Driving tour of Vermont & New Hampshire - August 6-14, 2022
The Skinny
Saturday, August 6
Burlington, VT - Church Street & Champlain Greenway, Colchester Causeway
On to Omni Mt Washington, NH
Dinner @ Stickney's
Sunday, August 7
Hike Mt Washington via Ammonousuc Ravine Trail - to Lake in the Clouds hut
Drive to Franconia Notch State Park
9 holes Donald Ross course at Omni Mt Washington
Dinner @ Main Dining Room
Monday, August 8
Depart for Woodstock, Vermont
Short hike in Franconia State Park - Arethusa Falls
Stop at Lake Squam NH and in Hanover to see Dartmouth
On to Woodstock Inn
Dinner @ Red Rooster at Woodstock Inn
Tuesday, August 9
Walk from Inn to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Historic National Park
Mt Tom trail to The Pogue (lake)
Drive over to Quechee and see Simon Pearce Glass Studio
Dinner @ Prince & Pauper in downtown Woodstock
Wednesday, August 10
Depart for Kimpton Taconic in Manchester (Green Mountains area)
Hiked Bromley Mountain on the way
Dinner @ Chanticleer with Ken and Jane MacDonald
Thursday, August 11
Depart for Stowe, VT
Hiked Mt Equinox on way
Drove through Middlebury on way to see Middlebury College
Drove through Warren VT to see Pitcher Inn
Arrive Top Notch Resort to meet Pecheles and Pittmans
Dinner @ Trattoria La Festa just beside Top Notch Resort
Friday, August 12
Chin to Nose hike to Mt Mansfield
Drove over to Von Trapp Lodge and lunch at Trapp Brewery
Mill Trail Hike to Bingham Falls
Drinks at Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, then dinner @ Plate
Saturday, August 13
Pinnacle hike Chin to Nose hike to Mt Mansfield
Bike rental at Mountain Ops - biked greenway into town
Dinner @ Edson Hill Inn
Sunday, August 14
Visit Cabot Cheese store & Lake Champlain Chocolates in Waterbury
Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour - Waterbury
Depart Burlington for NC
The Meat on the Bones
Saturday, August 6 - Burlington and Mt. Washington
Arrived Burlington, VT late morning, got the Malibu and drove around the University of Vermont which is a large campus and Medical Center with a mix of old Greek Revival/Victorian architecture and new very modern facilities. Pretty campus complete with all the usual suspects Greek life.
First stop was Church St. which is the pedestrian street full of restaurants, shops and this weekend, the Fool’s Festival full of constant street performances. Huge outdoor stores, Simon Pearce store and of course Ben and Jerry’s were a few of our pit stops. We ate lunch at Leunig’s French Bistro. An unusually hot heat wave across the NE made it as hot if not hotter than NC - not what we expected, but better than rain I think.
Next up: the famed Lake Champlain Greenway on bikes. Skip Local Motion bike rentals lakeside and stay on Main St for NorthStar Bike rentals. Folks super friendly, and had E-bikes ready to go for us. Trying to maximize time and still do the 20 miles round trip, the E-bikes got us there and back in about 1.45 hrs. Easy and scenic, its a fun excursion. If time allows, take a dip…the cool, but not cold water felt good on hot feet.
And then…off for the 2 hr drive east to Bretton Woods and the Omni Mt. Washington Hotel, New Hampshire. Pretty drive took us through the minute town of Montpelier, the state capital and its stunning gold domed capital. Check. Bretton Woods is a ski resort in the White Mountains National Forest with the Mt Washington Hotel as the flagship and mainly only place to stay with several Inns and Lodges also associated with MWH.
