Find the top rated trails in South Burlington, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Lake Champlain virtually laps at your feet for long sections of the 13.4-mile Island Line Rail Trail. Rolling through waterfront parks in Burlington and Colchester, the trail crosses the lake on a...
The Marshall Avenue Bike Path provides a nice nonmotorized route for linking neighborhoods with shopping in the Burlington suburb of Williston. The trail runs between Maple Tree Place and S. Brownell...
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The Montpelier Recreation Path, which follows the Winooski River in downtown Montpelier, is currently divided into two paved pathways: Winooski West and Winooski East on either side of the North...
Located in Burlington’s North End, 67-acre Ethan Allen Park has approximately 4 miles of woodland trails and smaller spurs, which create nested loops around the scenic park and offer views of the...
The Essex Bike Paths comprise two segments on the northeast side of Essex Junction Village, forming a spiderweb of paved routes throughout neighborhoods and a shopping mall near the intersection of...
The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) is a growing, year-round trail across northern Vermont that will one day stretch 93 miles between St. Johnsbury and Swanton. The trail passes through the spine of...
The South Barre Bike Path is a paved trail approximately 1 mile long, running from Bridge Street in south Barre to Fairview Street in Barre City. The path passes the Barre City Elementary and Middle...
This multi-use community trail is a hit with locals, and it appeals to visitorsespecially those with a yen for military history. Plattsburgh, New York, has figured in this country's war history from...
The Stowe Recreation Path encapsulates the best parts of Vermont mountain life. During summer the vegetation is lush and green, and the nearby West Branch Little River keeps the trail cool and...
The Millstone Hill West Bike Path connects the charming communities of Graniteville and Websterville in central Vermont. The trail is part of the Central Vermont Path, a proposed trail network to...
The Williston Village Bike Path links neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping areas, and restaurants in the suburban town of Williston via a collection of connector trails. The eastern 1.2-mile...
Niquette Bay State Park has a series of trails, most of which are open to foot traffic and cross-country skiers only. Bikes are allowed on the Allen Trail, which runs between the parking area and the...
The Route 127 Path parallels State Route 127 between Ethan Allen Park and Manhattan Drive in Burlington's Old North End. The path links suburbs and parks, and passes by the Ethan Allen Homestead,...
The Colchester Bayside to Village Path runs for nearly 4 miles along the southeast tip of Malletts Bay near Colchester Village. The path links the Malletts Bay Campground on the west end with...
Residents in South Burlington formed a grassroots coalition in the late 1980s to create a safer way to travel within Burlington’s extensive system of parks, schools, and neighborhoods. In the early...
The Riverside Avenue Bike Path parallels Riverside Avenue (on the north side) between Winooski Avenue and Mill Street at Colchester Avenue bridge. The path provides an off-road route for those wanting...
The Arms Park Trails are a network of woodland paths in the park behind Burlington High School and the surrounding properties of Rock Point School and Vermont's Episcopal Diocese offices. Some of the...
Saint Albans used to be called Rail City for all the train traffic it saw, but it could be known as Rail-Trail City now. The town sits at the front door of the Missisquoi Valley Rail-Trail, among the...
The Saranac Lake Recreational Path is a .52 mile rail with trail in the village of Saranac Lake. The path begins at Brandy Brook Avenue on the south side of the rail corridor that is used by the...
The Battell Woods Trail is a network of loops through the forest preserve, between US 7/SR 125 at the south end and Seminary Street Extension on the north end. The eastern-most segment of the trail...
The Riverside Avenue Bike Path parallels Riverside Avenue (on the north side) between Winooski Avenue and Mill Street at Colchester Avenue bridge. The path provides an off-road route for those wanting...
Nestled in the remote, lake-filled region of northwestern Vermontjust a few miles from the Canadian borderis the short and easy-to-overlook Alburg Recreational Rail-Trail. But you won't want to...
Lake Champlain virtually laps at your feet for long sections of the 13.4-mile Island Line Rail Trail. Rolling through waterfront parks in Burlington and Colchester, the trail crosses the lake on a...
Wright Park Trail forms a loop over nearly 4 miles (not all shown on the map) throughout the heavily wooded Wright Park. The White Circle Trail follows Otter Creek River, and along here you'll pass...
Cambridge Greenway hugs the Lamoille River through the village of Jeffersonville in northern Vermont, about 30 miles northeast of Burlington. It is a four-season trail, popular with cross-country...
The Airport Park Trail on Malletts Bay near Colchester traverses through Airport Park, making a loop around ball fields, a playground, tennis courts and open fields. Woodlands and nearby wetlands make...
The Bloomindale Bog Trail is located in the Adirondack Forest Preserve and is used by mountain bikers and hikers. The trail follows an old rail bed, and its southern segment runs through a bog....
