VIEW OF MOUNT MANSFIELD FROM BRYCE HILL, MIDWAY BETWEEN CAMBRIDGE AND UNDERHILL
ESTIMATED LENGTH: 82 miles
ESTIMATED TIME: 1 to 3 days
HIGHLIGHTS: This loop circumnavigates Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s tallest mountain. From the resort town of Stowe, Mountain Road (VT 108) climbs up to Stowe Mountain Resort and through Smugglers’ Notch, winding down to the village of Jeffersonville at the northern base of the mountain, where you quickly understand why this small village in the town of Cambridge is a longtime gathering spot for artists. We drive on into Cambridge, circling back along bucolic byways to Underhill State Park, with trails up Mansfield’s western slopes, on to Richmond with its Round Church and past Little River State Park, with access to camping, boating, and swimming on the Waterbury Reservoir.
Many visitors understandably get no farther than Stowe. Known as the Ski Capital of the East, the town draws more visitors in summer and fall, when the focus shifts from ski trails to golf courses, mountain bike and equestrian trails, and hiking, cultural events, and family-geared attractions. Mountain Road, as this stretch of VT 108 is known, is lined with shops, restaurants, and lodging, but the paralleling Stowe Recreation Path winds more gently up through cornfields and meadows. Mount Mansfield’s ridgeline is said to resemble the profile of an upturned face; the Mount Mansfield Toll Road, built in the 1840s to reach a summit hotel, accesses “the Nose,” while the Gondola Sky Ride hoists passengers to the Cliff House below “the Chin.” The 4,400-foot-high summit peak, accessible from both sites, commands a view west across the Champlain Valley, north and south along the spine of the Green Mountains, and down the beautiful valley and hills to the east.
With its many shops and restaurants, as well as the state’s largest concentration and range of lodging options, Stowe is an obvious pivot from which to explore the backcountry described in several of our northern Vermont drives.
GETTING THERE: Stowe is accessible from north and south via I-89 to Exit 10 in Waterbury. The exit feeds directly onto VT 100 on the edge of the Waterbury business district. Coming from the north, turn left at the light at the end of the exit ramp; from the south, turn right.
The Ben & Jerry’s Factory (802-882-2047) is just over a mile north on VT 100 in Waterbury. Traffic streams in to watch ice cream being made and to taste perennial favorites; half-hour tours ($) depart every 30 minutes. An outside playground includes a Flavor Graveyard with headstones containing epitaphs for bygone flavors. Inquire about free movie nights.
This short stretch of VT 100 is studded with major outlets for Vermont products, including Lake Champlain Chocolates and Cabot Cheese. That distinctive structure is Pete’s Greens (802-241-2400; open daily 10 AM–7 PM), an outlet for organic produce from Pete’s Craftsbury farm, as well as a source of prepared food and Vermont cheese and meats. A bit farther on, Sunflower Natural Foods (802-244-5353), a purveyor of local fare, natural foods, and bulk herbs, is known for quality at good prices. Cold Hollow Cider Mill (800-327-7537) is the original traffic stopper along this strip. Apple cider (free samples) from their own orchards is made here the traditional way, and the honey is from their hives of orchard-pollinating bees (you can watch the bees). The cider doughnuts are legendary, and the Apple Core Luncheonette features fresh-baked breads, hard cider, and local brews.
SCULPTOR AND WOOD CARVER CHARLIE O’BRIEN WORKS ON A PIECE AT WHERE THE BEARS ARE, VT 100 BETWEEN STOWE AND WATERBURY
Detour to Stowe Village
Before turning onto Mountain Road, continue through the blinking light and up Main Street in 200-year-old Stowe Village. The brick, double-porched Green Mountain Inn (802-253-7301) here dates to 1833 and, while much expanded, it still evokes a sense of the village’s long history as a summer resort. Neighboring Shaw’s General Store (802-253-4040) was founded in 1895 and has been in the same family for 120 years. It’s a favorite of residents and visitors alike, offering outdoor gear, quirky souvenirs, and more. The few compact village streets are lined with vintage storefronts filled with places to shop and eat. The imposing brick Akeley Soldiers Memorial Building houses the Stowe Theatre Guild (802-253-3961), which stages live performances. Close by, the Helen Day Art Center (802-253-8358) shares a vintage 1861 Greek Revival building with the Stowe Free Library, hosting changing art exhibits well worth checking. At the heart of Main Street, the Stowe Area Association (802-253-7321; gostowe.com) maintains the area’s prime visitor center, open Mon.–Sat. 9 AM–6 PM, Sun. 11 AM–5 PM. Inquire about Stowe Lantern Tours, nighttime guided walks with ghostly tales of Stowe’s history and hauntings.
