Is your idea of outdoor recreation a bike ride around the block
or hiking from Canada to Massachusetts? Do you want to photograph
a mountain, or climb one? Are you looking for an hour of miniature
golf or a week going from one of the area's golf
courses to another?
Complete Guide To Central Vermont Back
Road Bike Tours.
Would you prefer to dangle your feet in the water or dangle a
line for brook trout? Would you rather go horseback
riding or soaring? Camping, canoeing
or fishing?
If it can be done in the great outdoors, the odds are it can be
done in Central Vermont. Vermont is the nation's most rural state.
Outside the cities of Barre and Montpelier, Central Vermont has
about 850 square miles with roughly 40 residents per square mile.
There are plenty of mountains, forests, lakes and streams, but
very few people. Nature is ready to provide your favorite outdoor
activity.
Hiking opportunities are unlimied. The
Long Trail connects the region's highest peaks, Camel's Hump and
Mount Mansfield, a dozen miles north. Hikers can climb atop Camel's
Hump in about three hours. Hikers can simply descend, or use the
summit as the beginning of a journey of days or weeks.
Prefer to just take a walk? Walking routes in the Mad River Valley can add to your enjoyment.
Maps of hiking, biking, boating and back road tours, camping areas
and points of interest are available. Back Roads Bike Tours, a
detailed guide to routes for intermediate bikers, is also available.
Dozens of lakes and ponds provide boat launches and excellent
fishing opportunities. Covered bridges dot the landscape. One
site in Northfield Falls just off Route 12 is unique in the eastern
United States. Two covered bridges are just a few yards from each
other, and two others are close by. A bridge spanning Sunset Lake
in Brookfield floats on pontoons because the depth of the lake
makes a pillared bridge impractical. Crossing the bridge with
an automobile is a somewhat eerie - but safe - experience.
Children delight in a visit to the fish hatchery in Roxbury along
Route 12A. Thousands of young trout crowd small outdoor pools
and scramble for food provided by visitors. The Mad River flows
along Route 100 from Middlesex (Exit 9 off Interstate 89) to Warren.
The river provides numerous scenic views and natural swimming
holes as well as canoe and tubing opportunities.
Waitsfield boasts the region's best preserved wooden bridge, one
of the few remaining round barns and an airport that hosts Sugarbush
Soaring (glider rides). Horse shows, polo matches and trail riding
are among the most popular summer activities.
There are hiking, biking and horseback riding tours arranged to
go from inn to inn during the summer. Motor coaches tour regularly.
The region can provide groups or individuals with suggested itineraries
for a day - or for a week-long stay.
Still, for the vast majority of visitors, Central Vermont's great
outdoor activity is not planned or programmed, it is discovered.
Much of the enjoyment is exploring Central Vermont and creating
an experience that is unique to you and your family - one that
will never be duplicated by anyone else.
Many resorts offer week-long clinics in tennis and golf during
the summer.
or GO TO: 