The hotel is huge and majestic as you drive into the grounds flanked by one of its golf courses, wildflowers, streams and the hotel sitting high atop the hill. Built in 1902, its white clapboard and red roof are quite imposing and impressive as you drive the long road up to the main entrance. Owned now by Omni, it is VERY reminiscent of its first cousin, The Homestead in Virginia. Meant to maintain its luxury status, yet be appealing for families, it has similar amenities of indoor pool, spa, outdoor pool, biking, walking trails, biking trails, game room, ++ and several options on and off campus for dining. The real attraction is the huge and wide wrap around porch on the backside overlooking the grassy common spaces, Adirondack chairs, golf course, and the main attraction of Mt Washington and the other Presidential mountains. The huge front porch is also appealing as are the numerous and very historical common spaces all with original stained glass window, Victorian wrought iron and molding and light fixtures. But, it is OLD and quite “loved” dealing with a harsh climate and hard use during all the seasons, so treat expectations accordingly.
Dinner for us was outside in the more casual Stickney’s down on the lower level. Fab views, but casual and very family oriented. Get ready for sticker shock prices on the menu, but it was good.
Sunday, August 7 - Hike Mt. Washington
So, Mt Washington is known for being the worst recorded weather in the WORLD. It changes on a dime…most interesting it is only about 6200’ high. But people die frequently from weather related issues, so not to be taken lightly. Plus it is in the clouds 300 days a year…and 2 of those days were while we were there. Literally sunny everywhere else, but right atop the summit. But we decided to give it a try anyway at least to the Lake in the Clouds hut via the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, hoping to go onto the summit and down the Jewel trail. You can take also the funicular RR if hiking ain’t your thang.
3.2 miles. Easy peasy. Uh, NO. Always remember to check the elevation which we knew would be hard at close to 3000 feet, but didn’t mind it esp given the short distance. But the roots and rocks and then flat out boulders were the definition of the hiking term “scrambling.” On all fours the last 1.5 miles up and reverse all fours coming down esp with an added component of being slippery. Our quads were still recovering two days later. With weather unsettled and no view, we skipped the remaining mile to the summit and headed back. This is not a hike to be taken lightly.
Since we were smart enough to get on the trail early, once down, we cruised over to the Franconia Notch State Park to check it out since the concierge recommended hiking there given the fog at Mt. Washington. (Kinsmen and Lonesome Lake were recommended hikes as was the Jefferson Peak.) We were happy with what we did despite being half dead.
Back and couldn’t resist the temptation of the 9 hole at natural Donald Ross course. Legs were shot, but a golf cart solved that problem. Quick swim and ready for dinner in the main Dining Room which is a spectacular room. Subtlety contemporary bar and sitting areas combine well with the preserved feel of the original room and its historical decor. Equally as painful on the pocket, but fab views of the mountains. Might have preferred to eat here both nights.
Monday, August 8 - On to Woodstock VT
Cruised up through the Crawford State Park which was really beautiful - way better than the Franconia Notch State Park - and has a number of the Presidential peaks. Decide to do a 3 miler on the Arethusa Falls Hike which is the highest falls in NH. Great hike. Steep and rocky parts, but other parts level out. Perfect and pretty.
Onward to Woodstock, VT but touring through NH with sights set on Squam Lake and Hanover to see Dartmouth. Squam and Little Squam was where the famed “On Golden Pond” were filed and while we didn’t see the quintessential spots made famous by the movie, it was still fun to see. Def had some beautiful homes. Holderness is the “epicenter” and Squam Lake Marketplace was a delightful place for delish sammys and such. Debated renting a boat, but time prevailed.
Next stop: Hanover on the border of VT to see Dartmouth College which was delightful with its traditional campus, spired main building and NE looking buildings. The town of Hanover was very charming. Overall, the whole drive was very delightful with little traditional hamlets, red barns, lush vegetation, amazing flowers all surrounded by wooded and mountainous scenery as we crossed the Connecticut River into Vermont.
