The hike begins from Mountain Road, where the Long Trail crosses just north of Stowe Mountain Resort. Unfortunately, there is no real parking lot for this trailhead. You’ll have to park in a narrow pullout beside the road, or park at the resort and walk along the road to reach the trail. Look for white blazes on trees that mark the Long Trail, then follow them into the forest to begin. It starts out mellow but soon becomes steeper. Muddy and slippery spots are common, so wear good shoes and use caution.

The trail gets progressively rockier and steeper as it goes up. There are even sections where you must use your hands to scramble bouldery gullies and rock ledges. Just go slow and carefully choose your hand and foot placements.

High on the trail, the trees transition from tall, broad-leafed hardwoods to short and stout evergreens. These are the only trees that can grow at such high elevation. Eventually, the trees disappear altogether, replaced by stunted, wind-warped firs known as Krummholz. Besides those, it’s mostly grass, moss, and an abundance of lichen that cling to life here in the alpine zone. Be very careful to stay on the trail and not trample any of this vegetation.

Be prepared for cold and quickly changing weather at elevation. Don’t be ashamed to turn around if conditions turn bad. If the weather is clear, however, the views are amazing and worth every bit of the effort to reach them. You’ll gaze over the mountain’s undulating rocky spine, down at the ski resort below, and over endless green hills in all directions.

Above treeline, navigation can be difficult because the trail disappears into an expanse of gray stone, but if you keep looking for the white blazes you will stay on track. The final scramble to the summit may be the most difficult part of the trail, with some very steep scrambling. Once on top, you'll be standing on a broad dome of rock and grass jutting into the sky. On a clear day, you can see west to Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks of New York, north to the green expanse of Canada, and east to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

When you are ready, you can simply return the way you came. There are other options, however, for linking sub-peaks of Mount Mansfield like the nearby Adam’s Apple, or making a loop with another trail and returning to the Long Trail.

The Profanity Trail) is one option for a loop, and it's also the "bad weather bypass" for the Long Trail. It takes an alternate route below the ridgeline, dodging the toughest parts of the Long Trail, but it still reaches the summit. If you want to skip the scrambling on Long Trail, either on the way up or the way down, you can take Profanity Trail instead.

Sources: http://goeast.ems.com/alpha-guide-mount-mansfield/ https://www.summitpost.org/long-trail/166130 https://www.greenmountainclub.org/the-long-trail/