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Vermont Biking
Vermont Biking

Cool mornings, warm colors, rolling hills invite you. Round the corner and you’re high above in the Green Mountains. Around the next, quiet farmlands. Taste the maple. Savor the brilliant foliage. Hear the hum of your wheels on the timber of a covered bridge. Take a break in Woodstock and walk the quaint shops in biking shoes. It’s okay. They’ve heard the "clip-clop" before. Southern Vermont was made for the ride.

Day 1 Bike beneath oak canopies, along picturesque rivers and by old red barns in Southern Vermont  Ready for a pick-me-up? The New England Maple Museum offers some of Vermont’s sweetest products and insight into this centuries-old tradition  Spin through a postcard-perfect landscape beneath the Green Mountains.

Day 2 Gourmet Prince & the Pauper cuisine and sophisticated country inns  Pedal quiet lanes on an invigorating route highlighted by covered bridges and bright fall colors.

Day 3 Picturesque Woodstock, a quintessential New England village  Birch, pine and maple trees flank your path across the Appalachian Trail  In the village of Quechee, known for its covered bridge, watch local glass artisans ply their trade at the Simon Pearce factory.

Day 4 Rolling routes with serious ascents and rollicking downhills  Follow babbling Knapp Brook to the ski town of Ludlow Need suspenders, a folding fan or a set of Click Clacks? Find these and more at the renowned Vermont Country Store in historic Weston.

Days 5-6 Taste maple syrup, cheese, beer and other local delights  Relax at our inn or bike to quaint Grafton, with old stately buildings, art galleries and shops galore Dirt and paved roads lead to century-old Hildene Mansion, a Georgian Revival beauty built by Abraham Lincoln’s son.


Trip Highlights
  • Ride beneath oak canopies, along picturesque rivers and by old red barns in Southern Vermont
  • Taste maple syrup, cheese, beer and other local delights
  • Gourmet cuisine and sophisticated country inns
  • Woodstock, a quintessential New England village
  • Rolling routes past grazing cows and quaint towns, mixed with serious ascents and rollicking downhills
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Premiere Inns

The Mountain Top Inn & Resort (1 night): "This is one of the most beautiful inns in New England. The views are breathtaking...overlooking Mountain Top Lake...surrounded by fantastic mountains," said Recommended Country Inns New England.

Woodstock Inn & Resort (2 nights): An "imposing landmark resort hotel facing the village green in a beautifully preserved village noted for its restored 18th-century homes," according to Andrew Harper. (pool, spa, tennis, golf)

Windham Hill Inn (2 nights): Built in 1823 amid 160 acres of forests and meadows, this is the ultimate country getaway. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool, spa, tennis)


Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

Please note: The terrain makes the routes on this trip feel more challenging than the mileage suggests.


Routes For All Abilities
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
Activity Level Average Time Biking Average Walking Average
Level 1 2-3 hours 10-20 mile 2-5 miles
Level 2 2-4 hours 21-30 miles 5-7 miles
Level 3 3-5 hours 31-40 miles 7-9 miles
Level 4 4-6 hours 41-55 miles 9-11 miles
Level 5 5-7+ hours 56-75+ miles 11-13+ miles


2012 Dates & Pricing*

CLASSIC TRIPS

*Prices may change. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.


Guest Trip Reviews

Backroads provides the total package in every respect but the principal reason our family never considers any other outfit is because of the Backroads leaders. I marvel at your company's ability to have such consistency of superb staff. We started with you in 1998 and have taken now eight trips. Every one was great and every group leader was huge in making the trips memorable.
Bruce Kiessling - Anchorage, AK

Our leaders made this trip fantastic. Their incredible personalities really nurtured us to form a group of friends. Even bad weather did not keep us from having fun. The food and wine were outstanding, and the biking was challenging yet we were ready to go the next day. This is our idea of a perfect vacation.
Viki Rivkin - Wilmette, IL

This was truly a great vacation and one I will cherish forever.
Sharon Koorda - Montague, CA

I've taken trips with other biking companies, but this experience far exceeded any I've taken before. The service, hospitality, experiences, planning and picnic lunches made every day a treat. Thanks for the best vacation I've had in years!
Janet Gieselman - Richardson, TX

Better than we could have imagined - accommodations, food, leaders and an amazing cycling route! Thanks for the incredible trip. Although I'm not a huge cyclist, the cycling was my favorite part of the trip! Our leaders and the amazing Vermont landscape made riding so enjoyable.
Moorea Gray - Calgary, AB