Mad Tom Notch Shelter

Mad Tom Notch Shelter was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) for the U.S. Forest Service.

The shelter was a log structure with an open front, stove, and bunk space for eight to ten people, located on the abandoned Peru-East Dorset Road at the summit of Mad Tom Notch.

The shelter sat at an elevation of approximately 2,400 to 2,446 feet, positioned strategically on the Long Trail between Bromley Camp to the south and Styles Peak to the north. Water was available 150 feet to the east of the shelter. The location made it a convenient overnight stop for hikers traversing the central Vermont mountains, lying at the junction of USFS Road No. 21.

The shelter remained in service throughout the mid-twentieth century, appearing consistently in Long Trail Guide Book editions from the 1930s through the early 1960s. By 2006, hikers were using "Mad Tom Notch" as a reference point for trail navigation, indicating the notch’s enduring significance to the Long Trail corridor even as the shelter itself deteriorated.

The shelter was eventually closed and removed sometime after 1962, marking the end of its active service as a shelter facility on the Long Trail. Its loss reflected broader changes in trail management and shelter systems during the latter part of the twentieth century.

Sources

  • Long Trail Guide Book. 50th Anniversary Edition (16th) ed. Green Mountain Club, 1934.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 65.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 21.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 17.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 20.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 16.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 19.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 16.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1956. Pp. 20.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 29.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 6.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 25.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 28.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 24.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 24.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 27.
  • Long Trail Guide Book. Green Mountain Club, 1960. Pp. 28.
  • Smoke and Blazes (Killington) 56 (2003). Killington Section, Green Mountain Club. 9.
  • Smoke and Blazes (Killington) 59 (2006). Killington Section, Green Mountain Club. 1.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 18.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 21.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 17.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 18.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 21.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 17.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 17.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 18.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 21.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 10 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1935. Pp. 17.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 17 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1963. Pp. 24.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 17 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1963. Pp. 23.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 17 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1963. Pp. 27.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 18 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1966. Pp. 5.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 18 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1966. Pp. 27.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 18 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1966. Pp. 23.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 19 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1968. Pp. 24.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 19 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1968. Pp. 5.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 19 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1968. Pp. 23.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 5.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 25.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 29.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 24.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 30.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 5.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 36.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 35.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 29.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 29.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 5.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 28.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 35.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 34.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 23 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1985. Pp. 7.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 23 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1985. Pp. 36.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 23 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1985. Pp. 31.