Explore the best rated trails in Pownal, VT, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Spring Run Trail and Appel Way Trail . With more than 41 trails covering 692 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
As of 6/3/25 this trail is still closed south of 11th street.
There is a detour indicated, which we tried to follow, but quickly lost track of.
Found another way to access the trail further south, only to realize that we'd gotten onto the part of the trail that was officially closed.
I'm sure this will warrant a higher rating once it has re-opened, but we were more than a bit disappointed today.
I’m not a trail master so take this with a grain of salt. I thought the trail was pretty good. I wanted a shorter trail with some scenery and this was good for exactly that. It was starting to rain so it cut my walk short however the trail was pretty well maintained with fresh wooden mulch to cover some of the wet areas. Not a lot of wildlife other than some birds, geese and butterflies. It was very peaceful and I will go back again
I rode the entire 24.7 mile southern portion of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail on a beautiful fall day. The HVRT offers everything you could want from a trail experience: a fully paved surface, mostly flat, beautiful scenery (especially in the Fall) and a perfect mid-point trailhead to grab a bite to eat.
I don't recall seeing any water fountains along the trail although the trailhead in Millerton offers many options for places to eat or resupply. The HVRT offers a myriad of scenery changes from farmland, quiet streams, distant hills to quaint towns. I have ridden many paved rail trails in the past and the HVRT is one of the best with almost no surface imperfections for the entire distance. There are many trailheads along the entire trail giving many distance options. All this adds up to a perfect trail in my opinion!
Map is 6 months out of date
Rode the full trail on a glorious October Saturday. the views were spectacular, peppered with fiery fall leaves. The trail is in incredibly good condition over the whole length. Such a lovely ride.
My wife and I are both injured(fortunately not serious) after both of us thrown off our bikes simultaneously on a small poorly surfaced wooden bridge just north of Keene NH. The wooden boards were uneven and some rotted causing our bikes to wedge in a step-off causing us both to fall off our bikes. The trail had several road crossings just outside of the town of Keene which are very dangerous. There are tiny stop sign markings on the trail and no large or blinking light warnings on the crossing roads which have poor visibility in both directions due to curving of the road. I would not recommend this trail for transient travelers trying a new RT on vacation. This is for locals only who know the trail well in my opinion.
Part of this trail is closed, my wife and I got about 2 miles or so in and there was a detour sign for the trail and we could not find where it picked up again. Road on the streets for a bit and then headed back to the truck, got about 5 miles in on the ride so not a total loss
We did this trail today. It is quite bumpy but the scenery more than makes up for that. It goes through beautiful forests with frequent views of the Connecticut River. Don’t pass it up if you are in the area.
This section (8/2024) is about 5 miles long. It goes through woodland and past leafy backyards, but it runs alongside the towers for a high-tension power line. Trees have been clear-cut about 25 feet on both sides of the trail, so there's no shade along this section. But the trail is wide, very straight, and smoothly paved. It has a few small ups and downs and crosses four or five quiet roads before it comes to a traffic signal at the intersection of Routes 126 and 27. Just beyond, the trail turns to crushed stone with a few sandy patches. There's a large supermarket and shopping center adjacent to the trail at that point.
Beautiful smooth ride. Recommend for anyone seeking a pleasurable experience.
Lots of wildlife along this pristine trail with plenty for bathroom facilities and benches to take a break. Trail is maybe 70% shaded which kept the temperatures down but still glad we had our suntan lotion. The trail passes a large lake and goes through plenty of wetlands giving lots of interesting views. Road crossings were well marked and safe. Our stay at the Williams Inn in Williamstown was definitely a cut above the norm and from there was maybe a 15 minute drive to the trailhead.
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