Killington, Vermont fall foliage

Killington Peak is the second-highest mountain in Vermont, and the area sits where Route 4 crosses the Green Mountains at Sherburne Pass. Just north of the Route 4 and Route 100 junction, Gifford Woods State Park protects one of the few remaining old-growth northern hardwood forests in the Northeast, with big sugar maples, beeches, and yellow birches, and Kent Pond sits across the road. The Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail both pass nearby, and a trail from the top of Sherburne Pass leads to the Deer Leap cliffs, with views over the pass and the surrounding peaks.

A good loop heads north from Killington on Route 100 through the valley to Rochester, then turns west on Route 73 over Brandon Gap. Near the top of the gap, the Mount Horrid overlook looks across a beaver pond to the Great Cliff. Route 73 then drops down to Brandon, where Route 7 leads south to Rutland and Route 4 climbs east over Sherburne Pass back to Killington. For a shorter drive, Route 4 east leads to Woodstock.