Exploring Vermont – Vermont Scenic Roads, Byways, and Covered Bridges

You are finally taking the trip of your life and heading to Vermont for the acclaimed foliage season. Now the big question is how to discover all the covered bridges, take the best scenic drives and still maintain a loving relationship with your partner or partner given the time that you will probably spend together in the car? Vermont is 43rd in size among the 50 states. A 158 mile stretch takes you from the northernmost point (Canadian border) to the southernmost point and 90 miles is the distance from east to west. It’s easy to drive around the entire state in one day, and most visitors are surprised how little there is in Vermont, even during the fall foliage, which makes driving easy. Every year we welcome overnight visitors (also known as “inn-hoppers”) seeking the best views, the best foliage, and the oldest covered bridges as they tour Vermont’s most scenic drives for their next stay. overnight. Unfortunately, the expectation is unreal! Most of the inns leave in the morning with their final destination programmed into their GPS and rarely go off course. The advent of GPS is certainly helpful in getting you from A to B, but the technology has yet to advance, at least in cars, to selecting the “Best Case” on a particular day. So choose your inn or hotel based on a central location, stay a few days so you can explore without worrying about where you need to be that night. Trust us: they will be happier people, less stressed and achieve much more. Best of all, you get the invaluable advantage of local knowledge and suggestions from your innkeepers that far surpass anything you are likely to find on the web or in print! Now on specific scenic drives. All of our tours begin and end in Waitsfield, a small, unspoiled Vermont town about 30 minutes from the state capital, Montpelier, located on Route 100 in the heart of the Green Mountains. Yankee Magazine claimed that Route 100 is the best route to see fall foliage in New England. It stretches from the northeastern city of Newport, near the Canadian border, to Jacksonville, a small town near the Massachusetts-Vermont border. Waitsfield is the center and crossroads of Mad River ByWay (Route 100 and Route 17), a distinction awarded to only six other areas for their unspoiled beauty.) The Vermont State Tourism Map is available at information centers, inns and tourist sites throughout the state and will provide the details behind the tours outlined.

Vermont Scenic Drives & Covered Bridges Day 1 (Driving time without stops: 4 hours, 134 miles)

Cities: Waitsfield – Smugglers Notch – Jeffersonville – Waterville – Belvidere – Johnson – Plainfield – Montpelier – Waitsfield

Summary: Capture 10 covered bridges, beautiful views of unspoiled mountains, and several classic Vermont small towns in the northeastern section of the state. There are also plenty of opportunities to incorporate a few key attractions: Vermont State House, Ben & Jerry’s, or Cabot Creamery.

• Starting at Waitsfield Route 100N to Route 100 B
• Route 2 to Route 89N (Pick a delicious picnic at Red Hen Bakery on Route 2 in Middlesex)
• Route 89N to Exit 10, take Route 100N towards Moscow (near Stowe). Gold Brook Road is a right turn off the R100N near the left turn into Moscow. Gold Brook Covered Bridge (aka Emily’s Bridge)
• Route 100N to Route 108 to Jeffersonville (a mountain pass tour with incredible views and sights) – Two covered bridges: Gales Farm and Grist Mill
• Route 108 to Route 109 to Waterville – Two covered bridges: Jaynes and Village
• Route 109 to Belvidere: Two covered bridges: Mill and Morgan
• Route 109 to Route 100 (S) to Route 15 to Johnson / East Johnson (make a stop at Johnson Woolen Mill, a unique cottage industry with wonderful one-of-a-kind products) – Two covered bridges: Scribner and Power House
• Route 15 to Route 14 to Plainfield – Coburn Covered Bridge
• Route 14 to Route 2 to Montpelier (Vermont State House in Montpelier is the oldest State House in the country; worth a visit if time permits)
• Route 2 to Route 100B to Waitsfield

Vermont Scenic Drives and Covered Bridges Day 2 (Driving time without stops: 3 hours, 111 miles)

Locations: Waitsfield – Moretown – Northfield – Warren – Middlebury – Bristol – Waitsfield

Overview: This tour is pure Vermont – country roads, cows, mountain passes, waterfalls, covered bridges, country tents, and beautiful scenery. It covers three locally famous scenic highways: Roxbury Gap, Middlebury Gap and Appalachian Gap. Warren, Waitsfield, and Middlebury offer some shops and antique stores to explore, as well as casual dining options.

• Starting at Waitsfield Route 100N – Pine Brook Covered Bridge, Great Eddy Covered Bridge
• Route 100N to Route 100B to Moretown Right hand Turn on Moretown Gap Road to Route 12
• Route 12 to Northfield and Northfield Falls – Slaughterhouse Covered Bridge, Stonybrook Covered Bridge
• Route 12 to Roxbury Gap Road to Warren (Warren Country Store is a great lunch stop) – Warren covered bridge
• Option – Return to Waitsfield via Route 100N or East Warren Road – OR
• Route 100S to Route 125 – Middlebury Station Covered Bridge
• Route 116 to Bristol Route 17 to Waitsfield

Vermont Scenic Drives Day 3 (Driving time without stops: 4 hours, 144 miles)

Cities: Waitsfield – Jerusalem – Hinesburg- Shelburne – Vergennes – Middlebury – Brandon – Rochester – Waitsfield

Outline of Drive: Mountain views and landscapes, Lake Champlain, Shelburne farms of Lake Dunmore, country lanes famous for color, waterfalls. Drive includes a high profile moose spotting area.

• Starting at the Route 100 / Route 17 junction in Waitsfield, Route 17 to Jerusalem (over the Appalachian Gap)
• Route 116 to Hinesburg Shelburne Falls Road to Shelburne (home of Shelburne Farms and the Shelburne Museum
• Route 7 to Vergennes Continue on Route 7 to Middlebury (home of the famous Middlebury College)
• Route 125 to East Middlebury
• Route 53 to Lake Dunmore
• Route 7 to Brandon (home of renowned folk artist Warren Kimble. Excellent lunch option – Caf Provence)
• Route 73 to Rochester (Rochester to Waitsfield drives through Granville Gulch, an area famous for late afternoon / early morning moose sightings)
• Route 100N to Waitsfield