way to Westport.
Adirondack Hamlets to Huts has collaborated with Champlain Area Trails (CATS) to establish the Westport – Willsboro Circuit and is excited to offer a pilot trip of this awesome farm and forest loop! Celebrate autumn this October in the Champlain Valley on this 6-night/6-day hiking excursion that takes you up and over low mountains with great views and along country roads where you can immerse yourself into the farms and forests of the Adirondacks’ banana belt. This guided trip features two nights of lodging on Lake Champlain, including a night at the luxurious Essex Inn, three farm stays, plenty of fresh, local food, and hikes up Coon, Split Rock, and North Bouquet mountains.
NIGHT 1, Sunday, October 16th: Meet up at the Lakeside Motel in Westport at 8:00 PM for a briefing session having already eaten dinner.
DAY 1, NIGHT 2, Monday, October 17th: We’ll hike 8.4 miles from Westport up and over Coon Mountain to Barred Owl Brook Farm. The views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains in Vermont from modest Coon Mountain are fantastic. We’ll learn a bit about the ecological importance of the Split Rock Wildway during our stay here at BOBF.
DAY 2, NIGHT 3, Tuesday, October 18th: On our second and longest hiking day, we’ll go 12.7 miles from Barred Owl Brook Farm up along Split Rock Mountain, on country roads and through fields down into the quaint community of Essex. We will enjoy awesome views of Lake Champlain and all points east as we traverse the Split Rock Mountain ridge. Once we leave Split Rock Wild Forest, we’ll make our way north to Essex via one of Champlain Area Trails’ newest projects, the Essex Quarry. A fine dinner at the exquisite Essex Inn will be the much-deserved reward for our day’s travel.
DAY 3, NIGHT 4, Wednesday, October 19th: On Day 3, we’ll have a more leisurely hike of 6 miles from Essex to Willsboro, where we’ll spend the night glamping away at Old Orchard Place overlooking a grove of apple trees. Along the way we’ll stop at Noblewood Park on Lake Champlain and get some sand between our toes! Dinner that evening will be at Old Orchard Place, where we will enjoy some of the finest pizza and eats to be found in the Champlain Valley!
DAY 4, NIGHT 5, Thursday, October 20th: We skirt the Bouquet River and hike up and over North Bouquet Mountain on Day Four as we make our way south from Willsboro to glamping at Echo Farm. We cover almost 10 miles on this day as we pass through a variety of enchanting landscapes. Dinner this evening will be courtesy of the team at Farmstead Catering, who will treat us to a sumptuous meal that defines “eating local.”
DAY 5, NIGHT 6, Friday, October 21st: After a fresh-cooked breakfast at Echo Farm, we’ll hike 9 miles on our final full day to DaCy Meadow Farm just outside of Westport. We will stop for lunch in Wadhams at the local gem, The Dogwood Bread Company, before finishing our hiking loop at DaCy Meadow Farm, itself another slice of pastoral heaven, where we will once again be treated to some amazing local, farm-fresh eats. We’ll spend the evening gathered around a campfire, recounting our trip’s adventures and stories.
DAY 6, Saturday, October 22nd: We enjoy one last, farm-fresh meal with an awesome breakfast at DaCy Meadow Farm before bidding all many thanks for good times shared and safe travels home!
Call us at 518.354.5109 or Joe at 315.657.1320 to book your trip!
Westport
Meet up at the Lakeside Motel in Westport at 8:00 PM for a briefing session having already eaten dinner.
Essex
We’ll hike 8.4 miles from Westport up and over Coon Mountain to Barred Owl Brook Farm. The views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains in Vermont from modest Coon Mountain are fantastic. We’ll learn a bit about the ecological importance of the Split Rock Wildway during our stay here at BOBF.
Essex
On our second and longest hiking day, we’ll go 12.7 miles from Barred Owl Brook Farm up along Split Rock Mountain, on country roads and through fields down into the quaint community of Essex. We will enjoy awesome views of Lake Champlain and all points east as we traverse the Split Rock Mountain ridge. Once we leave Split Rock Wild Forest, we’ll make our way north to Essex via one of Champlain Area Trails’ newest projects, the Essex Quarry. A fine dinner at the exquisite Essex Inn will be the much-deserved reward for our day’s travel.
Willsboro
On Day 3, we’ll have a more leisurely hike of 6 miles from Essex to Willsboro, where we’ll spend the night glamping away at Old Orchard Place overlooking a grove of apple trees. Along the way we’ll stop at Noblewood Park on Lake Champlain and get some sand between our toes! Dinner that evening will be at Old Orchard Place, where we will enjoy some of the finest pizza and eats to be found in the Champlain Valley!