Woodstock was right down the way and it is the postcard VT town. Little shops line Main St with the river flanking Hwy 100. The Woodstock Inn is both understated and grand at the same time. A beautifully manicured front lawn with lush flowers framing it everywhere opens into the white clapboard main building. It is actually quite large, but feels small as the back wings surround another large green space surrounded by flowers. We visited the pool running into NC friends Chuck and Karen Lovelace and Katie and Hunter Allen. The room was lovely and like your own home. The hotel tried hard to keep historical aspect in tact with period pieces and NE decor. Dinner was in the hotel main restaurant Red Rooster which was very nice.
Tuesday, August 9 - Woodstock VT
We walked to the Marsh, Billings, Rockefeller Historic National Park grounds to hike the Mt. Tom trail by The Pogue (Lake). Nice uphill stroll with great views of the area and back down into town. Cruised town, had lunch at Mont Verde Cafe. Still quite hot, so a quick dip in the pool and then hopped in the car to tour the area ending in Quechee and the Simon Pearce glass studio and store. Eat here in their restaurant if possible. It wasn’t open or else we would have.
Simon Pearce was great and Quechee charming, but most interesting was the photos of the damage done by Hurricane Irene in 2011. The drive over was also fab as we avoided traffic on 108 and went on the parallel backroads High Pasture Rd. Gorgeous homes and scenery. Detoured afterwards to the Sugarbush Farms to learn about maple syrup making. Very grass roots, but interesting to learn about how maple syrup is harvested and produced.
Dinner that night was at the Prince and Pauper in town and was a cozy atmosphere with creative food prix fixe.
Wednesday, August 10 - On to Manchester VT
Good bye Woodstock, hello Manchester and Dorset. True Southern Vermont, as apparently Vermonters draw a distinction. This is Green Mountain Country (think Green Mtn Boys from the Revolutionary War) and beautiful. Happy to be back in the mtns. We hiked Bromley Mountain along the way. Not terribly hard, but once again pretty straight up. Great views at the top
We cruised town which is a bit more “metropolitan” than other villages and famed for high end outlet shopping and the flagship location for Orvis. We stayed at the Kimpton Tactonic Hotel. Newish feeling and well located. We went to the historical main drag and shopped around a bit before meeting the MacDonalds, our recently relocated friends from Greenville, for dinner near Dorset at the Chanticleer. A rustic-y, woody place that suited us right. There are plenty of restaurants in Manchester, some very high end, notably The Silver Fork in the old library and the Reluctant Panther. Very fun night being with the MacDonalds.
Thursday, August 11 - On to Stowe, VT
Moving northward to Stowe, where we will meet more Pitt County buds. But first,
per the MacDonald’s suggestion, we set out to tackle Mt. Equinox. Another not super hard, but good challenging hike with great views at the top. Interestingly, at the pinnacle is the only Carthusian Order of Catholic Monks in North America. A very stringent order that enters into 24 hour complete silence. Who knew?
After, we snag a quick piece of pizza in town at the easy walk up Sam’s Wood Fired Pizza and outdoor seating. Delish and perf. Couldn’t resist stopping in the famed Northshire Book Store, which is something to see. An old house in the main village with everything you can think of including signed rare books under lock and key going for up to $10K. Heading out of town, we drive over to Dorset, a picturesque hamlet, 6 miles from Dorset to see the MacDonalds in place on the pretty Hollow loop.
The road awaits. I am determined to see Middlebury, so we head north on the more scenic route bordering NY state. Middlebury is yet another quaint, but active small town. The college is different than expected and while pretty, the white marble block buildings are not what I anticipated. But it stands to reason since white Vermont marble is famous having been used much in the past in many historical buildings including the New York Library. From there, we cut northeast on the Lincoln Rd which is a gorgeous highway through the Broadleaf Wilderness. Stopped in Warren to see The Pitcher Inn. That and the small gourmet food shop seemed to be the extent of Warren. But the hotel is supposed to be all that…so I am sure there is plenty to do here.
