Things to Do in Vermont

Things to Do in Vermont 2026: The Ultimate Travel Guide

Vermont is the most distinctly itself of all the New England states — a small, fiercely independent republic (it was, in fact, an independent republic from 1777 to 1791, the only state to enter the Union as a former sovereign country) whose defining character has remained essentially unchanged for two centuries: dairy farms on rolling hillsides, sugar maples announcing the seasons, covered bridges over cold rivers, white Congregational churches on village greens, and an unshakeable conviction that small is better than large and local is better than global. Vermont has the smallest state capital in the United States (Montpelier, population 8,000), no McDonald’s in its capital, the smallest “largest city” of any state in the continental US (Burlington, population 45,000), and more dairy cows per capita than any state in the country. It also has the finest fall foliage in the United States, the finest skiing in the eastern US, and a farm-to-table food culture that preceded the national trend by 40 years.

Vermont’s travel seasons are sharply defined and equally rewarding: summer (June–August) brings hiking, cycling, swimming in cold rivers, and the finest farmers markets in New England; fall (late September–mid-October) brings the most famous foliage in the United States and the most heavily booked lodging calendar in the state; winter (December–March) brings world-class skiing at Stowe, Killington, and Mad River Glen; and mud season (March–May, what Vermonters call the fifth season) is when locals leave and prices drop. Spring wildflowers and waterfalls (May–June) are underrated and genuinely beautiful.

Vermont has 105 covered bridges (the most per square mile of any state in the United States), 109 ski trails that exceed 3,000 feet of vertical drop, 251 towns (none of which has been incorporated as a city since 1895), and over 250 artisan cheesemakers — more cheese varieties per capita than any state in the country and the highest density of craft cheesemakers in the Americas outside of France.

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Quick Overview

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1. Skiing and Winter Sports

Vermont is the finest ski state in the eastern United States — 19 alpine ski areas concentrated in the Green Mountains, with more vertical drop per square mile than any state east of the Rockies and the finest ski culture in the country outside Colorado and Utah.

Stowe Mountain Resort: The finest ski resort in the eastern United States by reputation and by vertical — 2,160 feet of vertical drop, 116 trails, and the finest trail variety of any eastern resort: Nosedive (the most challenging expert trail in New England, 2.6 miles, 1,600 ft vertical), National (a classic northeast groomer, 1.4 miles, 1,530 ft), the Front Four (Starr, National, Goat, and Liftline — the most feared expert terrain in Vermont), and the Cliff Trail (the finest double-black terrain in the northeast, gated, requires sign-in). Stowe Village below the mountain is the finest ski village in New England — an Austrian-influenced main street of excellent independent restaurants and lodging. Lift tickets $130–$195/day; Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass include unlimited Stowe days.

Killington Resort: The largest ski resort in the eastern United States — 155 trails, 22 lifts, 3,050 feet of vertical drop, and the longest ski season in the east (typically November through May, occasionally into June). Killington’s Superstar trail holds snow the longest of any trail in the eastern US; the resort hosted World Cup skiing most recently in 2024. The Beast of the East nickname is earned: Killington is the best resort in the east for skiers who want the most terrain and the most challenging conditions. Lift tickets $120–$189/day; Epic Pass included.

Mad River Glen: The most distinctive ski experience in New England and arguably in the United States — a cooperatively owned ski area (the only skier-owned cooperative ski area in the United States) with a single fixed-grip quad (one of the last in the country), no snowboarding allowed, minimal snowmaking (the finest natural snow skiing in the east), and a culture of pure skiing that has been unchanged since 1948. The Single Chair (the only remaining original single chairlift from the 1940s era still operating at a US ski area) climbs 1,600 feet to the summit; the terrain below (2,037 vertical feet, 45% expert) is the steepest and most challenging in New England. Ski it or die. Day tickets $99; Ski it if you can.

