Explore the best rated trails in Waterbury, VT, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Warren to East Haverhill Railroad Grade Trail and Blackmount Rail Trail . With more than 34 trails covering 372 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.
Our plan was to start in Morrissville and camp at Elmore Campground. Park the car in Morrisville due to numerous overnight parking opportunities in Municipal lots and the 600 ft climb to the campground. We rode east to Sugar Ridge Campground ~43 miles. after about 6 miles elevation went up ~2-3% for seemingly 20 miles to about Greensboro Bend. Trail goes downward for ~6 miles then flattens. Access the rear of the Campground from the Trail. No campground sign. The turn off is at the Green Danville 1.4 mile sign. easy to miss. Food sources are in Hardwick(sizeable town just off the trail), Hastings Gen Store/Deli in West Danville on the trail, Restaurants in Danville 1/5 mi from trail, very lg convenience market at Irving Gas Station seen from the Trail east of Danville. Trail was mostly hard cinder and some hard dirt. No trail camping, water, infrequent porto johns, signage was lacking except mile markers. The trail was mostly shaded with some very nice views. We saw one bear cub, otherwise wildlife was lacking except some hawks and other birds. The campgrounds were good with flush toilets. We missed the detours west of St Johnsbury. Another detour added a little mileage and hills on local farm roads. We needed to walk one hill on the detour.
The second part was to get to the car and drive to Elmore lake campground and camp. The next day we were to ride to Carmi Lake campground off the Missiquoi Rail Trail. Due to a Medical Emergency with my co rider, I rode sections west of Morrisville without gear by myself. I rode to Cambridge Jct. A nice place to rest. A train depot was there ,a playground and a covered bridge. Locals frequented it. Cambridge was off the trail with services. The trail was fast, flat and scenic and more in the open thru farmland. Services were lacking.
The next day I rode out and back on the Missiquoi from St Albans for a total of 35 miles. I turned onto the Lamoille when they intersected. The ride was nice but noneventful. Great scenery at various points especially on the Lamoille. Trail quality was very good and fast (Hard packed Cinder). Really no services. Some of those 2-3% grades. We had Gravel bikes with 43 and 45 mm tires. Tires on the trails with >38 mm would be fine due to some sections of loose sand.
It appears as though the trail is still a work in progress. It looks as though the repair of the washed out sections is using up resources that would have gone to railings, signage, benches, repair stations etc. A fair number of locals use the Trails. The trail often follows the scenic Lamoille River. Morrisville is a very nice town with all the services a traveler would want, including a hospital. Overall the trail is very nice and I am glad I rode as much as I did. Hopefully the Cross New Hampshire Trail is next.
Starting at the rocket site in Warren there was heavy ATV traffic kicking up enough dust to make the bike ride less enjoyable than it would be w/o them. The section from GlenCliff to E.Haverill where ATVs are not allowed is heavily overgrown and could really use a fully groomed makeover. We ride gravel bikes not mountain bikes and bailed out onto Rt 118 partway along due to poor trail conditions. Scenic corridor with untapped potential if given some tender love and care.
After reading most of the recent reviews, I was not expecting much from this trail. But I figured that at worst, I'd ride a few miles and get breakfast. To make a long story short, I rode 17 miles before deciding that I'd better head back for the car.
To be sure, this is not a trail for casual biking or road bikes. The surface is really irregular and you do have to watch where you are going. But with a gravel or mountain bike, it is doable and 100% enjoyable. And though all of the ORV drivers were polite, and there weren't many the day I rode, I'll admit that it would have been even more pleasant without them.
I'm old and have only been riding for a couple of months. So if I can enjoy it, anyone should be able to.
I rode the entire trail over two days. The part near St. Albans that has been fully refurbished is very nice. Much of the trail has "closed" signs posted at road crossings, but many of those sections are not actively under construction, and almost all of them are passable. The repair crew I met up with kindly told me where to detour onto Rte 105 and where to rejoin the trail. The part that has not yet been resurfaced is sub par, no more than a cow path or just mown grass in some places. The good news is that the entire trail is scheduled to be resurfaced during the 2025 construction season, according to the Vermont Rail Trails website. Right now there are numerous, poorly marked crossings of Rte 105, which is quite busy, with cars and large trucks traveling at high speeds. Hopefully, better signage and flashing lights will be installed at all crossings.
The Lamoille Trail is far superior if you only have time for one ride in the St. Albans area.
I’m glad I didn’t believe a lot of past reviews. This trail is great. Very smooth and a beautiful ride. I highly recommend it!
Highly recommend. Parked at the south end, Oakledge Park. Made wrong turn to start so ended up downtown - there’s so many trails it’s hard to follow “bike path” signs and always be on the right one. Easily got back on near the harbor. Consider weekday if you can. It was pretty busy on a Friday so I imagine weekends are worse. After taking the ferry across ($10 donation requested, Venmo or cash), biked around 3 miles inland to farm stand for lunch at The Hive.
Enjoyed the trail on a sunny June day with temperatures in the low 60's! It does get crowded near the waterfront, but the trail is wide enough that it never became an issue. We loved the views of Lake Champlain and also some of the beautiful houses that are next to the trail. It's a very level ride. More riders than walkers on the day we were there. Every bit of this trail offers something new. One of the most entertaining trails I've ever ridden.
An enjoyable ride, but like a few reviewers have said, you have to work a little for it. 11 bridges on the 5.3 mile trail and if you meet a rider going the other way it's a tight fit. It can be crowded. But the combination of wildlife, views and nice restaurants and shops is really hard to beat. Just bring some patience. The people I encountered were all really friendly...but there was a lot of them. It's a trail well worth a visit.
love this trail and am really looking forward to more good-weather days ahead. I managed to get out for a ride this afternoon after a quick rain shower moved through, and it turned out to be a decent day. Despite the recent rain—and even snow just two days ago—the trail was in great shape between Highgate and Fairfield. I rode 15 miles out and back for a total of 30 miles. Smooth ride, beautiful scenery, and well-maintained conditions. Can’t wait to be back out there again soon! Better weather is coming…
We rode out to the ferry on Sunday Sept 1, 2004, which was a very warm beautiful day. The causeway was too crowded to do anything other than ride single-file each way, with few opportunities to pass. User 'daniellefort' was correct about weekends but also correct about the nice little beach bar which we hit on the way back and that was wonderful on our hot day.
The trail is beautiful ... and there are three trees that were blown down a few days ago. Clearing them out requires a chainsaw or a group of strong people. It is possible to walk around them. If possible, I will post some photos. It's unfortunate that I see no way of communicating this directly to the State of Vermont.
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