Find the top rated trails in Swanton, 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.
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 Stowe Recreation Path meanders along West Branch River, past beautiful farms and through some wooded sections. The trail crosses the creek at 10 different places along the route. There are benches...
The Williston Bike Paths provide off-road routes throughout the village for linking schools, neighborhoods, parks and some shopping. The various segments themselves are not linked to one another but...
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...
One of New England's most visited and spectacular rail-trails, the Island Line Trail (formerly known as the Burlington Bikeway) skirts the waterfront in the hip college town of Burlington, strings...
The South Burlington Recreation Path forms a network of paved trails throughout the city. From urban landscapes to countryside views, the paths offer a variety for commuters and recreationists alike....
Ethan Allen Park has more than 4 miles of woodland trails, making nested loops around the scenic park and offering views of the Green Mountains. The Adirondacks and Lake Champlain are visible from 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...
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...
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 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 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 Lamoille Valley Rail Trail is a growing trail network across northern Vermont that will one day stretch 93 miles between St. Johnsbury and Swanton. When finished, the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail,...
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...
The Stowe Recreation Path meanders along West Branch River, past beautiful farms and through some wooded sections. The trail crosses the creek at 10 different places along the route. There are benches...
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 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...
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 Williston Bike Paths provide off-road routes throughout the village for linking schools, neighborhoods, parks and some shopping. The various segments themselves are not linked to one another but...
The Beebe Spur is a scenic 4-mile rail-trail running from northern Vermont’s Newport towards the Canadian border. It follows Lake Memphremagog for most of the way, offering outstanding views of the...
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 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...
One of New England's most visited and spectacular rail-trails, the Island Line Trail (formerly known as the Burlington Bikeway) skirts the waterfront in the hip college town of Burlington, strings...
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...
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...
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...
The main Shelburne Bay Rec Path runs for a little more than a mile between the parking lot on Bay Road and the Lake Champlain Yacht Club. Additional paths lead through the woods to the lake (Allen...
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 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...
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,...
Ethan Allen Park has more than 4 miles of woodland trails, making nested loops around the scenic park and offering views of the Green Mountains. The Adirondacks and Lake Champlain are visible from 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...
Winding northeast from St. Albans to Richford, just south of the Vermont–Québec border, the Missisquoi Valley Rail-Trail affords visitors direct access to northwest Vermont dairy country. In winter,...
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 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 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...
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 Beebe Spur is a scenic 4-mile rail-trail running from northern Vermont’s Newport towards the Canadian border. It follows Lake Memphremagog for most of the way, offering outstanding views of the...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
The main Shelburne Bay Rec Path runs for a little more than a mile between the parking lot on Bay Road and the Lake Champlain Yacht Club. Additional paths lead through the woods to the lake (Allen...
The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail is a growing trail network across northern Vermont that will one day stretch 93 miles between St. Johnsbury and Swanton. When finished, the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail,...
The Williston Bike Paths provide off-road routes throughout the village for linking schools, neighborhoods, parks and some shopping. The various segments themselves are not linked to one another but...
The South Burlington Recreation Path forms a network of paved trails throughout the city. From urban landscapes to countryside views, the paths offer a variety for commuters and recreationists alike....
Ethan Allen Park has more than 4 miles of woodland trails, making nested loops around the scenic park and offering views of the Green Mountains. The Adirondacks and Lake Champlain are visible from 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...
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,...
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...
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...
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.
We truly love this trail and probably would have rated it a 5 if there was at least one bathroom. Also, there was a little confusion about parking. Saw the biggest snapper turtle ever. Estimate that it was 18" broad and 32" long.
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.
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.
My wife and I went from St. J to West Danville and back, using most of a somewhat cool late June afternoon/early evening to do so.
For nature, the many bedrock cuts are now beautiful niches, typically with an abundance of ferns. The wetlands, however, at the West Danville terminal were the highlight of the trip. Look for the "swamp camp".
A reviewer expressed concern about maintenance. I am happy to report the vegetation neatly trimmed on the sides with no grass encroachment on the trail. The gravel surface is in excellent shape.
The views are good for a rail trail, with a rather large opening to the south in Danville. Missing a star due to the somewhat scary route 2 crossings and the somewhat scarce latrines or formal rest/picnic areas. Only 2 are marked on the official map available at lvrt.org.
A gentle but consistent railroad grade makes for good exercise on the outbound trip, and easy downhill on the way back. Excellent surfacing and trail maintenance. Shaded enough to do at noon on a hot day, but with open stretches where more things can be seen besides trailside flora. Beautiful 19th c. deep rock cuts and 21st c. tunnels under highways are like going into air conditioning!
I have been aware of this trail for years, but have never walked or cycled this trail until this week. On Sunday, 6/25/2017, my partner Sue and I walked the trail 2/3 of the way, when threatening skies and the sound of thunder turned us around back to Newport (we just made it back before the cloudburst!).
Two days later I took my folding bike back to the trail (Sue was working), and rode the whole trail (and yes, was rained on again!). But this trail is wonderful, the surface is a good hard pack now (someone said it was bad in a previous review). There was some grass growing through on the northern portion, but the trail was still excellent in my opinion.
Starting in Newport (parking available for the trail at the adjacent hospital - there are signs), the trail runs through a wooded section for about a mile, then opens up to wonderful views of Lake Memphremagog and the distant mountains of Vermont and Canada. There are several homes, but most of them are on the east side of the trail away from the shore, even though they do have their cabanas, docks, gazebos etc on the west side of the trail. The last mile becomes a mix of woods and fields until you reach the end of the trail at North Derby Road.
At the end of the trail, you have the option to turn right and head to the Border Station in Derby and continue your ride into Canada onto the 19km Tomifobia Nature Rail-Trail in Quebec - the trail is the same railroad bed as the Beebe Spur Trail, as a matter of fact, the trail is straight ahead just 100 feet through the overgrowth at the end of the Beebe Spur Trail - but you must go to the Border Check Station (there's a sign with the needed info at the end of the Beebe Spur Trail)
Overall, it's a short trail - but what a variety it offers, just watch out for those rain showers - I was rained on both days!
Great path that is paved and well maintained. Easy bike riding where you can also walk/run. Beautiful little area as you ride through woods, pass by fields, and cross over bridges. You ride over and around a nice little creek. Bike path also rides by several of Stowe's good restaurants who all have bike racks and outdoor seating. A must do if in the area!!
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