Smugglers’ Notch: The finest family ski resort in the northeast and consistently rated the top family ski resort in the United States — a ski area that has oriented its entire culture around children’s ski instruction, with award-winning terrain gardens and the finest children’s ski school on the East Coast. The resort village is ski-in/ski-out; lodging packages include lessons. Day tickets $90–$130/person.

Sugarbush Resort: Two mountains (Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen) connected by a gondola — the finest intermediate skiing in Vermont and the most underrated resort in the state. Located in the Mad River Valley with the finest aprés-ski culture in Vermont (the Warren Store, the Big Picture Theater, the Mad Taco). Day tickets $100–$165/person.

Snowshoeing and Cross-Country Skiing: The Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe operates the finest Nordic ski center in New England — 100 km of groomed trails (the largest private Nordic network in the east), stunning Green Mountain terrain, and a lodge with the finest view of the surrounding hills of any Nordic center in the US. $28/adult trail pass. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center (Northeast Kingdom, craftsbury.com) is the finest destination Nordic skiing in Vermont — a world-class training center with groomed trails through the finest pastoral landscape in Vermont, $22/adult. Green Mountain Club hut-to-hut snowshoe routes (maintained winter trails $8/adult donation) are the finest free winter walking in the state.

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2. Fall Foliage

VT-100 Foliage Drive (215 miles from Massachusetts border to Newport): The finest fall foliage drive in the United States — Vermont’s principal north-south highway runs through the heart of the Green Mountains along the Mad River, White River, and Black River valleys, passing through the finest foliage towns in the state: Wilmington (southern gateway), Jamaica, Weston (the finest village green in southern Vermont, the Vermont Country Store), Londonderry, Ludlow (Black River and Okemo Mountain), Pittsfield, Rochester (the finest river valley foliage in Vermont), Granville Gulf (a narrow notch where the highway squeezes between the mountains — the finest single roadside foliage spot in Vermont), Warren, Waitsfield (covered bridge, Mad River), Moretown, Waterbury (Ben & Jerry’s), Stowe, Hyde Park, Hardwick, Craftsbury, and Newport on Lake Memphremagog (the finest border-lake town in New England, with views into Quebec).

Northeast Kingdom: The finest foliage destination in Vermont for visitors who want to escape the crowds — the three northeastern counties (Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia) peak approximately one week ahead of the rest of Vermont (typically the last week of September) with a foliage landscape of extraordinary emptiness and authenticity. Burke Mountain, Lake Willoughby (the most dramatic glacial lake in Vermont — a narrow 5-mile lake flanked by 1,000-foot cliff faces, the finest fjord-like landscape east of Acadia), Craftsbury Common (a hilltop village green with the finest panoramic view of the Kingdom’s rolling farmland), and the Barton-Orleans area are the finest specific destinations. The Kingdom Trails mountain bike network (kingdomtrails.org, $25/day) operates through foliage season and provides the finest trail riding experience of any non-ski-resort destination in Vermont.

Foliage timing and planning: Vermont fall foliage follows elevation: the Northeast Kingdom and summits above 3,000 feet peak in the last two weeks of September; the Mad River Valley and central Vermont peak the first week of October; the Connecticut River Valley and southern Vermont peak the second week of October. The Vermont Foliage Report (vermontvacation.com/foliage) updates weekly from late September. Lodging in Stowe, Woodstock, Manchester, and the Mad River Valley books 3–4 months ahead for peak foliage weekends; last-minute availability is rare and expensive.

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3. Hiking and Outdoor Recreation

Long Trail: The oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States (completed 1930, predating the Appalachian Trail, which incorporated the Long Trail’s southern 100 miles as part of its route) — a 272-mile trail from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border along the spine of the Green Mountains. The Green Mountain Club maintains 70 backcountry shelters and 175 miles of side trails; a Long Trail end-to-end thru-hike takes 14–25 days. Day hiking access points are spaced along US-4, VT-17, VT-73, VT-125, and VT-118; the finest single-day section is the Mount Mansfield summit ridge (see below).