Through Waterbury and then…Stowe and The Top Notch resort where we meet our Pitt Co pals. Coming from Waterbury, you drive the entire stretch of Stowe, spread out over the 108/Mountain Road from the main village to the ski resort. Unlike more purpose built ski resorts, esp out west, the ski mountain does not have the village at the base of the mtn. In fact other than lodging, there is very little at the base. Top Notch is close to the ski mountain while most of the commercial area is south several miles away in the main village.
So fun to see the Pittmans and the Pecheleses at the hotel. Dinner is just down the road at Trattoria La Festa Italian restaurant. Cozy, hearty, and delicious so what southern Italian fare. Great way to start the long weekend.
Friday, August 12 - Stowe area
We decide to shortcut climbing Mt Mansfield, Vermont’s tallest Mountain, (4,393 feet) by paying the fee to take the road up and the hike the profile ridge “Chin to Nose” trail, part of the Appalachian Trail/Vermont Long Trail. Not long and theoretically relatively flat….Welp, slightly reminiscent of Mount Washington as the clouds sat right on the tippy top, which of course was exactly where we were. Foggy, misty, and windy AND with bouldering/scrambling as the ridge was total rocks. Lots of laughs and some all fours all while the summit peak surely “kept moving.” It did clear some on the return to see the amazing 360 degree views.
After such effort, we def needed to reward ourselves with a hearty meal at the Van Trapp (yes, those ones) brewery and restaurant. VERY authentic Austrian food that was divine. Quite fun and highly recommend. We headed up to see the Van Trapp Lodge and campus which is really pretty, (though maybe a bit tired inside or at least very authentic decor.)
One more hike to help settle the ‘wursts so we did the lovely leg stretcher Mill Trail Hike to Bingham Falls. Short and truly flat, the falls are quite pretty. Back to Top Notch for some pool and hot tub time before dinner.
Carol, our fav concierge, recommended we go have a drink at the Whip inside the historic Green Mountain Inn. Fun to see, it was right down from our restaurant Plate, which was casual but excellent. Super fun night.
Saturday, August 13 - Stowe area
Since both Carol AND our waitress that we loved at Plate said Pinnacle was a great hike, we had to do it. Not terribly long, it was as we have come to find, typically straight up with its share of big rocks. We drove to the upper parking lot which helped trim some of the more staid mileage and got a jump on what become a pretty crowded trail. Near the top, we happened upon Doug, a hiker in distress and after working with some fellow hikers, got the rescue squad en route, we went onto the top that had wonderful 360 degree views.
Once down, we rented bikes at Mountain Ops right across from Top Notch and where the Stowe 5 mile (flat) one way greenway starts. We biked a bit and stopped on recommendation at Idletyme Brewing. SO great. Huge outdoor seating with fun beverages and good food. After, we biked into town and shopped around for a bit. Back 5 miles to get ready for dinner at The Edson Hill Inn. We had plans for Cork in town, but once hearing about this and being able to snag a reservation, we pivoted and it far exceeded expectations. Gorgeous and so lovely. Fab views over the valley and property, it’s a quaint (is there any other word for Vermont?) yet very sophisticated Inn with fantastic art around the otherwise cozy rooms. Dining was outside, but they were well equipped with big thick furry blankets and heaters. The food was outstanding. A place to remember for sure.
Sunday, August 14 - Depart for NC
Time to go, but we are not ready! So many more things we could do. So we extend the trip with and excursion driving the famed Smugglers Notch State Park scenic drive. A winding road closed in the winter and ALWAYS to 18 wheelers, it is a gorgeous, twisty road with skinny, narrow turns though the wooded and rocky maintain pass. A must. As we head back to Burlington, our next excursion is to explore Waterbury. High expectations for the Cabot Cheese store and Lake Champlain Chocolates proved to be underwhelming and skippable. BUT, the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream factory tour was well worth it. Get tix in advance. A blast and if you have time, be sure to see the flavor graveyard. A perfect way to end a perfect trip.
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