It's hard to imagine a better environment for biking. Vermont's varied terrain and beautiful rural scenery provides opportunities for road touring and mountain biking and accommodates bicyclists of all abilities.   Our corner of southern Vermont is a mountain biker's dream come true. Competitive riders and casual bikers take full advantage of our legendary dirt roads, our still-accessible logging and carriage roads and the miles of antiquated railroad beds that criss-cross the region. What follows is the selection of roads and backcountry trails that we most often recommend to our customers. They vary in terrain, technicality, and degrees of difficulty - from genteel coasting to bona fide mountain climbing - and should keep you pedaling all season long. 

Our small villages, white picket fences, covered bridges, winding rivers, brooks, and pristine lakes create a visual feast for the traveler. What better way to experience this feast for the eyes that unfolds in the hills of the crossroads of Vermont than on a bicycle. And while road bike touring presents these wonderful scenes of Vermont country life for many visitors, others can have extremely enjoyable times riding the trail and work roads of the area on mountain bikes. There are hundreds of miles of mapped trails that weave through peaceful and challenging pathways.

En route, bikers can discover ancient mountains, fascinating woodlands, and quaint villages. These trails are a paradise to any outdoor enthusiast and can provide endless hours of recreation for mountain biking.

Vermont villages are spaced an easy pedaling-distance apart, and our extensive network of lightly-trafficked "farm to market" back roads provides a virtually inexhaustible supply of on-road bicycle routes. Add to this an abundance of friendly country inns and intimate beds and breakfasts as well as clean lakeside campgrounds, and you've got a recipe for world-class bicycling adventures.

Bike Paths
Popular multi-use paths have been built along the shore of Lake Champlain in Burlington and paralleling the Mountain Road in Stowe. Other recreation paths are found in Barre, Colchester, Shelburne, Essex, Williston, South Burlington and Montpelier. Nearly three dozen new recreation paths and rail trail projects are either under construction or being planned and designed in communities throughout Vermont.

Rail Trails
Several of Vermont's abandoned railway corridors have been converted to bike paths. These routes are highly scenic and devoid of traffic.

• East Alburg to Alburg, 7 mile length along the former Central Vermont/Rutland Railway
• Richford to St. Albans, 26 mile length along the former Richford branch of the Central Vermont Railway (see Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail)
• Groton State Forest (Danville, Groton, Peacham, Marshfield, Orange, Plainfield and Topsham) The 7.5 mile long Montpelier-Wells River Railroad bed is a multi-use trail that offers lots of wildlife viewing opportunities and is part of the Cross-Vermont Trail. Shorter trails and forest roads are accessible in the five campgrounds in this area
• Jamaica State Park (Jamaica) An historic railroad bed provides 3 miles of trail suitable for bikes and strollers as well as walkers
• Castleton to Poultney & West Pawlet to West Rupert, two segments totaling 19.8 miles along the former Delaware & Hudson Railroad

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Mount Snow Mountain Bike Center

Single-track, old town roads and ski trails that challenge all ages and abilities of riders in a classic Vermont setting.  The Main Base Area is the hub for mountain bike operations and services. The Crosstown area, located 1 1/2 miles from the Mount Snow Base area, provides the family or new rider with a comfortable introduction to the sport.  The terrain difficulty includes 25% beginner, 25% intermediate and 50% advanced.  A terrain garden with rollers, banks, hits and turns is featured at the Mount Snow base area.

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Equipe Sports

Equipe Sports, the leader in provisioning athletes and recreational sportsmen, provides comprehensive information about local biking.   They also provide a comprehensive trail map for the area.  View the map at Equipe Sports.  Some suggested trails are shown below:

Crosstown Road/Valley Trail - This complex system of trails will eventually connect the towns of Dover and Wilmington with spurs to Lake Whittingham and the local elementary school. Ask at Equipe or the Chamber of Commerce for the best place to access it.

Gale Meadows - Cross the Bondville bridge at Haig's onto River Road and continue until it forks. Bear left onto Gale Meadows Road. There are unmarked trails which surround the pond - navigate carefully.

Goodaleville Road - Turn left off R.100/30 south just past Equipe Sport in Rawsonville onto this dirt road which follows the Winhall River and eventually takes you to the Winhall Campground. Or continue straight over the bridge and climb the hill back onto R.100 in So. Londonderry.

Harriman Reservoir/Lake Whitingham - 2.5 miles west of Wilmington on R.9 toward Bennington. Go left and over the Medburyville Bridge. Left again after the bridge; go .5 mile to dead end where trail head starts.

Hathaway Trail - Right at split of R.100/Alternate R.100 (Sports Odyssey at corner). Follow past Sugar Mill Village to the right, take marked snowmobile trails approx. 500 yards. This takes you to the trailhead. Once on the trail, follow constantly going to the left. The trail is a level 3 ride (difficult). It is consistent single track about 5.4 miles in length. Trail ends further up on Alternate R.100.

Kendall Farm Road - Going north on R.30 toward Manchester, just past Homestead Landscaping, take a left onto this pleasant dirt road.

Mount Snow - For a small fee, Mt. Snow's well-known trails are available to the public. Lift service to the trails is on the Canyon Chair.

Mount Tabor - In Peru, turn onto Hapgood Pond Road. This road turns into Landgrove Road and if you follow it to its end (It turns to dirt about halfway.) you will end up in the small town of Landgrove. Start your ride anywhere in this area and you'll be taken with the beauty of this tucked away place. Take a left over the bridge to Forest Road 10, then take a right. Forest Road 10 is closed in the winter.

Stratton Mountain - At the top of Stratton Mountain Access Road, continue straight following signs for the Sun Bowl. There's plenty of parking here with trails run and maintained by Stratton. Check with them for the possibility of a trail use charge.

Under the Mountain Road - Heading north on R.100, enter the town of South Londonderry and take a right at the 4-way intersection onto Main St. This road turns into Thompsonburg Road. To start at the beginning of this ride, continue until a dirt road intersection crosses back on itself on the right. Easy ride with a few hills - incredible views. C1 Winhall Campground - From South Londonderry, drive south on R.100 looking for campground signs. Turn left onto Smith Mill Road, approx. 1 mile. At the end of the road is the entrance of the Winhall Campground. From here you can choose which side of the river to ride. On the north side, the moderate West River Trail will bring you down to Ball Mt. Dam. If you're looking for more challenging terrain, try the few expert single tracks that fork off this trail. The south side provides easy riding and brings you into S. Londonderry.

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