Mount Mansfield (4,393 ft — highest peak in Vermont): The finest hiking destination in Vermont — a long, narrow summit ridge (the mountain’s profile resembles a human face viewed in profile from the east — the Forehead, the Nose, the Chin, and the Adam’s Apple are the named summits) with the finest 360-degree view in Vermont: Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks to the west, the White Mountains 50 miles east, Montreal 50 miles north on clear days. The principal routes:

• Haul Road/Profanity Trail (3.1 miles RT, 1,800 ft gain, strenuous): The finest hiking approach to the summit, climbing directly to the Chin (the true summit) via the steepest trail on the mountain.
• Long Trail from Taft Lodge (4.4 miles RT, 2,000 ft gain): The standard approach via the Long Trail’s Mount Mansfield section; passes the Taft Lodge (the oldest operating shelter in Vermont, 1920).
• Gondola to Cliff Trail (Summit Station, $32/adult): The Stowe Mountain Resort gondola operates in summer, depositing hikers at the Summit Station below the Chin; the Cliff Trail (0.6 miles) continues to the true summit.

Camel’s Hump (4,083 ft): The most distinctive mountain profile in Vermont — a double-summited ridgeline visible from Burlington and central Vermont that is the finest hiking destination for visitors staying in Burlington. The Burrows Trail (7.2 miles RT from the western trailhead, 2,600 ft gain) is the standard approach; the summit ridge above treeline offers the finest view of the Champlain Valley from any Vermont summit. Camel’s Hump State Park; free.

Stowe Recreation Path: The finest short walking and cycling route in Vermont — a 5.3-mile paved path following the West Branch River from Stowe Village through open farmland toward the base of Mount Mansfield, with the mountain visible in the gaps between farms and forest at every turn. Flat, accessible, beautiful year-round (snowshoeing in winter). Free; bicycle rental available from AJ’s Ski & Sports in Stowe ($30–$40/half-day).

Quechee Gorge (Quechee State Park): Vermont’s “Little Grand Canyon” — a 165-foot-deep glacially carved gorge of the Ottauquechee River in Quechee State Park, visible from the US-4 highway bridge (free, 2-minute walk from parking) and accessible via the 1.5-mile gorge trail below. The combination of the gorge geology, the autumn foliage, and the old-fashioned charm of the adjacent Quechee village (Simon Pearce glassblowing studio and restaurant — the finest single shopping destination in Vermont; $25–$450 for handblown glass) makes Quechee a nearly essential stop on any Vermont itinerary. Free; state park day-use $4/adult.

Robert Frost Interpretive Trail and Cabin (Ripton): The finest literary trail in New England — a 1.2-mile loop in the Green Mountain National Forest passing through the landscape that inspired Robert Frost’s Vermont poems (Frost lived in Ripton for 23 summers, 1939–1962, and wrote some of his finest work here). The trail passes through the fields and forest described in “The Road Not Taken,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and “After Apple-Picking” (the apple orchard is still standing). Frost’s summer cabin (the Homer Noble Farm) is preserved nearby; free. Ripton is 10 miles east of Middlebury on VT-125 (the Robert Frost Memorial Highway).

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4. Maple Sugaring

Vermont produces 6.4 million gallons of maple syrup annually — 40% of the total US production and more than all other states combined. Vermont maple syrup is the finest agricultural product in the state and one of the most distinctive regional foods in the United States. The sugaring season runs from late February through early April, when nighttime temperatures drop below freezing and daytime temperatures rise above 40°F — the precise temperature differential that drives sap to flow in sugar maple trees.

Sugarhouse visits and sugar-on-snow: Every region of Vermont has working sugarhouses open to visitors during sugaring season (late February–April). The finest sugarhouse experience is “sugar-on-snow” — fresh hot maple syrup poured over packed snow, where it hardens into a taffy-like candy. The best sugarhouses for visitors:

• Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks (Montpelier, morsefarm.com): A 7th-generation farm open year-round with a sugarhouse, maple education center, and the finest maple creemee (soft-serve maple ice cream) in Vermont. Free to visit; products for sale.
• Sugarbush Farm (Woodstock, sugarbushfarm.com): A hilltop farm with working cheese and maple operations — the finest combination of Vermont agricultural experiences in one location. Free to visit; sugaring tours March–April.
• Merck Forest & Farmland Center (Rupert): 3,000 acres of certified organic farm and forest with visitor-accessible sugaring in March and a trail network open year-round.