This multi-use community trail is a hit with locals, and it appeals to visitorsespecially those with a yen for military history. Plattsburgh, New York, has figured in this country's war history from...
The Millstone Hill West Bike Path connects the charming communities of Graniteville and Websterville in central Vermont. The trail is part of the Central Vermont Path, a proposed trail network to...
The Intervale Trail in Burlington makes for a nice urban refuge from the city bustle. The trail traverses the bottomlands along the Winooski River through a farmland cooperative (the Intervale...
The South Barre Bike Path is a paved trail approximately 1 mile long, running from Bridge Street in south Barre to Fairview Street in Barre City. The path passes the Barre City Elementary and Middle...
The Williston Village Bike Path links neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping areas, and restaurants in the suburban town of Williston via a collection of connector trails. The eastern 1.2-mile...
Niquette Bay State Park has a series of trails, most of which are open to foot traffic and cross-country skiers only. Bikes are allowed on the Allen Trail, which runs between the parking area and the...
The Montpelier Recreation Path, which follows the Winooski River in downtown Montpelier, is currently divided into two paved pathways: Winooski West and Winooski East on either side of the North...
The Essex Bike Paths comprise two segments on the northeast side of Essex Junction Village, forming a spiderweb of paved routes throughout neighborhoods and a shopping mall near the intersection of...
Located in Burlington’s North End, 67-acre Ethan Allen Park has approximately 4 miles of woodland trails and smaller spurs, which create nested loops around the scenic park and offer views of the...
Niquette Bay State Park has a series of trails, most of which are open to foot traffic and cross-country skiers only. Bikes are allowed on the Allen Trail, which runs between the parking area and the...
Residents in South Burlington formed a grassroots coalition in the late 1980s to create a safer way to travel within Burlington’s extensive system of parks, schools, and neighborhoods. In the early...
Cambridge Greenway hugs the Lamoille River through the village of Jeffersonville in northern Vermont, about 30 miles northeast of Burlington. It is a four-season trail, popular with cross-country...
Though just under a mile, the Johnnie Brook Road Trail is an important link in the much-longer Cross Vermont Trail system, linking Richmond and Williston. To make that connection, you must use the...
The Marshall Avenue Bike Path provides a nice nonmotorized route for linking neighborhoods with shopping in the Burlington suburb of Williston. The trail runs between Maple Tree Place and S. Brownell...
The South Barre Bike Path is a paved trail approximately 1 mile long, running from Bridge Street in south Barre to Fairview Street in Barre City. The path passes the Barre City Elementary and Middle...
The Saranac Lake Recreational Path is a .52 mile rail with trail in the village of Saranac Lake. The path begins at Brandy Brook Avenue on the south side of the rail corridor that is used by the...
Although only a mile, the Swanton Recreation Path, completed in 2009, offers a scenic gravel pathway that includes a connection to the Swanton History Museum (a rehabilitated train station) and...
Located in Burlington’s North End, 67-acre Ethan Allen Park has approximately 4 miles of woodland trails and smaller spurs, which create nested loops around the scenic park and offer views of the...
The Millstone Hill West Bike Path connects the charming communities of Graniteville and Websterville in central Vermont. The trail is part of the Central Vermont Path, a proposed trail network to...
The Williston Village Bike Path links neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping areas, and restaurants in the suburban town of Williston via a collection of connector trails. The eastern 1.2-mile...
This multi-use community trail is a hit with locals, and it appeals to visitorsespecially those with a yen for military history. Plattsburgh, New York, has figured in this country's war history from...
The Means Woods Trail is a segment of the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM) and runs between Seminary Street Extension into Means Woods and the Aurora School off Peterson Terrace, east of the downtown...
Wright Park Trail forms a loop over nearly 4 miles (not all shown on the map) throughout the heavily wooded Wright Park. The White Circle Trail follows Otter Creek River, and along here you'll pass...
The Route 127 Path parallels State Route 127 between Ethan Allen Park and Manhattan Drive in Burlington's Old North End. The path links suburbs and parks, and passes by the Ethan Allen Homestead,...
Lake Champlain virtually laps at your feet for long sections of the 13.4-mile Island Line Rail Trail. Rolling through waterfront parks in Burlington and Colchester, the trail crosses the lake on a...
The Bloomindale Bog Trail is located in the Adirondack Forest Preserve and is used by mountain bikers and hikers. The trail follows an old rail bed, and its southern segment runs through a bog....
The Battell Woods Trail is a network of loops through the forest preserve, between US 7/SR 125 at the south end and Seminary Street Extension on the north end. The eastern-most segment of the trail...
The Arms Park Trails are a network of woodland paths in the park behind Burlington High School and the surrounding properties of Rock Point School and Vermont's Episcopal Diocese offices. Some of the...
