Access Vermont
The white spire of the Stowe church above a hillside of autumn foliage.
A road winding through the autumn forest of Smugglers' Notch, seen from above.
The gilded dome of the State House against a blue sky, with the statue of Ceres on top.
A red covered bridge, its portal open and the road running through to the far side.
Vermont · mountains, a lake and a river

A spine of green mountains, with a lake on one side and a river on the other

One long ridge runs up the middle of the state; the towns, the farms and the roads sit in the valleys either side of it.

Photographs, left to right and top to bottom: Shiva Shenoy from Flower Mound, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Anthony Quintano from Mount Laurel, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Cfekert, CC BY 4.0 · Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Vermont

Where everything stands

the parts of the state, and the roads between them

Vermont is a small state arranged around one idea: the Green Mountains run north to south up the middle, with Lake Champlain and the valleys of the west on one side and the Connecticut River valley on the other. The landmarks in this guide are grouped in five parts by that geography, and the eight towns are where most visitors sleep. The state is the second-least populated in the country, and it feels it.

The one big airport and the two Amtrak trains are in the getting-here guide; after that, it is a driving state. Route 100 runs about 217 miles down the middle of it, and the scenic drives are mostly that road, the notch road past Mount Mansfield, and the back roads that cross the covered bridges.

The calendar sets the trip: foliage in autumn, ski season on the mountains along Route 100, and the sugaring that makes Vermont the largest US producer of maple syrup. Base yourself by part of the state (where to stay), eat by part too (eating and drinking), and use the road trips to join them up.

A drawn map of Vermont: Lake Champlain on the west, the Connecticut River on the east, the Green Mountains down the middle, the drive along Route 100 and the landmarks numbered as in the index (a schematic, not to scale)QUÉBECNEW HAMPSHIRENEW YORKMASSACHUSETTSMount MansfieldBurlingtonMiddleburyStoweMontpelierWoodstockBellows FallsBrattleboroNewport123456789101112131415

The Champlain Valley

  1. Shelburne Museum
  2. Lake Champlain

The Green Mountains

  1. Mount Mansfield and Smugglers' Notch
  2. Camel's Hump
  3. The Long Trail and the Green Mountains
  4. Killington

The Valleys and Villages

  1. The State House
  2. Barre and the Granite Quarries
  3. Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
  4. Plymouth Notch

Southern Vermont

  1. Hildene
  2. Bennington Battle Monument
  3. Covered Bridges

The Northeast Kingdom

  1. Lake Willoughby
  2. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

A drive down the spine of the state

Vermont Route 100, from the Massachusetts line to the Canadian border
Stamford, where Route 100 begins
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Stamford, where Route 100 begins

Massachusetts line

Route 100 starts at the Massachusetts state line in Stamford, where it continues south as Route 8, and runs north through the middle of Vermont. At about 217 miles it is the state's longest numbered highway, and it passes along the eastern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest for much of its length.

Wilmington and the southern ski towns
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Wilmington and the southern ski towns

Wilmington

Wilmington, Ludlow, Killington, Warren and Stowe are the resort towns the road is the main thoroughfare for. Many of the state's ski resorts sit on Route 100 or close to it, among them Mount Snow and Okemo; the road keeps a rural feel and is relatively free of development away from the resorts.

Killington
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Killington

3,050 ft drop

Killington is the largest ski area in the eastern United States and has the largest vertical drop in New England, 3,050 feet. Its summit, Killington Peak, is the second-highest mountain in Vermont.

The Mad River Valley
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The Mad River Valley

Mad River Valley

Further north the road passes through the Mad River Valley, with Warren and Waitsfield on it and Sugarbush and Mad River Glen close by. In autumn, for foliage, and in winter, for skiing, it is a popular tourist route and can be heavily trafficked.

Stowe and Mount Mansfield
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Stowe and Mount Mansfield

4,393 ft

Stowe is nicknamed the Ski Capital of the East, and Stowe Mountain Resort has terrain on Mount Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont at 4,393 feet.

Newport, at the Canadian border
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Newport, at the Canadian border

Canadian border

Route 100 ends at its northern terminus at VT 105 in the town of Newport, which lies on the Canadian border, at the head of Lake Memphremagog.

Three ways in

Arriving

Getting Here

One airport, two trains and a handful of interstates: how you get in decides the shape of the week.

Read the guide
The roads

Driving Vermont

A car is the rule here. The distances, the Route 100 pace and the notch road, honestly measured.

Read the guide
The calendar

When to Come

Foliage in autumn, snow on the mountains, sap in the late winter, and the quiet weeks between.

Read the guide

State 14th, March 4, 1791Capital MontpelierLargest city BurlingtonPopulation 644,663 (a Census estimate)Highest point Mount Mansfield, 4,393 ftMaple about half the nation's syrup

The parts of the guide

along the counter — scroll sideways
LandmarksFifteen placesLandmarksThe places worth the drive, grouped by the five parts of the state they stand in.
TownsEight townsTownsCompact guides to the towns you will sleep in, eat in and walk around.
Getting HereArrivingGetting HereThe one big airport, the two Amtrak trains and the interstates that bring you in.
Driving VermontThe roadsDriving VermontRoute 100, I-89, US 7 and how long the state really is by car.
Scenic DrivesRoutes and loopsScenic DrivesRoute 100 down the spine, the notch road, the lake islands and the covered-bridge back roads.
When to ComeThe calendarWhen to ComeFoliage, ski season, sugaring and the quiet weeks between them.
Eating and DrinkingAt the tableEating and DrinkingMaple, cheddar, cider and the general store, region by region.
Where to StayBasesWhere to StayWhich town to base yourself in for which part of the state.
Road TripsBy number of daysRoad TripsOne week down the spine of the state, and shorter trips cut from it.
The JournalQuestions answered at lengthThe JournalVisitor questions about Vermont, answered in full, with new pieces as they are written.

Eight towns to sleep in

along the counter — scroll sideways
BurlingtonThe Champlain ValleyBurlingtonThe most populous municipality in Vermont and the least populous US city to be the most populous in its state.
MiddleburyThe Champlain ValleyMiddleburyThe county seat of Addison County, home of Middlebury College, founded in 1800.
StoweThe Green MountainsStoweNicknamed the Ski Capital of the East, under Mount Mansfield.
MontpelierThe Valleys and VillagesMontpelierThe least populous state capital in the United States.
WoodstockThe Valleys and VillagesWoodstockThe county seat of Windsor County, chartered in 1761.
Bellows FallsSouthern VermontBellows FallsA village bounded on the east by the Connecticut River, home of the Green Mountain Railroad's station.
BrattleboroSouthern VermontBrattleboroOn the Connecticut River, the site of Vermont's first store, opened in 1771.
NewportThe Northeast KingdomNewportThe only city in Orleans County, at the head of Lake Memphremagog.

Fifteen landmarks

grouped by the part of the state they stand in

The Champlain Valley

The lake, its farms and Burlington, west of the mountains

The Green Mountains

The spine of the state: Mansfield, the Notch, the Hump and the Long Trail

The Valleys and Villages

The capital, the granite town and the villages of the Connecticut River side

Southern Vermont

Bennington, Hildene, Brattleboro and the covered bridges

The Northeast Kingdom

The empty corner: the deep lake and the Athenaeum