The Most Worthwhile Vermont Road Trip

Vermont is a very quaint, peaceful state that is a great escape from the hustle and bustle of crowded city life. Here you will read about the best places to stop on a Vermont road trip. I will say, Vermont is more geared towards outdoorsy people. Thus, if that is not you, I would take a road trip to a different state/city.

I’ve taken many day trips and spent many long weekends in Burlington. I love to ski and hike, and Vermont has great options when it comes to those activities. If you enjoy skiing and hiking and any outdoor activity, this article will tell you how to spend a Vermont road trip based on the outdoors.

In this article, you will read about the best spots to take on a Vermont road trip, Vermont road trip itinerary, Vermont trip ideas, Vermont road trip fall, Vermont road trip stops, Vermont road trip rom NYC, Vermont road trip from Boston, Vermont road trip 3 days, Vermont road trip 5 days, Vermont road trip 10 days, and more.

This post is all about the most worthwhile Vermont road trip.

Vermont Road Trip:

Vermont Road Trip From Boston : Winter

Typically, there is no easy way to get into Vermont, because of the lack of highways and interstates. Vermont is filled with many different backroads and county routes. However, if you are coming from Boston, you are in luck, because there actually is a pretty direct route. The main interstates you will drive on are 93 North, 89 North and 189. You can find exact directions via Google or Apple Maps. Massachusetts and New Hampshire are the easiest states to get to Vermont based on Interstates.

Now, if you are taking a road trip, I’m assuming you have a car, which you will need. All of the places and spots on this road trip you will need to drive to. Vermont is known for its awesome ski mountains, it’s basically the Colorado of the northeast, rightfully so. In my opinion, if you want to ski/snowboard, Vermont is the best state for it along the east coast. Alternatively, if you are not a skier/snowboarder, some other fun winter activities are, snowshoeing and winter hiking, backcountry skiing/snowboarding, cross-country or nordic skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, and fat-biking.

From Boston, I would start with traveling to Burlington. Burlington is about 3 and a half hours, driving, from Boston. I would start here for your road trip. You could spend your entire 3, or 5 days here. Burlington is a pretty central location and is at most 1 and a half hours from all the best spots in Vermont. If you can’t find a place to stay in Burlington, Essex Junction and Williston are pretty close and will also have everything you. Now, based on what you are looking to do, there are plenty of other stops to take after Burlington. If you are here to ski or snowboard then there’s a couple towns I suggest staying in after Burlington. I suggest Stowe, Woodstock, Manchester, and or Wilmington.

Burlington is a great place to stay if skiing/snowboarding at Smuggler’s Notch, Bolton Valley, Jay Peak, and even Mad River (no snowboarders allowed here) and Sugarbush. Stowe is a good place if skiing/snowboarding at Stowe, Jay Peak, or Burke mountains. Woodstock is a great place to stay if skiing/snowboarding at Killington, Pico, and or Okemo. Manchester is great to stay in if skiing/snowboarding at Stratton, Bromley, Magic, and or Mount Snow. Wilmington is also a great option to stay at if skiing Mount Snow. Lastly, Waitsfield, VT is an option if you are interested in skiing at Mad River Glen and or Sugarbush resorts.

{Related Post : Complete Guide to Burlington, Vermont}

Vermont Road Trip from Boston : Summer & Fall

Alright, now, I am going to switch gears to the summer and fall time, and write about the best spots to go to for the summer and fall time. Most of the towns will remain the same, with some new options of what to do and where to go. In the summer and fall time, Vermont has great hiking, mountain biking, biking in general, kayaking, rafting, and swimming. Again, I would stay in Burlington for hiking. A lot of trails are at most an hour and a half away. Again, I recommend staying in Burlington, Williston (just outside of Burlington), Huntington, Woodstock, and or Manchester.

I would stay in Burlington and or Huntington if interested in hiking Camel’s Hump and Mount Mansfield or biking on the Colchester Causeway Trail. You could also stay in Stowe and hike Mount Mansfield and the Stowe Pinnacle Trail. Another town you could stay in is Waitsfield if interested in hiking Burnt Rock, Stark Mountain (Mad River Glen), Mount Ellen, Lincoln Peak, Mount Abraham (all three can hike together), and Camel’s Hump. I would stay in Woodstock if interested in hiking Ludlow Mountain, Killington Peak and or Pico Peak. Manchester would be a good place to stay if hiking Bald Mountain, Bromley, Mount Equinox, Merck Forest (also petting farm).

Vermont also has many different farms that you can visit such as Shelburne Farms, Taylor Farm, Sugarbush Farm, North Meadow Farm, Clear Brook Farm, and Valley Dream Farm. Vermont also has a lot of camping and thru-hiking available along the Long Trail of Vermont.

{Related Posts : Run Through of the Different Hikes in the Green Mountains & Vermont 4,000 Footers}

Vermont Road Trip From NYC

Okay, traveling from New York is much more difficult compared to Boston. There are a ton of back roads and a lot of jockeying around. Also, it takes about 2 hours more to get to Burlington compared to Boston. Boston only takes about 3 and a half hours while coming from NYC will take about 5 and a half hours. This is due to the lack of interstates and highways in Vermont. There is no easy way to get into Vermont from New York. Burlington does have an airport, however, it’s small and difficult to find direct flights to. You would need to rent a car anyways because almost every stop involves driving to. Some of the main routes to drive on, are Interstate 87, Route 22A towards Vergennes and Ethan Allen Highway. You can find exact directions via Google or Apple Maps.

