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About


Jay Peak, Big Jay, Doll Peak, North Jay Peak
Jay, VT, Westfield, VT, Montgomery, VT

Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking down the ski trails with Doll Peak and North Jay Peak in the background
Looking down the ski trails with Doll Peak and North Jay Peak in the background

Route: Ski trails, Long Trail, herd paths, bushwhacks, logging roads

We generally ascended the Ullr's Dream ski trail, which generally had some gravel or tire tracks going up the otherwise grassy slopes. There is a gravel access road that weaves up from Stateside, but is rather circuitous.

From the top of Jay Peak, we descended the Long Trail northbound to behind the big fence, then soon took a left onto the herd path to Big Jay. Decent amount of stepover/duck under blowdowns to contend with, as well as quite a few mud pits. There is no register on the summit, but one knows they are there when they see the ski patrol sled and small sign.

We then took the Long Trail northbound, which was initially quite tricky to descend due to steep terrain on greasy or disintegrating rock. In hindsight, we could have avoided this by descending the ski trails to the corner of Ullr's Dream (near the pond), where the Long Trail briefly pops out.

There was a decent mud bog to cross on floating logs prior to reaching the Laura Woodward shelter.

From there, it was a steady climb up to Doll Peak (ie Middle Jay), where the summit sign is now missing. There is a view as one descends northbound.

We then continued to the false peak of North Jay, at which point we started to bushwhack along that ridge. We quickly walked into what appeared to be a somewhat recently cut bootleg ski trail that slabs across the ridge (favoring the west side) until reaching the base of the summit cone. It bypasses one or two areas of thicker spruce.

From there up, there was an occasional pocket of thick spruce, as well as some cliffy areas and some mud. One also crosses the Long Trail boundary corridor near the top, which can be seen on the aerial photo dropping down the east slope.

There were a few directional views from near the recognized highpoint.

We then retraced our steps back to the Long Trail on the false peak, then descended northbound to the next col, then bushwhacked down the fall line toward the golf course. Perhaps halfway to two thirds of the way between the Long Trail and golf course, we popped onto a logging road, which we took a right onto, which gradually descended to the cross country ski trail network (muddy in some places), which took out down to the snowmaking pond next to the Tram base area.


Hike Ratings
Getting To Trailhead: Easy
Destination: Jay Peak
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Moderate
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Moderate
Destination: Big Jay
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Difficult
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Doll Peak
Length: Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: North Jay Peak
Length: Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Difficult
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal


Hike Stats
Date Hiked: Saturday, July 11, 2015
Parking Elevation: 2,205'
Destination: Jay Peak
Time Elapsed: 01:06
Trailhead Elevation: 1,840'
Summit Elevation: 3,858'
Vertical Gain: 2,018'
Destination: Big Jay
Time Elapsed: 00:47
Trailhead Elevation: 3,858'
Summit Elevation: 3,786'
Vertical Gain: 466'
Destination: Doll Peak
Time Elapsed: 02:08
Trailhead Elevation: 3,786'
Summit Elevation: 3,409'
Vertical Gain: 709'
Destination: North Jay Peak
Time Elapsed: 00:46
Trailhead Elevation: 3,409'
Summit Elevation: 3,438'
Vertical Gain: 378'
Hike Time Elapsed: 07:23
Hike Vertical Gain: 3,771'





Looking at Big Jay from Jay Peak - Click to enlarge
Looking at Big Jay from Jay Peak

The muddy herd path to Big Jay
The muddy herd path to Big Jay

Looking at Jay Peak from near the Big Jay summit - Click to enlarge
Looking at Jay Peak from near the Big Jay summit

The Long Trail on the way to Doll Peak
The Long Trail on the way to Doll Peak

Looking at North Jay Peak from near the summit of Doll Peak - Click to enlarge
Looking at North Jay Peak from near the summit of Doll Peak

The herd path on North Jay Peak
The herd path on North Jay Peak

Looking at Jay Peak from near the North Jay Peak summit - Click to enlarge
Looking at Jay Peak from near the North Jay Peak summit

Directions to trailhead: From the town of Jay, take 242 south to Jay Peak Resort.

Back to Jay Peak Profile
Back to Big Jay Profile
Back to Doll Peak Profile
Back to North Jay Peak Profile




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