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One of my favorite destinations is Burke Mountain down in East Burke, Vermont. From the Northeast Kindgom it can be accessed via two scenic roads - Route 5 past Lake willoughby, and Route 114 past Island Pond - making quite a pleasureable loop.
Local roads in the vicinity of Burke, notably West Hill Road, offer fabulous west views and charming views of the Mountain itself.
A toll road hidden away at the base of the mountain offers hikers as well as automobilers and motorcyclists access to within a few hundred feet of the peak. The toll road closes for the season in November, but the padlocked cable across the bottom of the road is quite slack so it's it's not hard to make it "under the wire" and that's just what I did on the 11th of November, 2014.
Less than half way up the toll road I encountered road conditions pictured here. I propped the bike up against the steep grade on it's side stand, dropped it into first gear to it didn't get any ideas of rolling away, and commenced to hike my way to the top.
The further I climbed the thicker the ice on the road became and I wished I'd brought my crampons!
I finally arrived at the parking lot and gondola ski lift at the top and headed towards the foot path that leads to the very summit.
At the summit I climbed the five-story observation tower and gazed off to the West.
Then to South..
And the East..
And finally to the North, where on clear days Lake Willoughby can be seen nestled between the bluffs that tower above it to the West and East.
The summit is marked by a US Coast and Geodetic Survey marker that gives the elevation as 3,770 feet above sea level.
Trees near the summit are somewhat dwarfed, and even the strong spruce limbs are no match for the high winds that buffet the peak.
Lichen and moss see to thrive on the rocky peak.
Warming up in the fading afternoon light before descending the icey road back down
to the Bonnie waiting below and the northward trip home. A great day!
