Stowe!

For many people, think mountain biking in Vermont, and you're going to think about Kingdom Trails. And, that's for good reason, the trails in East Burke are world-class and getting better every year. But, Vermont is a big state and there are plenty of other spots to ride. Jean and I had a free get-away to Stowe so I thought it would be a perfect chance to see what's going on in that part of the state. I had seen some killer video of various trails and I wanted to check 'em out.


From what I was able to glean, there are distinct areas to ride, between the Cady Hill Forest area, Trapp Family Lodge network and some other spots. My original goal was to ride it all. But...

Well, for reasons that are silly but complicated and don't make a whole lot of sense, I didn't ride it all. In fact, I only rode one area, Cady Hill, and only about 3 miles. That being said, those 3 miles were stellar. I essentially rode up the Cady Hill Climb and came down Florence. Florence--a downhill only flow trail--would have been more fun had I figured out at the top of the trail that the rattling noise and weird braking I was feeling was due to the fact that my newly installed calipers hadn't been tightened down yet, but hey, I can't think of everything.


The little taste I got was enough of an appetizer to make me want to go up again. How soon that will happen is TBD. In addition to the riding, the town has a great vibe as most Vermont towns do, and some killer eating spots including Ranch Camp--a bike shop/tap room/restaurant.