At the end of September, a helicopter flew construction materials to the top of Elmore Mountain. For three days the trailhead lot was empty. On September 30 and October 1, the Fire Tower Trail, the Ridgeline Trail and the Nature Trail were all closed while the lifts ran. Walter Opuszynski oversees the work for the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. He told Vermont Public that the Elmore and Spruce Mountain projects needed "about 3,000 pounds" of material carried up between them.
The state's posted closure ran through October 30, and the alert says the tower stays closed until the project is complete. If the work finished on schedule, the tower you climb this month will be sturdier, but the walk to reach it is longer. The park's operating season ended on the second Monday in October, so the gate is closed. Regular rifle deer season opens on November 14. That leaves about a week to try the new stairs before hunters are on the mountain.
What Went Up the Mountain by Helicopter
The Elmore tower is a steel structure about 46 feet tall. The state stopped staffing it as a fire lookout in 1974. According to Vermont Public, it was built in 1939 near the site of a failed summit hotel. While it was in service it had a landline telephone and a watchman's cabin, and both are gone now. Accounts differ on who built it. The state's park page calls it a joint effort between the Vermont Forestry Division and the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The state's September announcement and the Vermont Public report list these changes:
- Stairs. Metal grating replaces the wooden treads.
- Railings. New railings go on the climb and inside the lookout cab at the top.
- Repairs. Crews are fixing spots where the walls had come loose and patching bullet holes.
- Paint and fencing. The metalwork is being repainted and fencing added.
- Grounding. The tower is being regrounded to protect it from lightning strikes.
The stairs are the change you'll feel. Opuszynski described climbing the old wooden staircases as harrowing at times, and he expects the new metal steps to change who is comfortable going up:
"I think people are going to feel a bit more secure, especially folks that are on the bell curve of physicality, age."
He made that comment to Vermont Public, which compared the new design to the tower at Allis State Park.
The work isn't a one-off. Elmore and Spruce are two of eight towers the state plans to renovate over the next few years, after Burke Mountain, Okemo and Allis were finished last year. Opuszynski put the cost at almost $250,000 per tower. The money is state funding, including timber sale proceeds and funds set aside for maintaining state buildings, plus a matching grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The state's own release says the match is backed by the Capital Construction Act and the Lands and Facilities Trust Fund.
The Climb Starts Lower Now
In summer you drive past the contact station, pay the entrance fee and take the mountain road to the lot at the end, where the trails start. After the season ends, Trail Finder sends hikers to the day-use parking area, reached from Beach Road off VT 12. From there you walk the park roads up to the trails.
The extra walk adds real distance. The tower's historic register nomination puts the end of the road, where the hiking trail begins, about a mile from the park gate. The Fire Tower Trail is 1.7 miles one way, or 3.4 miles round trip from the upper lot in summer. In the off-season, plan on roughly two more miles of road walking on top of that. The loop up the Ridge Trail, past Balancing Rock to the 2,608-foot summit and back down the Fire Tower Trail, gets longer by the same amount.
The Vermont State Parks off-season page covers the rest. There's no entrance fee after the season, and water, restrooms and trash service are shut off. Most gates stay locked, and staff aren't always on site. The state lists Elmore's lower access as open and plowed. Trail Finder says winter plowing isn't consistent. After the first real snow, the road walk could be packed and easy or a slog. Dogs are welcome on leash.
November in Three Windows
That same off-season page says something else about Elmore: the park is open for deer season. Hunting isn't allowed in developed park areas during the regular operating season, but it is allowed on most state land within parks in the off-season. A Vermont State Parks guide adds that hunters must stay at least 500 feet from park facilities and structures. Put those rules on the calendar and the month falls into three windows.
- Through Friday, November 13. The tower's posted closure ended October 30, the gate is down and rifle season hasn't started. If the tower has reopened, this is the easiest stretch to climb the new stairs. Before you go, check the Trail Finder alert or the Green Mountain Club notice in case the closure has been extended. The alert says it will be updated as details develop.
- Saturday, November 14, through Sunday, November 29. This is Vermont's regular rifle deer season, according to the 2026 Vermont Fish & Wildlife deer season guide. Thanksgiving falls inside it.
- After November 29. Rifle season is over, and early snow decides how the road walk and the summit ledges feel.
For the middle window, Vermont Fish & Wildlife's guidance for sharing the outdoors tells hikers to wear bright colors. It says an orange vest helps most during rifle season, and it suggests heading out midday and sticking to busy trails. On Elmore, that means the marked Fire Tower and Ridge trails, an orange layer over your shell, and a start late enough that you're not on the road walk at dawn. These are the state's posted rules, not legal advice. Vermont Fish & Wildlife and Vermont State Parks are the authorities to check with if your plans go beyond a day hike.
Weekday drives may be slower too. VTrans scheduled flaggers on VT 12 at Elmore Bridge #90 and Bridge #94 for the week of October 26. Traffic alternated from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a 30 mph limit at #90. The weekly road construction report shows whether that work is still going on when you head out.
Down the Mountain, Into the Village
The rifle-season window includes one of the busier days in the village. The Elmore Store is hosting its Local by Nature Holiday Market on Saturday, November 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Elmore Town Hall and the store, with local artisans, crafts and food. Hike the Fire Tower Trail in your orange vest late in the morning and you can be back at the lot in time to catch the second half of the market.
On any other day, the store's posted hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Espresso runs until 2 p.m., breakfast lasts until it sells out, and lunch and pizza are served Wednesday through Sunday. The page doesn't list separate winter hours, so a call ahead costs nothing before a late-season trip. If you're out on a Tuesday, the Elmore Book Club meets in the store's Community Room on November 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. to discuss Pollock's Last Lover.
The new metal treads will still be there next July, and the summer approach from the upper lot will have you at the cab in less time. For a first climb on the new stairs, the week before November 14 is the time to go, starting from the lower lot and walking up the gated road.
Grant Wieler keeps track of which trailhead lots are open in which months. If you're weighing a move to the Elmore side of the valley and want someone who tracks these details, Grant Wieler is glad to walk you through it. Start Your Stowe Search.
