Clarendon Lodge began as a vision to replace an inadequate shelter on the Long Trail. The Killington Section of the Green Mountain Club constructed this framed, winter-proof log cabin in 1952, completing what would become a substantial improvement over its predecessor, the old Clarendon Lean-to. The new shelter was designed to sleep twelve hikers and featured a water source from a brook located fifty feet to the east. Built with 374 hours of volunteer labor, the lodge was formally dedicated in November 1952, with supporters like Mr. Wiley contributing financially to the project—he donated $250 toward the construction effort. The shelter proved immediately popular, with hikers beginning to use it even before its completion.
For nearly two decades, Clarendon Lodge served the hiking community as a reliable overnight shelter. However, by the late 1960s, the building had fallen victim to misuse and vandalism. In response, the GMC undertook a significant conversion in May 1971, transforming the closed lodge into an open-front shelter. This conversion required substantial volunteer effort and cleanup work—forty people participated in the carpentry, and during their work they removed a full pickup truck’s worth of accumulated trash and dealt with two fifty-year-old pine trees that had been destroyed by previous shelter users. The project included construction of a new privy using recycled wood salvaged from the lodge’s front wall, and installation of a fence intended to keep cattle away from the shelter during summer months. Following this 1971 conversion, Clarendon Lodge continued in this open-front configuration, though the shelter no longer stands today.
Sources
- "Long Trail News." , no. November (1952).
- "Long Trail News." , no. February (1953).
- "Long Trail News." , no. August (1971).
