INTRO
If you have any information regarding this climb, we'd like to hear from you. Click the CONTRIBUTE button to share your thoughts with us.
If you have any information regarding this climb, we'd like to hear from you. Click the CONTRIBUTE button to share your thoughts with us.
Gate open to cyclists once per year.
Mt. Equinox, VT is the southernmost of the 5 Top 100 U.S. Climbs located in the northeastern part of the United States (#3 Mt Washington, NH, #41 Whiteface Mt, NY, #57 Mt Ascutney, VT, and #87 Burke Mt, VT).
Ride 5.3 miles gaining 3,150’ at 11.3% average grade.
Mt Equinox is a private road, open to cyclists only once each year during the Mount Equinox Uphill Bike Climb (2018 page) held in early August, and you are not permitted to ride your bike back down the hill after the race. Views from the top of Mt Equinox are exceptional and unobstructed as it is the highest peak in the area.
Yes - Cycling Mt. Equinox is very difficult at an average 11.5% grade!
The climb begins in Sunderland, VT (population 956, 2010). Mt. Equinox is a mountain in the Taconic Mountain Range which is part of the Appalachian Mountains.
The authority on Northeast Road Bike Climbing, Doug Jansen (northeastcycling.com) has graciously authorized our use of his detailed analysis and description of the climb: "This course climbs Skyline Drive to the summit of Equinox Mountain. Bikes have not been allowed on this private auto road for many years. The Gear Up for Lyme race in 2004 was the first chance for hillclimbers to test their mettle on this beast. It is claimed to have a short section of 28% grade, but after racing this mountain, my hunch is I didn’t encounter anything steeper than 15 or 16%. The climb has one brief, fast descent that prevents it from being a truly monotonic climb. For the last few years, a $500 cash prime has been offered for the first ride to pass the one mile mark. $500 for a mile? How hard could that be? Oh, to collect the prize, you must also finish the race within a cutoff window. The view from the summit is spectacular. Mt Equinox is steep and one of the highest peaks around, so great views abound from several vantage points, especially from the open ridge line leading to the summit. The road is smoothly paved, tollbooth to summit. Unfortunately, like Mt Washington, cyclists are not allowed to ride their bikes back down." Northeast Cycling Mt. Equinox Data.