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© The Mountain Times 2010
Biking the Green Mountains
Vermont is considered one of the best places in the Northeast to go bicycle touring. Visitors can tour the region, traversing the countryside on the many quiet, winding backcountry roads.
Our small villages, white picket fences, covered bridges, winding rivers, brooks, and pristine lakes create a visual feast for the traveler. What better way to experience this feast for the eyes that unfolds in the hills of the Crossroads of Vermont than on a bicycle? And while road bike touring presents these wonderful scenes of Vermont country life for many visitors, others can have extremely enjoyable times riding the trail and work roads of the area on mountain bikes. There are hundreds of miles of mapped trails that weave through peaceful and challenging pathways.
En route, bikers can discover ancient mountains, fascinating woodlands, and quaint villages. These trails are a paradise to any outdoor enthusiast, and can provide endless hours of recreation for mountain biking.
Numerous biking facilities and tour companies can accommodate the visitor and bike rentals are readily available. Prepare yourself for the experience of a lifetime - biking the roads, trails, and byways of Vermont. Savor the Vermont summer on wheels.
Mountain Biking at Killington
Killington • (802) 422-6232
Killington Resort’s Kona “Groove Approved” Mountain Bike Park features 45+ miles and a 1,700-foot vertical drop spread across five mountain areas, all served by the K-1 Gondola, offering everything from classic cross country singletrack to challenging big-bike downhill and freeriding trails.
As a Kona "Groove Approved" Mountain Bike Park, Killington offers a full rental fleet of Kona trail, freeride and downhill mountain bikes, including the Kona Coiler, Kona Dawg and the Kona Stinky.
Mountain bike and equipment rental is available in Killington’s rental and repair shop located in the K-1 Lodge, adjacent to the K-1 Gondola. Access on the K-1 Gondola with a mountain bike is weather permitting. For more information, visit, www.killington.com
The Green Mountain Trails
• Pittsfield Bike Club, Pittsfield • (800) 257-2226
Open and ready to be hiked, biked, snowshoed etc! The Green Mountain Trails are a public access multi use trail system in Pittsfield and Stockbridge Vermont managed by the Pittsfield Bike Club. The trail system consists of over 30 miles of public access trails for hiking, running, mountain biking, snowshoeing and more. Trail heads and parking are at The Amee Farm on Route 100 north and at the end of Tweed river Drive. Directions to and recommendations for trails can be found at the Pittsfield General Store.
Bicycle Tours
• Bike Vermont, Woodstock • (800) 257-2226
Bike Vermont is more than just bicycling. It’s a part of a total package. Experience Vermont in a range of places, sounds, smells, and perceptions. Hybrid bike rentals are available along with luggage transportation. They also specialize in weekend and five-day midweek inn-to-inn tours. Tours are arranged throughout Vermont, including Woodstock and Middlebury. www.bikevt.com
• Country Inns Along the Trail, Brandon, VT • (800) 838-3301
Choose from several self-guided inn-to-inn packages or customize your own trip, road bike or mountain bike. Small, naturalist-led group tours are also available. We recommend that reservations be made well in advance of your trip; the inns are small and can fill up quickly. CIATT also arranges inn-to-inn bike and ski/snowshoe tours. Reservations may be made by phone (800) 838-3301 or (802) 247-3300, by email: office@inntoinn.com, or directly through their web site www.inntoinn.com.
