Vermont Covered Bridges

The late summers are equally as beautiful as the Fall, only with lush green mountains, crystal clear lakes and rivers, crisp mornings and brilliant sunny days. We will cycle by more than a dozen of Vermont’s 114 covered bridges in the “Green Mountain State,” most of which are still in use. On our 6-day excursion, we will spend time in central and northern Vermont, including Montpelier, Stowe, Middlebury, and Woodstock. Vermont is known as the capital of the US when it comes to bicycle touring. Some of the original Vermont Bike Tours were the first organized tours in the country.

Our airport pick up point is the beautiful waterfront city of Burlington, VT. This is by far the largest city in Vermont. Burlington anchors the Champlain Valley and upper New York state with outdoor activity, a traditional downtown area vibrant with arts, history, and fine dining. University of Vermont and IBM are the economic drivers, along with tourism. Should you decide to arrive a day of two early, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy.

Once out of the city setting of Burlington, we shuttle to our start point of Stowe where we spend the next 2 evenings. We give you a chance to unpack a little. The loop out of Stowe hits Boyden Valley winery and a mountain climb. We go up and over Mt. Mansfield, through Smugglers Notch and on to upper Lamoille County with its 13 historic bridges. We then ride through the smallest state capital, Montpelier. Montpelier sits on the banks of Winooski River. A noteworthy visit to the VT Historical Society, the Morse Maple Sugar Farm, and dinner at Sarducci’s are a must. Out of Montpelier, we go through the valley to Randolph Center, Braintree and work our way to the quintessential town of Woodstock for 2 evenings. Along this route, expect to find more than a dozen covered bridges and Quechee Gorge. Enjoy one afternoon off bike and enjoy some browsing or marvel at the glass blowing at the Simon Piece Gallery.

We don’t stay just in the river valleys. The next afternoon we climb up and over the Green Mountains at Bread Loaf Mountain, then and cruise down-hill through fertile farming valleys to Middlebury, rich with history from the Revolutionary War and of course, covered bridges. From here we take a short shuttle back to Burlington and Stowe to say our goodbyes.