The Montpelier Recreation Path, which follows the Winooski River in downtown Montpelier, is currently divided into two paved pathways: Winooski West and Winooski East on either side of the North...
Went the 22.7 miles on Hybrid bikes with my beautiful wife; she's 50 and I'm 55. Great trail but a bit rough for hybrid bikes. Beautiful vistas with ponds, pine trees and mountains in the background.
I love the rail trail. I walk 4 miles almost every day. But this year the trail is not being maintained as well as previous years. I walk mainly between mile marker 56 & 58. It has been mowed only once this year and it was a pretty bad job. Right now there is rag weed, Golden rod, queens lace and other weeds that cause people with allergies to flare up over 2 feet high. I actually have a terrible case of vertigo that my doctors feel has been caused by allergies. The mowing machine actually leaves a wide patch of unmowed area that I assume is a result of a damaged blade. This years maintenance has been a disappointment.
Since I left for college my home town of Burlington, Vermont has developed with thoughtful civic prosperity.
One element of this peaceful, intelligent town is vast improvement in the public interest of the spectacular waterfront along Lake Champlain ("The West Coast of New England"). World class facilities are taking shape on the edge of this iconic water that was once part of an inland sea. There is a deeply nuanced museum (ECHO) for families that interprets the wilderness that is the lake and its many tributaries. There is also a very nice skateboard park and open recreational spaces.
My dad and I chose the waterfront park as our starting point. This is a nicely paved section that rides fast and polite. Although I saw quite a few full dog waste bags along the sides of the trail I did not see any dogs in 22 miles of riding, and no waste on the trail.
Very quickly all signs of the city almost vanish and having escaped the shelter of the harbor breakwater one starts to notice the subtle sound of waves lapping against the beach to the west. April is a great time to ride this trail for the diversity of flora and fauna. The birds were spectacular.
We took a short break at North Beach and met up with my best friend of 40 years and continued our push to the North end of the causeway. He encouraged us to pause and absorb our sacred lake. When you grow up on a major body of water it dominates every fiber of your soul. The power of water cannot be underestimated. It's physical properties defy our best efforts to control it. Bowing in respect for this energy we established cadence and a pedal drive North.
The sky was cold sapphire blue. Also spectacular were the Ice formations that encased the west side of the causeway after we crossed the Winooski River on a rusty but happy Iron truss bridge.
What was spectacular in a relatively cold and slightly discouraging way was the 40mph cross wind we had to fight all the way to the winter terminus of the causeway. In summer there is a little pedestrian/bike ferry that jumps the old swing bridge gap and allows riders to access South Hero and Grand Isle.
Anyhow, we battled the wind at a 5 degree cant. All of us leaning into the wind and hoping it wouldn't throw us in the lake or on to the causeway fill off the side of the (very nice) smooth cinder trail. There is no easy emergency exit at any point on the causeway. You are almost guaranteed a trip to the hospital if you wipe out and go off the trail. Please be very careful on the Causeway, especially with children. There is a lot of opportunity for self destruction caused(wayed;-) by inattention.
The thrill is entirely worth the ride, even with unfavorable wind. Our views of the Greens and the Dacks and the birds and the islands and the the the...
You get it.
It is a wilderness experience in the city.
We eventually reached the swing bridge pier. Staring out over the north country virtually speechless for the privilege of the experience. Reconciliation of my relationship with Burlington...with my childhood.
I now know that I do not need to worry about returning to my birth home. Hiding out west for 28 years gave me perspective on what I left behind. What I see in my home state is the prospect of adventure, and I hope to get back a bit more frequently in the next 28 years. When I moved West I found sanctuary in the vast wilderness, climate diversity and sparse population centers. It was a huge change from living in the Northeast.
Now, the Northeast has changed dramatically. The population has embraced technology and the impending, changing future. Everything seems fresh with fresher on the way soon. New open space is becoming accessible every day. It is inspiring to see how the communities of New England have embraced their history, and continue to innovate without forgetting the cultures that led to the development of the region.
When I used to run this trail for cross country, skiing, and track in high school, it was unrefined. Now it is becoming a capstone of the Burlington waterfront. The surfaces are much better than they used to be. The vision is forward. North, South, East and West. There is no reason that Vermont cannot be completely connected by rail-trail and bike paths and rural roads. Forward is the direction of bicycles.
As we returned to my dads house I reflected on my 28 years absence from bicycling in Vermont. At 5 years old my dad bought me my first bike, a chopper with a banana seat. It was yellow. A few wrecks in the driveway and I was off in to traffic. I never felt so liberated, such freedom. We moved to the city because my dad didn't want to commute by car. He rode his bike or walked to work almost every day of his teaching career. I know where my half my heart came from.
