Stowe

Stowe brings together mountain scenery, trails for a range of activities, and insights into winter sports history. Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest mountain, is located in Stowe. When planning your trip, you can first consider whether to focus on short walks in the village, longer routes for walking or cycling, or cultural stops.

Mountain and scenery in town

Sunset Rock is a 23-acre scenic area overlooking Stowe Village. Short, accessible trails can be reached directly from the village. If you want to include short walks and a view of the village in your plans, you’ll find a different kind of trail here than on the longer multi-use routes.

Cady Hill Forest is also in the heart of the village and covers 320 acres. The acreage describes the size of the area; its trail length is a separate measure: the forest has 11 miles of multi-use trails suitable for mountain biking. Mount Mansfield offers opportunities for summer hiking as well as year-round mountain activities. The Green Mountain Byway runs directly through Stowe and provides another point of reference for the town’s location.

Choose trails to suit your activity

The Stowe Recreation Path is a flat, 5.3-mile trail for walking and cycling. It starts in downtown Stowe and ends at a covered bridge. You can orient yourself along the route using two specific points: the start in the town center and the finish at the bridge. If you’re looking for a flat route, you can compare this trail with the other options described here.

The Quiet Path is about 1.2 miles long and has a natural surface. It is intended for walkers and joggers; bicycles are not allowed. This restriction is an important consideration if cycling is part of your plans. The two distances refer to separate trails; they do not describe a single route.

For mountain biking, there is another option in addition to the trails in Cady Hill Forest: at the foot of Mount Mansfield, Stowe has more than 65 miles of connected mountain bike trails, with terrain for a range of difficulty levels. This figure refers to the trail network at the foot of the mountain; it is not the same as the 11 miles of multi-use trails in Cady Hill Forest. If you want to account for different terrain requirements, you can factor in the stated difficulty levels when making your choice.

Culture and winter sports history

Stowe Community Church was built in 1863 and has the tallest steeple in Vermont. The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum features changing exhibits, historic equipment, and stories about winter sports athletes. For travelers interested not only in trails and mountain activities but also in the history of winter sports, the museum offers a distinct cultural focus.

The Stowe Historical Society Museum is housed in restored 19th-century schoolhouses. It presents artifacts, photographs, and the history of local families. Alongside the exhibits on winter sports history, it offers a different perspective on Stowe: the focus here is on school buildings, objects, and local family stories. When looking for a place to stay, you can consider which of these interests matters most to your stay, without treating the different places and trails as a single route.

For the broader travel overview: Lamoille.