Continue on toward Stowe and keep an eye out on your right for a menagerie of life-sized wooden animals arranged across the grass and under the trees as you come down a hill just short of the Stowe line. This is Where the Bears Are (802-241-2100), an ever-changing collection of woodland creatures great and small, from life-sized fox, raccoons, and bear cubs to standing grizzlies, wolves, and maybe a 7-foot moose. The whimsical chainsaw sculptures are often created on site and visitors are welcome; there’s also a shop.
At the blinking light, turn off VT 100 and up VT 108, better known for the next 18 miles as the Mountain Road. It climbs steadily up, looping gently at first and lined most of the way with eateries, shops and pubs, inns and lodges. Behind this road, the 5.5-mile Stowe Recreation Path rises even more gently, inviting walkers, joggers, and bikers along a paved path through cornfields, wildflowers, and raspberry patches. The path is accessed from Stowe Village behind the Stowe Community Church on VT 100.
A few miles along the Moutain Road, veer left at the Y on Luce Hill Road (it’s beyond PieCasso Pizzeria & Lounge) and follow it up to Trapp Family Lodge (802-253-8511, or 800-826-7000), still owned by the family depicted in The Sound of Music. In winter its extensive cross-country ski trail network, ranging in elevation from 1,100 to 3,000 feet, attracts skiers from throughout the East, and in warmer weather more than 50 miles of trails attract mountain bikers of all skill levels. Bike rentals, guided tours, and lessons are available. In addition to the lodge dining room and lounge, the Austrian Tea and Tap Room (open Mon.–Wed. 8 AM–2 PM; Thurs.–Sun. 8 AM–7 PM) serves light fare and mouth-watering pastries along with house brews and views of the valley and Worcester mountain range.
Stowe’s must-stop for beer lovers is back down off Mountain Road. The Alchemist (802-882-8165) on Cottage Road (turn right just beyond Luce Hill Road), famed for its much-prized Heddy Topper Beer, is open for tours and tastings Tues.–Sat. 11 AM–7 PM.
Mountain Road earns its name as the grade steepens. Keep an eye out for the Mount Mansfield Toll Road (802-253-3500; $$ per car) near the Toll House Conference Center on the left. A ski trail in winter but open to cars in summer and fall, subject to weather, it winds 4.5 miles up from a visitor center all the way to a summit station just below “the Nose.” (Good brakes are required, and you may have to stop on the way down to rest them.) At the top, a mile-long, moderate hike along the ridge leads to Vermont’s highest peak, with views sweeping across the valley and mountain ranges to the east and over Lake Champlain to the Adirondacks on the west.
Back on Mountain Road, the Stowe Mountain Resort complex of lodges and town houses soon towers up on the right (802-253-3000 or 888-253-4849). Here restaurants, shops, and lodging cluster around a pedestrian plaza at the base of Spruce Peak. Activities range from golf to a zip line (riding from 10 feet off the ground to 180 feet up!) or a climb through the treetops. Weather permitting, the resort’s eight-passenger Gondola Sky Ride (mid-June to mid-Oct., daily 9:30 AM–4 PM; $$ per person) departs from the base area across the road, gliding up to the Cliff House Restaurant near the top of the mountain. The hike from there to the summit is short but steep.