Vermont Maple Festival (St. Albans, late April): The finest maple festival in the United States — a 4-day festival in St. Albans (the self-proclaimed Maple Center of the World, northwest Vermont) celebrating the end of sugaring season with sugarhouse tours, maple cooking competitions, maple syrup judging, and the finest concentration of Vermont food producers under one roof. Free admission; some events ticketed.

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5. Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour

Location: 1281 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury, VT (on VT-100 between I-89 and Stowe) Hours: Daily 10 AM–6 PM (extended in summer); closed on Thanksgiving Cost: $6/adult, $4/child (3–12); Flavor Graveyard and grounds free Book: benjerry.com/waterbury; tours sell out by 11 AM on summer weekends

The Ben & Jerry’s factory tour is the most visited tourist attraction in Vermont — 350,000+ visitors annually to a working ice cream factory in a small Vermont town, a pilgrimage combining nostalgia, the finest ice cream in the United States, and genuine corporate history (Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their first scoop shop in a renovated Burlington gas station in 1978 with a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making from Penn State). The 30-minute factory tour ($6/adult) includes a 3D movie, the production floor observation deck, and a sample of the flavor of the day; the Flavor Graveyard (free, outdoors) contains tombstones for discontinued flavors including Wavy Gravy, Dastardly Mash, and Economic Crunch. The Scoop Shop attached to the factory is the finest ice cream shop in Vermont; Cherry Garcia, Half Baked, and Phish Food are the essential orders. Arrive before 10:30 AM on summer weekends to join the first tours and avoid the longest queues.

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6. Shelburne Museum

Location: Shelburne, VT (7 miles south of Burlington on US-7) Season: Late May–late October (select buildings open year-round) Cost: $28/adult, $14/youth (13–17), $10/child (5–12) Website: shelburnemuseum.org

The Shelburne Museum is the finest museum in Vermont and one of the most unusual museums in the United States — a 45-acre outdoor museum of 39 historic structures (relocated from across New England and New York) filled with one of the most eclectic art and folk art collections in the country. Founded in 1947 by Electra Havemeyer Webb (heiress to the Havemeyer sugar fortune and daughter of the collectors who assembled the Havemeyer Collection now in the Metropolitan Museum), Shelburne reflects a collector’s vision of American material culture spanning folk art, quilts, carriages, Impressionist paintings (Monet, Manet, Degas — assembled by her parents), weather vanes, decoys, circus memorabilia, and the finest collection of American quilts in the world.

The centerpiece is the SS Ticonderoga — the last intact walking beam side-wheel steamboat in the world (1906, National Historic Landmark), transported 2 miles overland from Lake Champlain in 1955 in the largest overland ship move in history. The Lighthouse (a working replica of the Colchester Reef Light, relocated from Lake Champlain) and the Round Barn (a 1901 Shaker-influenced round dairy barn) are among the finest architectural structures in Vermont.

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7. Woodstock and Billings Farm

Getting there: 2 hours from Boston via I-89 and US-4; 1 hour from Burlington Best season: Year-round (Billings Farm open all seasons; fall foliage peak late September–mid-October)

Woodstock is the most handsome village in Vermont and possibly in the United States — a Federal-era village green surrounded by the finest concentration of early 19th-century architecture in New England, with four churches, the Norman Williams Public Library (1883, the finest library building in Vermont — a Victorian Romanesque building donated by Edward H. Williams of the New York Central Railroad), and the covered Middle Covered Bridge (1969 replica of the original 1877 bridge) over the Ottauquechee River at the village center. The Woodstock Inn & Resort ($275–$550/night) is the finest main-street inn in Vermont.

