Smugglers' Notch

Dramatic mountain pass used by Prohibition bootleggers, now a state park with spectacular scenery

Smugglers' Notch is a steep mountain pass on Vermont Route 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville, cutting through the Green Mountains at an elevation of around 2,162 feet. The road through the notch is so narrow and boulder-choked that it closes to through traffic in winter — in summer it is driveable but requires care. The scenery is dramatic: enormous glacial boulders crowd the roadside and the cliffs above narrow to just a few hundred feet apart at the tightest point.

The state park in the notch has hiking trails, including access to the summit of Sterling Mountain and connections to the Long Trail. Bring a light jacket even in summer — temperatures drop noticeably in the narrow pass. The notch is about 20 minutes north of Stowe village and worth the detour for the geology alone.

things to do sight
A story
During Prohibition in the 1920s, Smugglers' Notch became one of the main routes for moving Canadian whisky into New England. Locals drove trucks loaded with contraband through the narrow pass in darkness, relying on the road's remoteness and the difficulty of pursuit on the steep rocky track. The notch's reputation as a smuggler's route is actually older than Prohibition — during the War of 1812 it was used to move cattle into Canada in defiance of trade embargoes.