THE ROADWAY THROUGH SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH WINDS AROUND BOULDERS THAT PREVENT LARGE VEHICLES AND BUSES FROM PASSING THROUGH
THE CREST OF SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH PASS OFFERS MARKED PATHS AND STEEP CLIMBING THROUGH THE FOREST
Mountain Road continues winding and climbing. The forest closes in and the grade grows even steeper as it enters Smugglers’ Notch. This high pass closes during snow season for the several miles between Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe and Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville. Trucks and buses are not permitted any time of year, and wide vehicles may have trouble navigating the narrow passages. The paved way becomes almost single-car narrow near the crest, and massive boulders with colorful names like Elephant Head, The Hunter, and Natural Refrigerator line the shoulder. Within the notch itself, the forest opens up somewhat and cars can pull off to enjoy the wooded area and steep hiking trails. From here the Long Trail North leads in an easy mile-plus to Sterling Pond, a beautiful spot at 3,000 feet that is stocked with fish.
Beyond its crest, VT 108 winds down into the village of Jeffersonville at a less precipitous grade than the climb from Stowe, but only slightly so. Passengers can gaze up to the left at a soaring rock face above the notch, where climbers challenge the heights with ropes and spunk. But, given the steep, winding downward grade with the forest falling away to the left, drivers are advised to keep their eyes on the road.
Cambridge Village and Boynton Farm and Winery
From Church Street (VT 108) in Jeffersonville, drive west to the wide intersection with VT 15. A left turn leads over the Lamoille River toward Cambridge. Continue about 2 miles, following the winding river until the road crosses back over the Lamoille and through Cambridge Village, past the Cambridge Village Market (802-644-2272), another quintessential Vermont country store. Brightly painted, striped Angelina’s Pizza (802-644-2011) captures your eye near the end of the village.
At the junction of VT 15 with VT 104, the Boyden Valley Winery (802-644-8151) is worth a stop. The 800-acre Boyden farm has been operated by the family for more than 100 years, first as a small dairy farm, now primarily raising beef cattle; growing organic corn, hay, and soy; and maintaining a vineyard. Restaurant menus throughout Vermont now note their use of Boyden Farm beef, and the farm’s wine tasting room (open daily 10 AM–6 PM) is one of the first in the state, featuring wines that use their own grapes along with other fruits to create wines, ciders, and spirits. The barn is also a popular wedding venue. Our drive backtracks to the Cambridge Village Market on the corner of South Main Street and Lower Pleasant Valley Road. Turn right onto Lower Pleasant Valley Road and follow it past bucolic vistas as it winds along the path of the Seymour River, eventually joining the aptly named Upper Pleasant Valley Road and head to Underhill on Pleasant Valley Road.
PLEASANT VALLEY, VIEWED FROM BRYCE HILL SOUTH OF CAMBRIDGE HILL
Just as it seems the forested twists and turns will never end, an entire condominium town rises like an apparition beyond the trees. This is Smugglers’ Notch Resort (800-419-4615), a family-geared destination clustered at the bottom of ski trails on 3,640-foot-high Madonna Mountain. In summer “Smuggs” features reasonably priced condo lodging with children’s programs, hiking, biking, and swimming.
In a few miles VT 108 levels out in the village of Jeffersonville and you quickly realize that you are in a very different place than Stowe. Hanley’s General Store (802-644-8881), supplying much more than the basics, marks a tricky junction of VT 108 and South VT 108; stay straight down South VT 108, Main Street. Stop in at 158 Main (802-644-8100; open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner except Mon., closes Sun. at 2 PM) if just to breathe in the aroma of baking bread. Established in the 1950s as the Windridge Inn, this landmark eatery shares a large, high-ceilinged storefront with a bakery, and its large, locally sourced menu blends traditional Vermont comfort food with innovative options. There’s also pizza upstairs.
For more than a century Jeffersonville has been a gathering spot for plein air landscape artists attracted by the luminous light and views of Mount Mansfield towering above gently rolling farm country. A little farther along Main Street, the Bryan Memorial Art Gallery (802-644-5100; open daily July–Columbus Day, 11 AM–5 PM, closed Christmas through the month of January) showcases traditional and contemporary Vermont landscape paintings and hosts workshops with well-known Vermont landscape artists. The nearby Visions of Vermont Galleries (802-644-8183; open Tues.–Sun., 11 AM–5 PM) also showcases Vermont artists.
The name “Smugglers’ Notch” evokes the use of this pass as a smuggling route from Canada since the early nineteenth century, and in the 1920s, it was a well-used bootleggers’ run. Smugglers’ Notch Distillery (802-309-3077; 276 VT 108; open daily 11 AM–5 PM) claims to offer a half-dozen kinds of spirits worth smuggling, even if you don’t have to.