Billings Farm & Museum: The finest working farm museum in New England — a living 19th-century dairy farm established in 1871 by Frederick Billings (the railroad financier who named Billings, Montana) and operating continuously since, now managed as a museum demonstrating 19th-century Vermont farm life. The farm milks its purebred Jersey herd daily (visitors can watch), makes butter and cheese in the creamery, and maintains draft horses, oxen, sheep, and pigs in period-accurate farm structures. The museum building has the finest collection of Vermont agricultural artifacts in the state. Admission $18/adult; open year-round (reduced schedule November–May). The combination of Billings Farm and the adjacent Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (the mansion, gardens, and forest managed by the National Park Service; free ranger tours) is the finest cultural experience in Woodstock.

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8. Burlington and Lake Champlain

Getting there: Burlington International Airport (BTV) with direct flights from NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC; 3.5 hours from Boston via I-89

Burlington is Vermont’s largest city (population 45,000) and the finest small-city destination in New England — a compact, walkable city on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain with a nationally recognized food scene, the finest waterfront in inland New England, a strong music and arts culture (hometown of Phish; site of the first Ben & Jerry’s), and the University of Vermont (est. 1791) providing a year-round cultural and social energy.

Church Street Marketplace: The finest pedestrian shopping and dining street in Vermont — a 4-block brick-paved marketplace in the heart of Burlington with the finest independent retail and restaurant concentration in the state. Key stops: Hen of the Wood Burlington (the finest farm-to-table restaurant in Vermont, $45–$75/person for dinner); Pizzeria Verita (the finest Neapolitan pizza in Vermont, wood-fired, sourcing local flour and Vermont dairy); American Flatbread (the original Burlington location of the farm-to-table flatbread concept, $18–$24); Uncommon Grounds Coffee ($4–$6, the finest coffee in Burlington); Skinny Pancake (the original Vermont crêperie, local ingredients, $10–$16).

Burlington Waterfront: A half-mile waterfront park on Lake Champlain with the finest lakefront in inland New England — a boardwalk, kayak and paddleboard rentals (Local Motion, $18/hour), the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain ($15/adult, the finest lake science museum in the northeast), and ferry crossings to Port Kent, New York (Lake Champlain Transportation, $5/person, 12 minutes, operates May–October). The view of the Adirondack High Peaks from the Burlington waterfront on clear days (the highest mountains visible from a lakefront in the eastern United States) is the finest vista from any New England city center.

Lake Champlain Islands: The four Lake Champlain Islands (North Hero, South Hero, Grand Isle, and Isle La Motte) are accessible by US-2 north from Burlington — a 36-mile drive across four causeways with Lake Champlain on both sides. Isle La Motte contains the Fisk Quarry Preserve — a 450-million-year-old fossil reef (the oldest coral reef in the world preserved in place) with Caribbean-origin corals and crinoids exposed in the quarry floor. The islands are the finest cycling destination in Vermont for families (flat terrain, small roads, lake views, farm stands); the Islands Bike Path and the roads of South Hero are the standard cycling routes.

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9. Rock of Ages Quarry Tour

Location: Barre, VT (10 miles southeast of Montpelier via I-89) Season: May–October Cost: $5/adult (self-guided visitor center); quarry shuttle tour $15/adult (June–October, limited) Website: rockofages.com

Rock of Ages is the largest deep-hole granite quarry in the world — a 600-foot-deep excavation in the Barre granite intrusion that has supplied the finest tombstone and memorial granite in the United States since 1885. The quarry’s Barre Gray granite (a medium-grained biotite granite of extraordinary uniformity and durability) has been used for the Lincoln Memorial’s steps, the John F. Kennedy Memorial at Arlington Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier base, and approximately half of all granite cemetery monuments in the United States. The visitor center ($5) includes a museum of quarry history and a viewing platform above the quarry; the shuttle bus tour ($15, summers only) descends to the quarry floor level for the finest view of the working face. Barre also contains Hope Cemetery — the finest cemetery in the United States for artistic granite carving, where Italian immigrant stonecutters created extraordinary memorial art for their own families in the 1910s–1940s; free, open year-round.

