The first Cowles Cove Shelter was built in 1920 by Professor Monroe, positioned along the Long Trail between Birch Glen and Montclair Glen. The shelter was a Swiss-type structure with a lower bunk capable of sleeping three or possibly four, an upper bunk large enough for two, a good stove, and a few utensils, with a small porch in front.
The shelter had bunks for four and drew its name from Judge Clarence P. Cowles of Burlington, who had done much exploring for trails and helped in the construction of the Monroe Skyline.
The 1932 Long Trail Guide Book noted that Cowles Cove Lodge had a stove and bunks for five, with excellent water nearby, indicating the facility was in regular use and maintained during the early decades following its construction. The shelter remained operational through the 1950s, when a new shelter was constructed in 1956 by the New York Section under the direction of Professor Roy O. Buchanan, built as a log leanto with bunk space for six to eight.
The original Cowles Cove Shelter, though not maintained following the construction of its replacement, provided bunks for four and stood nearby as remains. The structure persisted through subsequent decades; maintenance work at Cowles Cove, including an outhouse construction or repair, was planned by the Long Trail Patrol by the end of summer 1977. Ultimately, the original 1920 shelter did not survive, its remains gradually disappearing from the trail landscape.
Sources
- History of the Green Mountain Club, Burlington Section – GMC Burlington. Accessed July 16, 2026. https://gmcburlington.org/history-of-the-green-mountain-club-burlington-section/.
- Long Trail Guide Book 1920 (1920). Green Mountain Club. 16.
- Long Trail Guide Book 1932 (1932). Green Mountain Club. 42.
- Smoke and Blazes (Killington) 03 (1950). Killington Section, Green Mountain Club. 10.
- Long Trail News 1950 (1950). Green Mountain Club. 4.
- Long Trail News 1956 (1956). Green Mountain Club. 3.
- Long Trail News 1977 (1977). Green Mountain Club. 6.
- Ridgelines (Burlington) 1980 (1980). Burlington Section, Green Mountain Club. 2.
- Long Trail News 1997 (1997). Green Mountain Club. 1.
- Long Trail News 2003 (2003). Green Mountain Club. 6.
- Ridgelines (Burlington) 2025 (2025). Burlington Section, Green Mountain Club. 11.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 15 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 39.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 52.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 59.
- Walter Collins O’Kane. Trails and Summits of the Green Mountains. The Riverside Press , 1926. Pp. 413.
- Walter Collins O’Kane. Trails and Summits of the Green Mountains. The Riverside Press , 1926. Pp. 220.
- Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History. 2nd ed. Green Mountain Club, 1999. Pp. 34.
- Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History. 2nd ed. Green Mountain Club, 1999. Pp. 35.