• Escape Routes, Casa Bella Inn, Pittsfield, VT • (802) 746-8943 or (877) 746-8943
Mountain Biking runs from May until mid October. We have no set schedule and you may come anytime to ride the terrain and difficulty level that suits you. A large number of routes offer a wide variety of riding terrain and the technical level of each route varies widely. Some riders prefer gentle grass covered abandoned roads that once accessed long gone settlements deep in the forest. Other riders prefer steep single tracks plummeting down mountainsides. Here in Vermont you'll find something for everyone and self guided tours allow you to set your own degree of difficulty. Call to make reservations. www.casabellainn.com/escapes
• Poultney/Middletown/Wells Loop, 26 miles. • (802) 287-2010
East Poultney resident Sandy Duling, author of the fine guidebook Short Bike Rides: Vermont, claims this as her favorite ride in the state. Start in the village of Poultney and head east on Rte. 140 (Main St.), which winds along the Poultney River through E. Poultney to Middletown Springs. At the junction of Rtes. 140 & 133, head south (right) on Rte. 133. 5 mi. south, take a right onto East Wells Rd., following signs for Wells & Lake St. Catherine. Coast several glorious miles down to a stop sign where the East Wells Rd. joins Rte. 30 in Wells (and stop for a snack a the general store). Take a left followed by an immediate right onto North Street. As you would expect, North St. heads north, and soon parallels southern Lake St. Catherine. Take a right at the next stop sign, cross the bridge over the narrow channel leading to the northern part of the lake, then a left onto Rte. 30. From here, it’s about 6 mi. back to your starting point in Poultney. Use extra caution on the first half of this leg, because seasonal traffic on this part of Rte. 30 can be heavy and the shoulder is quite narrow. Top 10 trails in Vermont, Vermont Life Magazine.
• Rutland Area Physical Activity Coalition, Merchants Row, Rutland, VT • (802) 353-0037
www.rapac.info. Promoting physical activity in Rutland County. Walking, biking, hiking.
• Salt Ash Loop, Killington, VT • (802) 422-4293
An 18 mile bike loop following a triangular course starting and ending at the parking lot of Killington’s Sunrise Mountain, located at the junction of US Rt. 4 and VT Rt. 100. It loops around from Killington to Plymouth to Bridgewater Corners, and back to Killington. Learn more about this and other great bicycling adventures at the Birch Ridge Inn, Butler Road, Killington. www.birchridge.com
Sales, Service, Rentals
• First Stop Ski Shop, Killington (802) 422-9050. Sales, service, and rentals.
• The Great Outdoors Trading Company,
Rutland (802) 775-9989. Sales, service, and rentals.
• Green Mountain Cyclery, Rutland
(802) 775-0869. Sales and service.
• Sports Peddler, 162 North Main Street, Stony Brook Plaza, Rutland (802) 775-0101. Service, Rentals, Sales: Schwinn, Mongoose, Fuji, SE Racing Authorized Dealer.
• The Start House, 28 Central St., Woodstock, (802) 457-3377. Service, Rentals, Sales: Redline, Cannondale, Electra, Giant, Gary Fisher.
• True Wheels at Basin Sports, Killington, (802) 422-3234. Sales, service, and rentals. www.truewheels.com
Types of Off-Road Terrain in Vermont
• Rails to Trails - Abandoned rail lines are
converted into usable public resources.
• Unpaved Roads- Found in rural areas and are normally public roads.
• Forest Roads - Dirt and gravel roads used as accesses to forest land. Usually open to the public.
• Single Track - Narrow trails with only one track to follow, usually through the woods.
• Open Land - Unless there is a marked trail through a field or meadow, this is normally private land.
Bike Races and Events
• Killington Stage Race, a legend of New England bicycle racing, returns Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-31. Sponsored by Killington Economic Development and Tourism Commission. 3 Stages, including a 37-77 mile circuit race, an 11 mile individual time trial and a 61 mile road race. The winner being the racer with the shortest time over the 3 days, featuring both a King and a Queen of the Mountains and a Sprint Competition. Register for the event at www.killingtonstagerace.com.
• Peak Bike Race Peak 666 Bike Race, Pittsfield. Compete in 6 Hour Relay or King of the Hill. Great prizes, post race BBQ, camping available at Amee Farm. www.peakraces.com, email andy@peak.com or call 309-642-2230.
• Poultney’s Annual Bike Rally and Tours in July are sponsored by the Poultney Rotary Club. For information call 802-287-9987 or 802-287-9811.
All content © The Mountain Times 2010