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10. Hildene — The Lincoln Family Home

Location: Manchester, VT (3.5 hours from Boston, 4 hours from NYC via I-91 and VT-11) Season: Year-round | Cost: $25/adult, $6/youth (6–17) Website: hildene.org

Hildene is the finest historic house in Vermont — a 24-room Georgian Revival mansion on a 412-acre estate in Manchester, built in 1905 by Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln’s only surviving son, president of the Pullman Company 1897–1911) as a summer home and occupied by Lincoln descendants until 1975. The estate preserves Abraham Lincoln’s famous stovepipe hat (on loan from the Smithsonian for permanent display — the only Lincoln artifact permanently displayed outside Washington), a working 1,000-pipe Aeolian organ (with daily demonstrations), and the finest formal garden in Vermont (a 12-pointed geometric garden on a promontory above the Battenkill River valley). The estate’s 20 miles of walking paths through meadows and forest are open year-round (snowshoeing in winter). Manchester Village — directly adjacent — is the finest shopping town in Vermont: the Orvis flagship store (Manchester has been Orvis’s home since 1856), the American Museum of Fly Fishing ($10/adult), and the finest outlet shopping in New England (more than 40 designer outlets on VT-11).

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11. Vermont Cheesemakers and Farm Visits

Vermont is the most important cheesemaking state in the United States — more than 250 artisan cheesemakers producing over 150 distinct varieties, from the finest cheddar in the Americas (Cabot Creamery, which has won more international gold medals than any American cheese brand) to the finest raw-milk aged cheeses on the continent (Jasper Hill Farm, Cellars at Jasper Hill).

Cabot Creamery Visitor Center (Cabot, VT, free): The finest creamery visitor center in Vermont — a cooperative dairy founded in 1919 and now a 1,000-farmer cooperative producing the finest cheddar in the United States. Free tasting room with 25+ cheese varieties; $3/adult for the production tour (highly recommended). The Extra Sharp Cheddar and the Clothbound Cheddar (a cave-aged variety developed with Jasper Hill Farm) are the finest products.

Jasper Hill Farm and Cellars (Greensboro Bend, NE Kingdom): The finest artisan cheesemaker in the United States — a farm and affinage (aging) cellar in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom that produces Bayley Hazen Blue (the finest blue cheese made in the US, multiple World Cheese Award winner), Winnimere (a bark-wrapped washed-rind cheese, World Cheese Award gold), and Harbison (a spruce bark-wrapped cheese described by the Wall Street Journal as the finest American cheese of its generation). Wholesale only — available at Hunger Mountain Co-op (Montpelier), Healthy Living Market (Burlington), and the best cheese shops in New York and Boston. The Cellars at Jasper Hill ($15/adult) offers tours by appointment.

Vermont Cheese Trail (vtcheese.com): The official Vermont artisan cheese trail — 40+ farms and creameries open for visits, with a self-guided tour format. The finest single-day cheese trail itinerary: Woodstock (Sugarbush Farm) → Randolph (Neighborly Farms of Vermont, the finest farmstead Romano in the state) → Montpelier (Hunger Mountain Co-op cheese counter) → Greensboro (Hill Farm, Jasper Hill Farm) → Burlington (Healthy Living Market cheese counter, the finest retail cheese selection in Vermont).

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12. The Northeast Kingdom

Getting there: 2 hours from Burlington via I-89 and US-2; 3 hours from Boston via I-91 north

The Northeast Kingdom (the three northeasternmost Vermont counties: Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia) is the finest unspoiled rural landscape in New England — a region of small dairy farms, boreal forest, pristine lakes, and the most authentic Vermont character remaining in the state. The name was coined by Senator George Aiken in 1949; it has been used ever since as both a geographic designation and a cultural identity statement.

