Road
Tours
Tour
#1: Moscow and Little River (7 miles)
This is a short trip along the Little River
as it flows from the Lower Village of Stowe
to Adam's Mill in Moscow, a small hamlet named
after Moscow, Russia. The Little River is
good water for Rainbow Trout fishing, although
the bigger fish usually leave the river during
July and August. You might like to stop and
try your luck.
Tour #2: Edson Hill and West Hill (10
miles)
This
short drive of a little over 10 miles takes
you on a circuit of the upland farms to the
northwest of Stowe. Fifty years ago most of
this land was used for dairy farming. Now
much of it is going back to woodland. The
old hard maples arching over the road as you
start up Edson Hill and down West Hill are
a splendid sight, especially when they take
on their autumn colors. If this vista has
a familiar look, you saw it in Hitchock's
"Trouble With Harry" and the "Four
Seasons" starring Alan Alda and Carol
Burnett. Where the maples end, the view down
into the valley, at the village of Stowe and
across the Worcester Mountains, is magnificent.
The Percy Farm on West Hill welcomes visitors
to their Sugar House in the Spring to watch
them boil sap into maple syrup.
Tour #3: Brush Hill (8 miles)
This is a beautiful back road trip. We recommend
this for the height of Summer or during Fall
Foliage. Lots of wildlife abound, and the
views are spectacular.
Tour #4: Elmore Mountain and Randolph
Roads
(20 miles)
On this drive you go out to Elmore Mountain
Road by the Old Elmore Cemetery. Here you
get a magnificent view west, across to Mt.
Mansfield and the Sterling Range. As you drive
back on the Randolph Road, you pass a series
of dairy farms and pasture land. These two
roads provide excellent examples of old abandoned
farm land and the contrasting active acreage.
Tour #5: Stowe Hollow, Little River
Dam, Ben & Jerry's and Cold Hollow Cider
Mill
(37 miles) This drive is perhaps the most
charming hereabouts. Stowe Hollow nestles
at the foot of Worcester Mountains and is
drained by the Gold Brook. There are rainbow
trout to the covered bridge and natives above
and the stream really is gold bearing, although
in small quantities. The source of the gold
was never found, except possibly by Old Indian
Pete, who used to buy his necessities in the
Village with his findings. Although coninually
spied upon, he never revealed his secret.
The covered bridge in Sowe Hollow is known
as "Emily's Bridge." There are several
stories, none authenticated, about how she
died at this spot, but her spirit is said
to haunt the bridge. The Little River Dam
was constructed in the 1930's after the 1927
flood. All pertinent information about the
construction is on a site marker at the dam.
This is an ideal spot for picture taking and
picnicking.And, on the way back, the trip
takes you by several of Vermont's most popular
attractions. Stop by Ben & Jerry's for
a sample of the Country's best ice cream.
Stop by Cold Hollow Cider for a refreshing
cup of just-pressed cider. Both sites offer
factory tours. And don't miss out on dropping
in on Cabot Annex, and Lake Champlain Chocolates.
Tour #6: Sterling Valley and Mud City
(23 miles)
These are two valleys running south from the
crescent of the Sterling Range. Both were
once busy farm areas; now only a few active
farms remain, but country homes are taking
over. What vein of country humor originally
accounted for the name "Mud City"
we don't know. Today it is just a stretch
of dirt road with a few houses. Sterling Brook
is an entrancing stream. Its covered bridge
appears to have been rebuilt and strengthened
with iron, but its location high above the
water is perfect.
Tour #7: Montpelier, Worcester and
Lake Elmore
(55 miles) The Capitol at Montpelier is certainly
one of the finest buildings of the Classic
Federalist Period. It houses two of the best
preserved and outstanding legislative chambers
in the country. Little publicized in or out
of the State, the magnificent hall, where
House Representatives meet, and the small
room, which houses the Senate, afford a superb
picture of the background against which men
like Webster and Clay delivered their famous
speeches. Just walk upstairs and start exploring.
The turn to Worcester is beyond the Capitol
up Elm Street, one block before the traffic
light. As you leave Montpelier, you are ascending
the North Branch of the Winooski River, this
is the Abenaki Indian word for "onion".
In the more free-spoken days of the American
Revolution, Ethan Allen called his land company
'The Onion River Development Company'. As
you drive north, you have on your left the
range of the Worcester Mountains, which you
see from Stowe to the southeast. At Lake Elmore
there is a State Park with picnic grounds,
a bath house and sandy beach for swimming.
Tour #8: Jeffersonville, Johnson and
Hyde Park
(42 miles) This is a trip through Smuggler's
Notch from the south to north, which is probably
the most scenic approach. This trip follows
the course of the annual Stowe Bike Race,
an Olympic development race of 90 miles duration,
which includes two grueling rides through
the Notch. Just on the left in Jeffersonville,
as you turn onto Route 15, is a War Memorial
shich we think you will find is an imaginative
and charming alternate to monolithic statutes,
old field-pieces or piles of cannon balls.
Thence you drive up the Valley of the Lamoille,
the River of the Gull, as the French named
it. Just under a mile out of Jeffersonville,
there is a side road to the left with a fine
covered bridge over the river and another
to the right carrying the railroad across.
At Johnson there is Johnson Woolen Mills to
visit. As you leave Hyde Park, watch for the
one way wooden "Dry Bridge".
Tour #9: Craftsbury Common, Hazen's
Notch and Covered Bridges (115 miles)
This is a drive of a little over 100 miles,
which gives you a succession of splendid views,
a number of covered bridges, the charming
village of Craftsbury Common, a piece of the
old Hazen Military Highway built during the
Revolutionary War, an introduction to one
of several surveyor's mistakes that are called
"Gores" in Vermont. For artists,
photographers and those who simply wish to
carry away in their minds a succession of
pictures of the beauties of Northern Vermont,
we present this tour of approximately four
hours duration. May we suggest you take a
picnic lunch with you.
Tour #10: Stagecoach Road and Back
Road to Johnson (30 miles)
This route provides a series of superb views
as it runs over the high land between Stowe
and Johnson. For his reason it is an "out
and back" tour except for the loop at
the end since there is much to see both going
and coming. It starts on the same road as
the one to Sterling Valley and Mud City. This
is the Old Stage Coach Road between Stowe
and Morristown Corners. Like many such it
followed the high ground, where there was
less mud, spring and fall, and where the construction
was easier and cheaper. Most old roads (here
and in England) were so built, and may well
account for the term "highway".
If you take a picnic, you will enjoy eating
it on the rocks by the rapids of the Lamoille
River, but there is poison ivy hereabouts
which you should watch out for. Finally, be
careful about crossing the railroad tracks.
Tour #11: Greg Hill, Winooski River
and West Approach to Nebraska Range (77 miles)
This is a fairly long trip of many variations
and many scenic beauties. Little River Dam
Reservoir at the west foot of Gregg Hill is
almost entirely hidden from road and farm.
That portion which can be seen both from Gregg
Hill and Route 100 with the steep forest on
either side will enchant you. You will see
the Winooski or "Onion River", stomping
grounds of Ethan Allen, his brothers and cronies.
The Allens made a fortune floating timber
down this river to Burlington. Camel's Hump
was originally known as the "Crouching
Lion". The visitor must determine for
himself which he prefers. As you drive north
on the west slope of Nebraska Range, you will
catch a glimpse of Lake Champlain to the West
and a most intriguing view of Mt. Mansfield
and nearer home, Smugglers' Notch.
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