Essex
We skirt the Bouquet River and hike up and over North Bouquet Mountain on Day Four as we make our way south from Willsboro to glamping at Echo Farm. We cover almost 10 miles on this day as we pass through a variety of enchanting landscapes. Dinner this evening will be courtesy of the team at Farmstead Catering, who will treat us to a sumptuous meal that defines “eating local.”
Westport
After a fresh-cooked breakfast at Echo Farm, we’ll hike 9 miles on our final full day to DaCy Meadow Farm just outside of Westport. We will stop for lunch in Wadhams at the local gem, The Dogwood Bread Company, before finishing our hiking loop at DaCy Meadow Farm, itself another slice of pastoral heaven, where we will once again be treated to some amazing local, farm-fresh eats. We’ll spend the evening gathered around a campfire, recounting our trip’s adventures and stories.
Westport
We enjoy one last, farm-fresh meal with an awesome breakfast at DaCy Meadow Farm before bidding all many thanks for good times shared and safe travels home!
Call us at 518.354.5109 or Joe at 315.657.1320 to book your trip!
Westport – Willsboro Circuit Pilot Trip, 6 Nights/6 Days
October 16 – October 22, 2022
| Westport Willsboro Circuit |
Night 1 | Day 1 Night 2 |
Day 2 Night 3 |
Day 3 Night 4 |
Day 4 Night 5 |
Day 5 Night 6 |
Day 6 |
| 6 Nights 6 Days |
Sunday, October 16 |
Monday, October 17 |
Tuesday, October 18 |
Wednesday, October 19 |
Thursday, October 20 |
Friday, October 21 |
Saturday, October 22 |
| Arrive in Westport. Stay at the Westport Inn |
Hike from Westport up and down Coon Mountain and over to Barred Owl Brook Farm. | Hike from Barred Owl Brook Farm along Split Rock Mountain to Essex. | Hike from Essex to Willsboro. | Hike from Willsboro to Echo Farm. | Hike from Echo Farm to Westport. Hike to Dacy Meadow Farm. | Breakfast at Dacy Meadow Farm. Head out. | |
| Lodging | Lakeside Motel | Barred Owl Brook Farm | Essex Inn | Old Orchard Place | Echo Farm | Dacy Meadow Farm | |
| Hiking (miles) |
8.4 | 12.7 | 6.0 | 9.8 | 9.0 | ||
| Total Miles | 45.9 |
Call us at 518.354.5109 or Joe at 315.657.1320 to book your trip!
Other Notes:
A 50% nonrefundable deposit is due at the time of booking. You may make your payment via our “DONATE” button on the Adirondack Hamlets to Huts website here.
Proof of vaccination and booster is required.
Although this Pilot Trip provides comfortable lodging at the end of each day, this experience involves backcountry travel from one place of lodging to the next. You will be exposed to elements of the weather and terrain and must be clothed appropriately. Mid-May weather in the Adirondacks straddles the spring and summer seasons, meaning that the weather could range from rainy and cool to sunny and warm. Trekkers must be sufficiently fit in order to ably hike the necessary distances from one place of lodging to the next. Although this time of year is noted for black flies in the Adirondacks, black flies are not much of a factor in the Champlain Valley.
Please call Joe at 315.657.1320 with any questions you may have.
Adirondack Hamlets to Huts will provide you with a clothing and gear list upon booking. Given that this is a guided trip, we require that you sign an Acknowledgement of Risk/Waiver of Liability form and fill out an AHH medical history form.
Reservation Policy
A 50% non-refundable deposit is required at the time of booking. We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. The remaining balance is due 14 days before your trip starts.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations made 14 days or more before the start of the trip are eligible to receive an electronic gift card valid for 12 months from the date of issuance for the amount paid to date. Refunds are not available for reservations cancelled within 14 days of the start of the selected trip.
Call us at 518.354.5109 or Joe at 315.657.1320 to book your trip!
Our Vision - Trips for Everyone
Weekend trips. Week-long trips. Some all hiking. Some all paddling. Some in which you can do both-- paddle and hike, even paddle and bike. No matter how long your selected route or your mode of travel, there are no tents to carry, camp stoves to struggle with, or mosquitoes biting you in your sleep on an Adirondack Hamlets to Huts trek.
You will travel to and through charming and historic Adirondack communities as well as amazing wild landscapes that make the Adirondacks the special place that it is. Our routes celebrate both the settled and the sublime, the culture of the Adirondacks as much as its nature. Your lodging will run the gamut, from the simple, such as walled tents, yurts, cabins, and motels, to the grand, including bed-and-breakfasts, hotels, lodges, and inns.
Come to the Adirondacks and experience the Park with Adirondack Hamlets to Huts. Adventure by day. Comfort at night.
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