INN AT LONG TRAIL
“A place where the dressed up folk, travel worn motorists, and roughly dressed hikers all might mingle with no apologies necessary.”
Brief History
The Long Trail Lodge itself was conceived by Mortimer R. Proctor as a clubhouse for the Green Mountain Club (GMC). He had it designed by Paul Thayer of Wallingford and placed along the Long Trail for the convenience of the GMC members, who cleared and maintained the trail. The lodge was built in 1923 on the south side of Route 4 atop the Sherburne Pass, making it convenient to guests traveling from either side of Vermont.
During a blizzard in November of 1968, a fire completely destroyed the lodge. The front page of the New York Times carried the story as the “loss of a significant part of Vermont’s history.”
Following the fire, all of the lodging and dining activities shifted to the ‘Long Trail Chalet’ on the north side of Route 4, which was the winter annex for the then-uninsulated Long Trail Lodge. The annex building, erected in 1938, was the first building in Vermont to serve as a public ski lodge and cater to early skiers traveling to Pico Peak Ski Resort, just down the road.
Our Story
In July 1977, Kyran and Rosemary McGrath took ownership of the lodge, renaming it the Inn at Long Trail. They quickly set about to restore the rustic splendor of the building, including the natural wood beams and the fieldstone fireplace, and reestablished a welcoming, hiker-friendly atmosphere. They also founded McGrath’s Irish Pub, which was the first in Vermont to sell Guinness on draft. Son Murray McGrath and his late wife Patty took over operations in 1994 and Murray continues to serve his community to this day.