Because of the hassle, I would recommend taking a road trip to the Adirondacks instead. It’s the same distance but SO MUCH more straight forward. Once you get on Interstate 87 North, you will stay on there almost until you reach Lake George, Keene Valley, and or Lake Placid (popular Adirondack towns).

In addition, you will find all the same activities. Also, hiking is SO MUCH better in the Adirondacks compared to Vermont, specifically hiking in the Adirondack High Peaks. However, Vermont does have New York beat in more and better ski mountains. Therefore, I do think it’s worth to travel and take a road to Vermont in the winter time.

I would stay at any of the towns listed above under Vermont road trips from Boston Winter and Summer sections. I suggest skiing/snowboarding, hiking, and any of the other activities listed above, again, in the Vermont road trip from Boston Winter and Summer sections.

Vermont Road Trip Itinerary : Winter

Alright, now onto the fun part, the structure and things to do on your road trip. My first stop would be Burlington. Burlington is a MUST when traveling to Vermont. It is the most central location and is within at most an hour and a half away from everything worth visiting. I am going to list the rest of the itinerary in numbers.

1. First, drive and stay in Burlington, Vermont. I recommend staying here for at least two nights. I would ski/snowboard at Smuggler’s Notch and Jay Peak (HIGHLY recommend if you are an advanced skier/snowboarder and LOVE glades). Also, backcountry ski at Bolton Valley, Mount Mansfield and Stowe, Moose Haven, and or Kirby Ridge. Instead or in addition, winter hike Camel’s Hump or Stowe Pinnacle trails.
2. Second, drive to Waitsfield or Stowe, Vermont. I recommend staying here for one night if skiing at Mad River Glen (only skiers allowed). And two nights if also skiing at Sugarbush Resort. If skiing at Stowe, you could ski at either Stowe, Jay Peak, and or Burke mountains.
3. Instead of Waitsfield, you could spend a night or two in Woodstock and ski at Killington or Pico resorts. If you want a more relaxed mountain then I suggest skiing/snowboarding at Okemo. However, if you are more advanced I HIGHLY recommend Killington and or Pico.
4. Instead of Woodstock, you could or add a night or two to your trip and spend in Manchester, VT. Here, I would ski at Magic (awesome glade skiing), Stratton, Mount Snow and or Bromley (family mountain).

If you are not a skier or snowboarder, I would still stay in the cities listed above but just do different activities. Winter hiking, snowshoeing, nordic skiing, fat-biking, and or sledding and snow-tubing are all great, fun options (click the highlighted and bolded links above to find the best spots for winter hiking, nordic skiing, etc.).

Vermont Road Trip Itinerary : Summer and Fall

Finally, onto our last section, road trip itinerary for the summer and fall. Many of the cities are the same just filled up with different activities. Again, I will list the itinerary and stops in numbers below.

1. Again, I would start by driving to and staying in Burlington, Vermont for at least two nights. I would hike any or all of the Vermont 4,000 Footers. You could also visit one of the farms listed above, I suggest Shelburne Farms. You could also mountain bike at Stowe, Burke, Sugarbush, Catamount Outdoor Family Center, Kingdom Trails, Cady Hill Forest, and or Green Mountain Trails. The Colchester Causeway and Burlington bike paths are also great options for biking in general. I would walk Church Street as well (you could do a bar crawl along this street).
2. Visit Ski the East store/bar in Burlington, VT.
3. Go to a Renaissance Fair.
4. Spend a night or two at Stowe or Huntington and hike Mount Mansfield via the Sunset Ridge Trail and or Camel’s Hump via the Burrow’s Trail.
5. Spend a night in Waitsfield and hike Abraham, Lincoln Peak, and Mount Ellen (can hike all three peaks as one hike).
6. Spend a night in Woodstock or Rutland and hike Killington Peak and or Pico, and or lazy river tubing in Stockbridge.
7. Lastly, spend a night in Manchester and hike Mount Equinox, Merck Forest (also a petting farm) and or Bromley. Ride the alpine slides and or adventure high ropes course at Bromley.

I know this list was mainly geared towards hiking. Thus, if hiking is not your thing, you could replace the hiking with one of these activities : mountain biking, biking in general, kayaking, rafting, and lazy river floating, swimming.

Overall Thoughts

I really like Vermont, it feels like a second home to me, because of how much I travel there. If you want to have peace and quiet, Vermont is the place for you. If you are really strapped for time, the most worthwhile place to stay is Burlington. The best activity by far is the skiing/snowboarding, whether it’s backcountry and or at a ski mountain. This is what I recommend the most. However, if you are not a skier/snowboarder, nordic skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking are all great options in the winter.

In the summer, I recommend most, hiking and or mountain biking or biking in general. If those are not your thing then there are plenty of places to kayak, raft or lazy river tube, and many hidden swim spots. I hope this article was helpful and you find the most worthwhile places and things to do based on your interests. Whether it’s your first or next Vermont road trip, I hope you learned something new. Thank you so much for reading and take care.