Welcome to the Green Mountain Club’s Third Annual Trail Sign Auction!

Welcome to the Green Mountain Club trail sign auction! Each year our trail signs serve as a beacon for thousands of hikers on the Long Trail. These signs are made by dedicated volunteers and staff who make them out of a labor of love to provide direction to fellow hikers. However, when the information on the signs becomes out-of-date or they become too weathered, they are replaced. Now you have the opportunity to take home an authentic Green Mountain Club trail sign.

All auction proceeds will support the important work of the Green Mountain Club.

The 2018 GMC Trail Sign Auction is complete and raised $2,740.57 for Vermont’s trails!

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Bowen Mountain

This large, weathered, hand-carved sign spent its life at 2200ft marking the north summit of Bowen Mountain.

From the Long Trail Guide : “Pass through a low wet area, and descend a rock stairway to another gravel road. Follow this road for 0.1mi. before turning right to reenter the woods and climb to the lower of the two south summits of Bowen Mtn. (15.6 mi.). Illegal access by all-terrain vehicles is a chronic problem in this area. Pay attention to the blazes. Continue along a ridge with easy grades to the north summit of Bowen Mtn (17.1 mi.).”

Length: 23 1/2 inches

Height: 5 1/4 inches

Depth: 3/4 inches

Weight: 1 lb 4.5 oz

Starting Bid $100

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Corliss Camp

This sign marked the short spur from the Long Trail to Corliss Camp.

From the Long Trail Guide : “Corliss Camp, a frame cabin, was built by Peter Hayden and the Laraway Section in 1989 and is named for Robert Corliss of St. Albans, who was an active section volunteer. It has sleeping space for fourteen.”

Length: 7 inches

Height: 3 1/4 inches

Depth: 3/4 inches

Weight: 3.7 oz

Starting Bid $50

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Laura Woodward Shelter

This unique white painted sign with black lettering marked the original Laura Woodward Shelter.

From the Long Trail Guide : “Originally built in 1956, this three-sided post-and-beam shelter, which sleeps six, has been replaced twice, most recently by Tom Abbott and son with GMC volunteers in 2001. It is named for an early supporter of the LT.”

Length: 12 inches

Height: 3 1/4 inches

Depth: 3/4 inches

Weight: 8.0 oz

Starting Bid: $100

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Long Trail North

This unique white-painted, arrow-shaped sign dates to the 1970s and directed hikers north on the Long Trail in the Mount Mansfield region.

From the Long Trail Guide : “Vermont’s highest mountain, Mt. Mansfield (4395 ft.), is known for its distinctive ridgeline, which resembles the profile of a human face, especially when viewed from the east. From south to north, the names of its more prominent features reflect this: Forehead, Nose, Upper and Lower Lips, Chin, and Adam’s Apple. The Abenaki called the mountain Mose-o-de-be-Wadso (mountain with the head of a moose), and it received its present name from the town of Mansfield, disestablished and divided among adjacent towns over a century ago. ”

Length: 20 1/2 inches

Height: 3 1/4 inches

Depth: 1 1/4 in ches

Weight: 1lb 4.5 oz

Starting Bid $100

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Long Trail South

This lichen-coated sign spent its life on Laraway Mountain directing hikers south on the Long Trail toward Johnson and the Sterling range.

From the Long Trail Guide : “Enter the woods at the north end of the landing, and ascend on old logging roads, crossing several small brooks and then a large stream (6.8 mi). Leave the logging road, bear left, and reach some impressive cliffs. Follow along the base of the cliffs before climbing to Laraway lookout (8.4 mi). This vista affords a sweeping view from southeast to northwest, featuring Mt. Mansfield from a unique angle. Continue north, then east, along the boggy ridge to the summit of Laraway Mtn. (8.7 mi) with a limited view.”

Length: 20 1/2 inches

Height: 5 1/4 inches

Depth: 3/4 inches

Weight: 1 lb 3.9 oz

Starting Bid $100

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Nebraska Notch Trail

This large painted sign marked the intersection of the Long Trail and the Nebraska Notch Trail near Taylor Lodge.

From the Long Trail Guide : “From the parking lot (0.0 mi., 1400 ft.), bear right at the trailhead bulletin board and pass the Overland cross-country ski trail (not suitable for hiking use due to wetlands). Climb at an easy grade to an area of beaver activity (1.4 mi.), and bear left to ascend to the LT (1.5 mi.) at the west end of Nebraska Notch. The LT leads south 0.7 mi. to Taylor Lodge.”

Length: 18 inches

Height: 7 1/4 inches

Depth: 3/4 inches

Weight: 1 lb 5.1 oz

Starting Bid $100

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Water

This weathered sign indicated the water source at Taylor Lodge. Originally intended to read “WATER .2Mi.” the decimal point was obscured leading numerous hikers to make their own corrections in pencil on the sign.

From the Long Trail Guide : “Taylor Lodge, named for James P. Taylor, founder of the GMC, was built by the Burlington Section in 1978. The lodge, with an open front porch, has an enclosed bunkroom with space for fifteen and one tent platform for overflow camping. Future maintenance of Taylor Lodge has been endowed in memory of Debo Leplante. Water runs from a reliable spring 0.2mi down the Lake Mansfield Trail.”

Length: 18 inches

Height: 3 1/2 inches

Depth: 3/4 inches

Weight: 12.6 oz

Starting Bid $100

For more history on our trail signs, read this article from the Summer 2016 Long Trail News.