Forest Service Road 71 – Mount Tabor Circuit

Forest Service Road 71 winds through abandoned logging cuts on Mount Tabor’s northern slopes, where the ghosts of Vermont’s timber industry still haunt the hardwood hollows. This gravel forest service road climbs steadily past old skidder trails and stone foundations of logging camps, leading to the remnants of a 1930s fire tower that once kept watch over thousands of acres of Green Mountain National Forest. The final push to the summit requires navigating around washouts and fallen timber, but the payoff is a commanding view of the Taconic Range stretching south into Massachusetts.

This is a straightforward moderate route suitable for any high-clearance vehicle, though the final mile to the tower gets rocky and steep enough to test your low-range gears. Best tackled in late spring through fall when the access road is clear of snow. No permits needed, and dispersed camping is allowed throughout the national forest. You’ll find this route delivers exactly what Vermont backcountry driving should be – real forest roads with real history and views that remind you why the Green Mountains earned their name.