BMX came in fast and I couldn't afford a new bike in that era because my family moved to Europe and that was expensive. When we returned BMX was losing popularity so I (my Dad) bought a Peugot road bike. I road that bike on what was called the "Burlington Bike Path" hundreds of miles. I road all over town on that bike for four years.
Then along came mountain bikes. By this point I was working almost full time, so I was able to save enough money to buy a Specialized Rock Hopper Comp (forest service green) 1988. I still ride it, and it is worth considerably more than the 689USD I paid for it. Best bike ever. I rode that one in Vermont, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico and Idaho. Now, I think Carmen is slowly moving towards retirement. It is hard to retire a bike. That bike took me from high school to prosperity. Not the same thing as putting down a loyal pet, but that bike was my wingman in the early years of my adulthood.
So, back in Burlington...pre-ride. I have no bike. I flew out so it just made more sense to rent one one in Burlington.
I am weak, so I just wandered into my favorite outdoor store, found a very well priced (gravel grinder) crossover and bought it. The staff were almost jealous. Everyone had their eye on this bike. Now I have to justify it to my wife.
Truth be told I bought it for selfish reasons--I wanted it. Secondary is my justification, which is sincere. Health.
My dad is 75. 76 this July. He had no problem riding the 22 miles in 6 degree 40mph wind. I have two sisters that have four boys total, all between age 10 and 14. All about as tall as I am. Between my sisters and their spouses, and the nephews, there are 8 people who can ride this bike with my dad.
It is a chance to bond and breathe a bit too. This bike is bigger than any of us.
The Island Line Trail is a work in progress in the context of the greater effort to connect our continent with smooth, car free cycle zones. Imagine, if I didn't need to own a car I could easily take an extra month off each year, and travel by bike to Vermont. Each time I would buy another bike and still be money ahead to eat at many fine restaurants along the way.
My only fear is the mid west. 1000 miles of mono-culture, and it runs 1000 miles north south too. There is no escape from the swing of catharsis and boredom in these situations. Perhaps a quick stop in Colorado is required before dropping into America's skateboard ramp. If you don't use your breaks you can roll clear to the Mississippi.
Just kidding.
I hope the larger message has come across in this post. I wish for all bicycle enthusiasts to see it as a venue for maintaining quality of relationships with friends and family until health eclipses intention. Until that impasse I will try to keep all of my loved ones active.
Peace
I followed the itinerary on Traillink.com pretty much with one exception. I spent the second and third nights in Enosburg Falls at the 1906 House, a lovely newly renovated B&B in the center of town.
This is a great trail, but I suppose it is not for people who don't like crushed stone surfaces, which is practically all the trails I have ever traveled on in New England.
I give this a five for scenery and good trail conditions. The river, mountains, small towns, and the good food at the Maple City diner. We rode it both ways and there are lots of geocaches along the way. The eastern section is more open with fields and mountains. The western section is more shaded. Again, we find very few bathrooms along the rail/trails.
This trail is one of our all-time favorites because of the section through the lake. Even the short ferry ride was interesting. Cannot believe how scenic, and Burlington was so neat. If I would have one negative thing to say - so few bathrooms.
I love this bike trail. It is a great resource for commuting and recreation in Colchester and Burlington. I want to share some updates on the construction. Burlington Parks & Recreation continues work on their major renovation project for this trail. The section that was done in Phase 1 is awesome. The paved 11' wide path is flanked on either side by 2' of aggregate material for runners.
Phase 2 is well under way. Paving starts September 12. Since June, there has been a detour along North Ave to bypass the section from Shore Road to North Ave Extension. The detour will be in a different section starting mid-September.
https://enjoyburlington.com/burlington-greenway-phase-2/
Updated Project Schedule:
Early Sept: Intersection reconstruction phase 2a
Mid Sept: Paving from Shore Rd. to Winooski River Bridge
Late Sept: Set up detour for Phase 2b (North Beach Campground to Shore Rd.)
Early Oct: Phase 2a (Northern section from Shore Road to Winooski River Bridge) OPENS, Phase 2b CLOSES (southern section from North Beach to Shore Road)
Mid Nov: Paving Phase 2b
Coming from the causeway - North Ave at the water treatment plant. Have to ride on North Ave for a couple of miles - either on road or sidewalk. Plenty of signs letting you know where to go.
Well used rail trail - a lot of walkers down by the skate park and waterfront park.
I have ridden this trail with a hybrid bike every August for many years since my wife's grandfather built a cabin on Lake Groton 106 years ago. No problem. The section along Lake Groton has a few rocks sticking up in the tread-way so keep your eyes peeled. Yesterday there were two trees across the trail but bike could be lifted over. It is nice territory, take your time and enjoy. Youker
We walked from Berts Boats up to the Back inTime antique store. It was six miles to and from.
The construction mentioned in previous reviews is now complete.
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