To finish the drive from Jeffersonville, backtrack on Main Street to the intersection at Church Street (VT 108) and turn right for a scant block, then left onto Upper Pleasant Valley Road beside the Village Tavern (802-644-6765), which serves dependable, moderately priced fare and brew.
Drive south toward Underhill, following Upper Pleasant Valley Road about 10 miles into Underhill Center. Halfway there, the road descends a hill and joins Lower Pleasant Valley Road to become simply Pleasant Valley Road. This is a beautifully scenic but uneventful drive. Relax and enjoy it.
About 10 miles from Jeffersonville you’ll see another Mountain Road, this one on your left, leading up to Underhill State Park (888-409-7579), a campground on the western slope of Mount Mansfield. The 2½-mile park access road turns to dirt, but steep grades are paved. There’s a manned ranger station inside the gate and bathrooms nearby, but there are no showers for the limited number of campsites and lean-to sites, and nothing suitable for trailers or RVs. The park is popular for day hikes; several trails lead to the summit ridge of Mount Mansfield, where plants grow that are more commonly found on Arctic tundra. The seeds were left behind by glaciers in the Ice Age.
Pleasant Valley Road leads to Underhill Center; bear right in front of St. Thomas Catholic Church onto River Road and pass Wells Corner Market (802-899-2418), another small, classic country store with gas pumps out front, deli and provisions inside. Follow River Road for about 3 miles to VT 15. During leaf season, the hills on either side of River Road, replete with sugar maples on most of their slopes, are breathtaking.
At the junction with VT 15, turn left and head west for a quarter mile or so to Brown’s Trace Road (a left) and on to Jericho Center, where the locally acclaimed Jericho Center Country Store (802-899-3313) is sited across from the green. There you’ll find produce and fare from farms just down the road and around Vermont, as well as creemees, hot and cold sandwiches, soups, and Vermont brews (patrons are invited to fill a growler to carry home).
Drive around the green in Jericho Center and stay on Brown’s Trace Road, which becomes Jericho Road, about 5 miles to the small town of Richmond, where the road intersects with US 2 at a traffic light. Turn left here to return to Waterbury.
FARMS AND FIELDS IN THE SHADOW OF CAMEL’S HUMP MOUNTAIN, FROM US 2, RICHMOND
Leaving Richmond to head south on US 2, two historical barns, the Monitor Barns, are on your left across from wide-open farmland that affords an impressive view down the valley toward Camel’s Hump Mountain. Follow US 2 to Waterbury.
On the way you’ll pass the access road to Bolton Valley, a ski area with condo-based lodging and a sports center, pool, and events throughout the summer and fall. Five miles farther, Little River Road leads into Little River State Park (802-244-7103) and the Waterbury Reservoir, created in the mid-1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect Waterbury from floodwaters during extreme weather. This is Vermont’s largest hand-built earthen dam.
DETOUR
The Round Church
THE ROUND CHURCH IN RICHMOND IS MAINTAINED AND MANNED FOR VISITORS BY THE RICHMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
At the traffic light in Richmond, marking the junction of Jericho Road and US 2, drive straight through onto Bridge Street. This is Richmond’s tiny business district, including a small market on the right just before you cross over the railroad tracks. Beyond the tracks, on the edge of the grassy Volunteers Green Park, the One Radish Eatery (802-434-7770; closed Monday) is a popular stop for breakfast or lunch.
To reach Richmond’s Round Church and Meetinghouse (802-434-2556; www.oldroundchurch.com), drive over the bridge that spans the Winooski River and you’ll see the church in front of you. It’s a 16-sided, two-story, white clapboard structure built between 1812 and 1814 as a meetinghouse and place of worship. The impressive building sits on a grassy parcel beside the road, with green lawns spreading out under an occasional tree. Drive onto tiny Round Church Road to your left to park alongside the building and stop in to speak with a volunteer inside.
