The Steepest Highway in Vermont Is A Treacherous Path

Vermont is a northeastern state in America. It is home to Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, many different wineries and breweries, and scenic rolling mountains. Land area-wise, Vermont is larger than El Salvador but smaller than Haiti. The roads wind around and through the mountains, which can make for slippery road conditions in the wintertime. Not to mention some of their roads can face massive flooding. There are three main interstates that cut through Vermont: I-81, I-91, and I-93. However, they’re not the steepest highway in Vermont.

What Is The Steepest Highway In Vermont?

The steepest highway in Vermont belongs to the 58 highway. Highway 58 is a thirty-mile long east-west highway that cuts through the Orleans and Franklin counties.

Route Description

58 starts at an intersection with Highway 118 in a town in Franklin County in Montgomery, Vermont. It’s a two-lane highway that runs southeast to Hazen’s Notch Road. Hazen’s Notch Road eventually takes travelers east to the Hazen’s Notch mountain pass. The road crosses Trout River and turns into a dirt road entering Hazen’s Notch. The dirt road cuts through many different woods and reaches Orleans County along the ridge of Hazen’s Notch. After cutting through the Missisquoi River, Highway 58 reaches the flat lands of Lowell, Vermont. At Lowell, Highway 58 reaches an intersection with Highway 100.

After passing the intersection and remaining on Highway 58, travelers ride through a rural area with no residences until they get to some farmhouses on McAllister Road. After a slight bend southeast, it bends right back northeast through another mountain ridge and large farms. The highway runs along the Black River and turns away from the river once it gets to Irasburg, Vermont, and a junction with US Route 5.

Then it intersects and enters a partial cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 91 and remains a divided highway with US Route 5 until they enter Orleans, Vermont. Once Route 5 turns south, Highway 58 parallels the Barton River and remains eastward until reaching a junction with Highway 5A on Willoughby Lake Road.

What Makes Highway 58 The Steepest Highway In Vermont

The highway rides through Hazen’s Notch, which is an enormous mountain pass that’s approximately 1,800′ above sea level. Its winding roads with sudden cliffs make it an unsafe highway to ride on in extreme weather. Parts of Highway 58 close during the wintertime due to unsafe conditions. The part that does close is when one drives eastward past Trout River and goes into Hazen’s Notch.

There have been issues of people riding their ATVs through the highway’s dirt road section although it is technically legal to drive ATVs on the dirt road highway under certain conditions. Throughout Hazen’s Notch are steep roads that can give any vehicle trouble.