Find the top rated bike trails in South Burlington, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The part between Saranac and about 3 miles south of Floodwood (where the lakes begin/end) is the best. I thought Saranac to Placid was comparatively boring, although Placid is a must-see tourist town if in the area. The climb up to Placid at the end is worth noting. I did out and back, for reference.
We rode the first 16 miles of the trail from St Albans. The trail was in perfect shape and completely lovely
My wife and I rode this trail between the Echo all the way to the ferry and back, and we would have ridden the ferry if we didn't need to get back to return our bikes to the rental shop. Clear skies, temperatures in the low 80s, and we had a great time, even forgetting that we were lacking sleep after issues with flights. We hope to try it again some day when we wont feel so rushed.
A great ride through boreal forest of the Canadian Shield geological formation! I did an out-and -back from Tupper Lake (the largest trailhead parking lot I’ve ever seen!) to Lake Placid. The trail is in great condition- packed crushed gravel except for a short paved section east of Saranac Lake. The trailheads all have portable toilets. There is a temporary trailhead at Lake Placid as a new one is under construction.
A good portion of the trail runs through deep forest but there are plenty of areas where the views open up, usually associated with the many ponds and lakes.
This one is a gem!
There is a new trailhead with parking for about 20 cars near the west end of the trail (Swanton end) where the trail crosses Robin Hood Dr. better option than the Park & Ride a few blocks away which has fewer parking spots and several trailers stored in the lot.
Trail has enough Snow to Ski and Snowshoe. Must remove Skis and Snowshoe to go through Tunnels and Cross Roads.
This Trail has been all redone we started at Ricker pond and went to Kettle pond was so much fun the views were amazing
This trail is finally completed and is one of the best rail-trails I have ever ridden. It connects the communities of Tupper Lake, Lake Clear, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. It's extremely popular, taking you through remote wooded areas with lake vistas, and just enough community connections for you to pick up a coffee, beer or sandwich along the way. It's still a work in progress with more signs, benches, tables and rest areas yet to be completed, but it's a diamond in the rough, and sure to be in the Rails to Trails "Hall of Fame" in the future!
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.
We did this trail yesterday! It was so much fun! Lots to see and do! Do forget to bring cash for the ferry
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.
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