THE INTERIOR OF THE ROUND CHURCH INCLUDES BOXED-OFF PEWS
In 1812 it cost 65 Richmond residents a total of $3,000 to finance construction of the Round Church by “buying” box pews. The donors included two Methodists, five Baptists, six Christians, 23 Universalists, and 29 Congregationalists. Religious services and town meetings were regularly held there for decades. During the 1880s the building passed into the hands of the town and was used as a meetinghouse for nearly another 100 years until structural concerns put an end to that function. The structure is now a National Historic Landmark and maintained by the Richmond Historical Society, whose volunteers keep the building open for visitors as regularly as possible.
The park offers boat access and rentals, swim beaches, and play areas. Hiking trails crisscross the area, and camping is available at 81 tent sites, 20 lean-tos, and five cabins (with access to hot showers). Also 27 remote and primitive campsites are strung along the shore of the reservoir and accessible only by boat.
If you’re driving this route on a weekend from May through September, the Waterbury Flea Market (802-272-3158; 802-882-1919) will likely be in session. A large field on your right is the flea market’s standing location on Saturday and Sunday in spring, summer, and early fall. Look for the tents and tables of vendors and stop by to see what’s for sale.
Driving on US 2 beyond Little River Road, the junction of US 2 and VT 100 in Waterbury is marked by the Crossroads Beverage & Deli (802-244-5062), which has gas pumps outside and is also good for creemees and deli and grill selections.
Drive a little farther around the traffic circle and under the railroad trestle, past the well-restored and maintained Old Stagecoach Inn (802-244-5056). Stay on VT 100 as you come into the business district, driving up the hill and through the light to the town green, Rusty Parker Memorial Park. At the traffic light, turn left and park along the road, or continue to the foot of the park, where the Green Mountain Coffee Café and Visitor Center (877-879-2326) is housed in the renovated train station (train service still stops here). Stop for coffee and view the Green Mountain coffee exhibits. A well-stocked travel information center is also on site. The park, named for Craig S. “Rusty” Parker, a prominent local radio personality and longtime town selectman, is a small open space with a spreading lawn, gazebo, tree-shaded picnic area, and war memorial. The Waterbury Rotary Club maintains the grounds, a venue for town events, markets, and concerts. If you’re in the area on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, you’ll see Roy’s College Dogs, a hot dog cart that’s a longtime fixture at the top of the park. Folks know the proprietor’s schedule, and they make a point of stopping for a chili dog, meat or veggie burger, Italian sausage or kielbasa snack, and a chat.
THE LARGEST HAND-BUILT EARTHEN DAM IN VERMONT HOLDS BACK THE WATERS OF WATERBURY RESERVOIR NEAR LITTLE RIVER STATE PARK
Best Places to Sleep
OLD STAGECOACH INN (802-244-5056; oldstagecoach.com), 18 North Main Street, Waterbury. The inn dates in part from 1826, but the triple-tiered porch, oak woodwork, ornate fireplaces, and stained glass were added by a millionaire from Ohio in the 1880s. Sited within walking distance of Waterbury’s shops and restaurants, it offers a wide range of tastefully furnished accommodations, from guest rooms to efficiency suites. Shared spaces include a library and a bar, and a full breakfast is included in the rates. $–$$.
BEST WESTERN WATERBURY-STOWE (802-244-7822), 45 Blush Hill Road, Waterbury. A chain hotel but with local flair, a popular restaurant, and close to everything in Waterbury while convenient to Stowe. Easy access to VT 100. $$–$$$.
TRAPP FAMILY LODGE (800-826-7000), 700 Trapp Hill Road, Stowe. Offering luxurious chalet accommodations with luxurious Austrian ambiance, the inn was founded by the family made famous in The Sound of Music. Built high on the hillside on 2,500 acres, views of the surrounding landscape are breathtaking. Excellent food, impeccable service. $$$–$$$$.
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN INN (802-253-7301; greenmountaininn.com), 18 Main Street, Stowe. The area’s most historic inn is on the National Register of Historic Places and has marked the middle of Stowe Village since the mid-nineteenth century. The 104 guest rooms in several buildings range from old-fashioned rooms to luxurious suites, apartments, and two- and three-bedroom town houses in additions that ramble out the rear of the original inn. Guests enjoy use of the heated pool and athletic club, and afternoon tea is served in the living room hung with original art. The Whip Bar and Grill (named for its collection of horse and buggy whips) offers pub and comfort food. $$–$$$.
STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT AND SPA (800-253-2232; stoweflake.com), 1746 Mountain Road. Accommodations range from the original motel-style rooms and bright, comfortable inn rooms to luxury suites and town houses of various sizes. The spa features a heated, jet-filled pond with a 15-foot waterfall replicating Stowe’s Bingham Falls. Facilities include tennis and badminton courts plus a nine-hole golf course. Charlie B’s Pub serves three meals a day. $$–$$$.
SINCLAIR INN BED & BREAKFAST (802-899-2234), 389 VT 15, Jericho. Magnificent Victorian inn with rounded peaked and domed towers, wide verandas and screened porches, and bays and gables galore. The Victorian-era “Painted Lady” sits on well-manicured grounds on VT 15 in the Underhill Flats section of Jericho. It offers six well-appointed rooms with period decor upstairs and down. Rooms have their own bathrooms with tub or shower, and a wheelchair-accessible room is on the ground floor. $$.
SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT (802-644-8851; smuggs.com), 4323 VT 108 South, Smugglers’ Notch. A reasonably priced, family-geared resort with 540 condominiums accommodating a total of 3,200 guests. A ski resort in winter, it maintains well-organized family programs for upward of 400 kids (ages 3–17) in warm seasons. The 1,000-acre property features heated pools, water slides, and rides. Activities include a zip line canopy tour, tennis, mini golf, canoeing and kayaking, llama treks, hikes, and fishing. Amenities include the Hearthside Deli for lunch and treats, and the Hearth & Candle for dinner. $$.
Best Places to Eat
GREEN GODDESS CAFÉ (802-253-5255), 618 South Main Street, Stowe. Just south of Stowe Village, enjoy a hot breakfast made with local ingredients, create your own sandwich, or dive into a giant bowl of salad! $–$$.
HARRISON’S RESTAURANT AND BAR (802-253-7773), 25 Main Street, Stowe. Open nightly from 4:30 PM. There’s summer seating outside, and year-round the attractive downstairs pub with its stone hearth is a winner. The menu is standard—burgers and crabcakes, seafood and steaks—but everything is done with flair and service is fast and friendly. Singles feel comfortable dining at the bar. $$.
TRAPP FAMILY DINING ROOM (800-826-7000, x5733), 700 Trapp Hill. Dinner reservations are requested and the ambiance is formal, with white-clothed tables in this window-walled room where the service and food are outstanding. The menu is wide, but it would be a shame to pass up Austrian specialties like Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein with Trapp family–raised pork loin, or desserts like apple strudel, Sachertorte, or Linzertorte. Breakfast is also served in this sunny room and it’s a delight. Most dinner entrées $$$.
SOLSTICE AT STOWE MOUNTAIN LODGE (802-253-3560), 7412 Mountain Road. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The soaring space has an open kitchen and views of Spruce Peak Mountain. The menu changes with the season. Dinner reservations suggested. The Hour Glass Café offers more casual dining. Dinner $$–$$$.
158 MAIN STREET (802-644-5556; pizza 802-644-5550), 158 Main Street, Jeffersonville. Open Tues.–Sat. for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Sun. 8 AM–2 PM. A landmark restaurant, it shares space with a bakery. Current owner Jack Foley calls his fare “innovative traditionalism.” The dinner menu ranges from a Vermont turkey dinner, meat loaf, and Worcestershire shepherd’s pie to Thai lettuce wraps and Filet Mignon au Bleu. Everything that can be is organic and locally sourced. Jeffersonville Pizza Depot is upstairs. $–$$.
ARVAD’S GRILL (802-244-8973), 3 South Main Street, Waterbury. A popular local place to find good food, good drink, and good company. Enjoy local fare inside or on the porch and watch Waterbury go by. $$.
PROHIBITION PIG (802-244-4120), 23 South Main Street, Waterbury. The bustling restaurant sits in the heart of Waterbury’s business district. Local fare from numerous farms, food purveyors, and brewers is available daily. Smoked meats are a specialty, and their own brewery is ’round back. No reservations needed for dinner. $–$$.
