"A 3-hour hike to breathtaking cliffs overlooking Lake Willoughby. Chiseled cliffs plunging to opposing shores of a blue-water northern lake endow Mounts Pisgah and Horwith unrivalled landmark status. Beacons of the Northeast Kingdom, the bulging profiles of these twin mounds carved by glacial action guide vacationers to the 5.0-mile gouge known as Lake Willoughby.

Boating, fishing, swimming, and camping thrive on this popular lake, and visitors with an interest in hiking can climb to an overlook from both peaks. A moderate family trek, the stirring
hike on the Mount Pisgah Trail on Lake Willoughby’s eastern shore climbs to rocky aeries high on precipitous cliffs with views of faraway mountains and whitecaps on the lake."

--Larry Pletcher (Updated and revised by Tom Seymour), Hiking Vermont: 60 of Vermont’s Greatest Hiking Adventures (Falcon Guides).

"Rising 1500 feet, almost vertically, above the long, narrow expanse of Lake Willoughby, Mount Pisgah showcases one of New England’s most stunning backdrops. This 4-mile round-trip journey includes stops at four precarious perches, each more spectacular than the last. At heights appreciated mostly by resident peregrine falcons, a trek to the top of Mount Pisgah offers the most rewards to those able to withstand the fear of standing on the brink."

--Jeffrey Romano, 100 Classic Hikes in New England (The Mountaineers Books).

"Did a climb up Mount Hor pique your interest in the Pisgah cliffs across the lake? These cliffs, plummeting more than 1000 feet to the eastern shore of Lake Willoughby, are a National Natural Landmark and offer dramatic views of local spots and distant peaks.

Although parents with small children must exercise extreme caution at the overlooks (sheer drops of 500 and 1000 feet), older children who are experienced hikers will have no trouble hiking safely. Go for it!"

--Cynthia Copeland, Thomas J. Lewis, & Emily Kerr, Best Hikes with Kids: Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine (The Mountaineers Books).

"The fjord-like Lake Willoughby, with sparkling, deep waters reaching depths 0f more than 300 feet, is considered the jewel of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Two sheer-sided rock cliffs—Mount Pisgah and Mount Ho—face each other, towering some 1000 feet or more above the lake, It’s a dramatic sight and worth a visit to Vermont’s quietest and most remote region. Pisgah is the biblical summit from which Moses sighted the Promised Land. We know some longtime Vermonters who would indeed consider this region 0f vast valleys, farmlands, lakes, and mountains their own promised land. We can’t vouch for that, but we can tell you that the views from atop the summit of Mount Pisgah (in Vermont) are majestic.

The hike is a moderate jaunt with some steep pitches. For part of the way, you’ll travel along the edge of the plunging cliffs as you skirt the western flank of the mountain. For this reason, the hike is definitely not for acrophobics. The granite ledges leading to the summit can also be slippery in winter, so snowshoes with crampons-and caution-are recommended."

--Diane Bair & Pamela Wright, Snowshoe Routes: New England (The Mountaineers Books).

"Mount Pisgah lives up to the biblical origin of its name - the mountain where Moses viewed the Promised Land. At least, it offers views of biblical proportions. Mount Pisgah defines the eastern wall of Willoughby Gap on the eastern side of Lake Willoughby, a landlocked fjord that is both a National Natural Landmark and a designated natural area by the State of Vermont. The lake is the centerpiece of 7300-acre Willoughby State Forest, which was established in 1928.

It is sometimes called “the Lucerne of America” for its shape and the way the mountains on either side of its shores rise so steeply. The hike up Mount Pisgah offers some spectacular views of the lake, but it is not a great choice if you are scared of heights, or as one fellow hiker once stated, “Not scared of heights. Scared of edges.” Dogs are not acrophobic, so they will not experience an adrenaline rush atop one of Pisgah’s precipitous overlooks, yet your pet will like this hike for its smooth footing and the chance to swim in the sizable beaver pond near the trailhead, known as Swampy’s Pond."

--Lisa Densmore, Best Hikes with Dogs: New Hampshire & Vermont (The Mountaineers Books).