Hiking Camel's Hump -- A short drive from Waterbury is Camel's Hump, the state's fourth highest peak at 4,083 feet. (It's also the state's highest mountain without a ski area.) Once the site of a Victorian-era summit resort, the mountain still attracts hundreds of hikers who ascend the demanding trail to the barren, windswept peak. It's not the place to get away from crowds on sunny summer weekends, but it's well worth the effort for the spectacular vistas and the alpine terrain along the high ridge.

One popular round-trip loop-hike is about 7 1/2 miles (plan on 6 hr. or more of hiking time), departing from the Couching Lion Farm, 8 miles southwest of Waterbury on Camel's Hump Road (ask locally for exact directions). At the summit, seasonal rangers are on hand to answer questions and to admonish hikers to stay on the rocks to avoid trampling the rare and delicate alpine grasses, found in Vermont only here and on Mount Mansfield to the north.