HELLO
WIDE BOY
FAT BIKING
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Vermont has an extensive multi-use trail network, and most of it is open to fat bikes in winter when the ground is frozen, whether or not there is snow. When the snow is deep, many local trails organizations groom their trail networks for fat biking. And when it’s not, frozen trails make great riding, as do solid lakes and ponds if you have studded tires. On a fat bike, you can explore far on both smooth and technical trails, paths, logging roads, and more. Wide tires give fat bikes float, so they stay on top of the snow instead of sinking in. Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) has more than 20 chapters, and many maintain winter trails including twisting, bermed machine built trails, and meandering snowshoe-packed singletrack. Check VMBA’s website for a current list of enchanting winter trails. If you don’t have a bike, rent from one of Burlington’s bike shops, then start exploring the Burlington Rec Path along the shores of Lake Champlain. Some winters the lake freezes solid, and adventurous experts who are appropriately-equipped can bike to New York. Beginner and intermediate riders will enjoy Burlington’s Intervale by fat bike. Its multiuse trails wind along the Winooski River all the way to Ethan Allen Homestead. Buy a day pass at Catamount Family Center to loop through forests and farmland on trails groomed for fat biking. Explore Williston’s Mud Pond, which is relatively flat, but still technical. Saxon Hill is the most consistently groomed fat bike destination near Burlington. Trails wind through the woods and along a lake. And, Richmond’s River Trail, which meanders along the Winooski River, isn’t groomed but it’s well packed, relatively flat, and a whole lot of fun., with easy access to Richmond restaurants where you can warm up with hot cocoa, a hot toddy, or homemade meal post-ride.
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ALSO CHECK OUT
Home to the first rope tow, the first snowboard, and more ski and ride Olympians per capita than any other state, the history of American mountain culture runs deep in Vermont. Whether you ride or ski, the terrain of the Green Mountains is legendary and Burlington offers easy access to several of the region’s best resorts. No need to choose one when you can have them all.
Kicking bladed crampons and swinging sharpened axes into a towering wall of steep and featured ice as you step up a vertical cliff will make you feel like a gravity-defying superhero. Vermont has some of the best ice climbing routes in the U.S., and many are easily accessible from the Queen City.
Vermont has unlimited opportunities for snowshoers, whether you want to tag a summit, range along a burbling creek, or cruise one of the region’s exceptional rec paths. One of the least gear-intensive ways to get into nature, snowshoes provide both grip and float in winter conditions, opening up a world of possibilities for winter exploration