From their 1,500 foot summit the view reaches across Champlain Valley, Lake Champlain and into the Adirondacks of New York. A bulge of quartzite called Devil's Pulpit, probably used by early Native American toolmakers, dominates the cliff face. The face is considered unsafe for climbing. The forest of Bristol Cliffs provides a home for beaver, white-tailed deer, black bear and grouse, and peregrine falcons are sometimes seen on the cliffs. Two secluded ponds, North and Gilmore, hide in the interior.
Numerous streams tumble musically over low waterfalls.
The area has no established trails, and the faint footpaths to the cliffs fade in and out. With map and compass you can explore in a busy day and find one of the least visited spots of Vermont. A Wilderness sign located at the junction of Atkins Road and York Hill Road in the town of West Lincoln points south onto York Hill Road. Travel 1.7 miles to a 10-car parking lot and a footpath that quickly disappears in the brush. USGS topographic maps are Bristol and South Mountain.