Lake Willoughby: The most dramatic lake in Vermont — a 5-mile-long glacially carved lake between two 1,000-foot cliff faces (Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor) in a narrow valley 10 miles east of Orleans. The combination of the sheer cliff walls, the intense blue water, and the absence of commercial development makes Lake Willoughby the finest natural scenery in Vermont outside the Green Mountains. The Mount Pisgah South Trail (5.6 miles RT, 1,600 ft gain) climbs to the cliff edge with the finest bird’s-eye view of the lake; the swimming beach at the north end of the lake is the finest swimming in the Northeast Kingdom.

Burke Mountain and Kingdom Trails: Kingdom Trails (kingdomtrails.org) is the finest non-resort mountain bike trail network in the eastern United States — 100+ miles of hand-built singletrack through the working farms and forests of East Burke, with the finest flow trails and natural terrain riding in Vermont. Day pass $25/adult; rentals available in East Burke village. Burke Mountain ski area (30 minutes, $75/day) is one of the finest independent ski areas in Vermont — the home mountain of Ryan Cochran-Siegle and a family alternative to the larger resorts.

Craftsbury Outdoor Center: The finest destination Nordic skiing in Vermont — a world-class training center (US Biathlon and Nordic Ski teams train here) with 105 km of meticulously groomed trails through the finest rolling farmland and forest in the Northeast Kingdom. Summer uses include cycling (some trails open), rowing on Hosmer Pond, and the finest trail running camp in the northeast. $22/adult day pass; lodging packages from $120/person/night (all-inclusive with meals).

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Practical Visitor Information

Getting to Vermont

• By car: I-89 from Boston (3.5 hours to Burlington, 2.5 hours to Montpelier), I-91 from New York/Connecticut (2 hours to Brattleboro, 3.5 hours to Burlington via I-89)
• By air: Burlington International Airport (BTV) — direct flights from NYC (JFK, LGA, EWR), Boston (BOS), Philadelphia, Washington DC, Chicago, and Detroit on United, American, Delta, and JetBlue ($120–$280 RT from NYC)
• By rail: Amtrak’s Vermonter (New York Penn Station to St. Albans, VT via Brattleboro, Windsor, White River Junction, Montpelier, and Waterbury; 9.5 hours, $45–$120/person); the Ethan Allen Express (New York to Rutland; 5.5 hours, $35–$85/person)

Getting Around Vermont

Vermont has no public transportation outside Burlington. A car is essential for all rural destinations. US-7 runs north-south on the western side; VT-100 runs north-south through the center of the state; I-89 connects Burlington to White River Junction and the southeast. The roads are excellent (Vermont has the best-maintained rural road network in New England) and the signage is minimal (Vermont bans billboard advertising — one of only four states to do so — making navigating by phone or downloaded map essential).

Where to Stay in Vermont

• Stowe: Stowe Mountain Lodge ($350–$650/night ski-in/ski-out); Trapp Family Lodge ($250–$450/night, full-service resort); Green Mountain Inn ($175–$310/night, historic village inn)
• Woodstock: Woodstock Inn & Resort ($275–$550/night); Lincoln Inn at the Covered Bridge ($195–$295/night)
• Burlington: Hotel Vermont ($195–$350/night, the finest boutique hotel in Vermont); Hilton Burlington ($165–$285/night, waterfront views)
• Manchester: Equinox Golf Resort & Spa ($295–$495/night, historic 1769 inn); Taconic Hotel ($245–$395/night)
• Mad River Valley: The Inn at Round Barn Farm ($195–$345/night, a 1910 round barn converted to an inn — the finest inn setting in Vermont)

Best Time to Visit Vermont

Best overall: Late September for foliage; January–February for skiing; July for hiking; mud season (March–April) for maple sugaring and the best prices.

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Official Resources

• Vermont Tourism — Official State Guide
• Green Mountain Club — Long Trail & Hiking
• Ski Vermont — Official Ski Area Guide