What skiing and boarding used to be...., before hedge funds and satanic corporations bent on…read moreextracting every penny from the public went on acquiring the vast majority of ski areas. Middlebury still has the mojo. It still has the customer service. It still has the small town ambiance. Still a place where kids can get dropped off by mom and dad to have fun. We came here through Indy Pass, the multi-resort pass that honors and supports independent ski areas. What a joy We got here and it was evident we were going to have a great time. No crowds. The customer service people were just super. A couple of skiers gave us points on where to go. The place has glades galore. A couple of the best runs can be pushers and so is the top transition between the two mountain side terrains. Other than one or the main runs used for racing and therefore groomed accordingly from top to bottom, some of the rest were groomed but still leaving plenty of room for ungroomed runs and natural skiing. We got there at 9:30 and had freshies and powder to suit us. Their cafeteria is small but plenty for the place. Truly a congenial and old school ski area. May it multiply to bring the best experience to every skier and rider.

Wowwww. I loved this lil mountain. One of the last remaining holdouts that hasn't been usurped by…read moreevil-company-that-shall-not-be-named, & you can literally feel it in the air when you get there. The vibes are so good. I can't even remember the last time I got a hand-written lift ticket - I laughed out loud when I got mine! It was only $55 for a half day which was 1 PM to 4 PM. That would be like one bazillion dollars if it was run by evil-company-that-shall-not-be-named. A pass for an ENTIRE day (9 AM to 9 PM) is $75 on non-peak days & $85 on peak days. That would be like fifteen bazillion dollars if it was run by evil-company-that-shall-not-be-named. I went to Middlebury Snowbowl with two friends, both of whom needed to rent gear. The attendants in the rental shop were super friendly & fun to converse with, & my friends were both geared up (snowboard & skis respectively) for a sensible $50, helmet included. It was time for me to put my teaching chops to the test, so we tackled the bunny hill first. It was equipped with a magic carpet thingamajig & had the perfect amount of slope for beginners - Not too flat so that you have to scootch uncomfortably to get any speed, & not too steep that it's intimidating for a newbie. We made excellent progress! My BFF/student was ready to tackle the chairlift, so that's where we went next. We asked the liftie if he could slow the lift down, since it was my friend's very first time riding a chairlift - & on a snowboard, which is even scarier! He gave us an evil grin, reminding me of Scar from the Lion King, & I swear he SPED the chairlift up. No matter. We made it work. So we took the Sheehan Chair up & the Lang Trail down. The best conditions I've ever seen? Absolutely not. Still very much enjoyable? Absolutely. After our tired & very accomplished newbie retired to the lodge, my skier friend & I explored the other side of the mountain using the Worth Mtn. Chair. Not as good! Many ice patches! Many flat spots! I even had to unstrap & basically ice skate across a flat sheet of frozen terrain at one point. We went back to the original side of the mountain & ran Lang & Kelton a few times to cleanse our palettes. We retired just before 4 PM, feeling incredibly satisfied & like our money was well spent. The whole experience honestly made me a bit emotional. Bear with me here. For me & so many other people, snowboarding has become almost inaccessible. I started at Yawgoo Valley (shout out Yawgoons) in 2011 on borrowed gear & a dream. For years after, I just made it work. I slept on couches, took 5 AM busses, saved up my paychecks to buy season passes, waited in line for Burton warehouse sales, rocked FLOW BINDINGS (ew) until they snapped, & generally just lived the snowboard bum lifestyle. I snowboarded, like really snowboarded, all the time. That's basically impossible now. It's not ONLY the fault of evil-company-that-shall-not-be-named, it's also the fault of the commodification of the entire industry, with a generous sprinkle of isms. That's why the SPARK is gone. That's why it costs more & not only do you GET less, you FEEL less. When an industry defined by "bum culture" is now financially, logistically, & socially impossible for bums to partake, what happens? It becomes a ghost of what it once was. If you've made it this far in my review/rant/diary entry, I commend you. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Shoutout Middlebury Snowbowl, I will definitely be coming back.

Met a great friend there after an hours travel. Although the trip to Pico adds another 20 minutes…read moreto my schedule, it was well worth it. Pico is a separate part of Killington Resort with a primarily local clientele and devoid of the road raging attitudes of some of the visitors. It has a genuinely New England vibe from the parking lot all the way to the top of the mountain. The parking lots have plenty of space. The main lodge has a New England functional vibe, a bit rough and that's how people like it. Once on the slopes, the trails tend to be very New England, with narrow trails, plenty of tight tree glades, and one high speed with the rest of the lifts being fixed quads. Sking Pico is a pleasure. It may not have the vertical of Killington, with just under 2,000 at Pico and 3,000 at Killington. But what it lacks in vertical it more than makes up in customer experience. Killington's ethos is "The Beast", loud, boisterous, gargantuan.... Pico is the exact opposite. Quiet, friendly, local, sedate. Ambassadors and Ski Patrol will assist you anywhere. The food at the cafeteria doesn't have a French name but it's wholesome, hearty, tasty. Loooooong ago, there was a move to connect Killington and Pico with cross trails to each. Massive local opposition and ecological issues put a kabash on the idea. As a result, Pico is next to Killington but it's another world in ski experience.

This place is a masterclass in neglect. The ski infrastructure is severely dilapidated, outdated,…read moreand constantly breaking down. Lifts stop, crawl, or fail outright. The lifties are nice, but they're stuck managing equipment that should've been replaced years ago. Reddit skiers have been saying the same thing for years: "lifts constantly down," "painfully slow," and "not worth the ticket price." Many warn you'll spend more time waiting than skiing. Alta has zero incentive to invest with Killington right up the road doing everything better. Calling this a "ski resort" is generous. If you value your time or money, drive by and keep going.

We enjoyed our stay at the Mountain Top Resort, and attended a wedding on site. This property is…read morelocated in Chittenden which might be convenient during the winter ski season, but we found it a bit out of the way and not very close to much. Rutland is the closest town. About the property, it is nice and seems well cared for and has beautiful views of the reservoir and surrounding mountains. Rooms are a bit dated, but clean. All the staff we met were very friendly. We had a chance to eat dinner at the restaurant on site and we were pleasantly surprised at the caliber of the food, well above standard "hotel" dining. This carried through to the food which was served to us at the wedding, again well above what we expected. There are a variety of activities available, but we felt that the property didn't quite rise to the "resort" bar. Again, winter might be completely different.

Wow, a $450 resort fee for 2 people for 3 nights. What a a rip off!! Keep away from this place! Of…read morecourse they did Not tell us when we booked the room!! Terrible policy!! Stay elsewhere, not worth it!!!

Always a pleasure to go here to swim cook an just enjoy freedom outside with family fun an food…read more Love going here it always brings back childhood memories. Used to come here as a kid now get the chance to bring the new families here to enjoy the same kind of entertainment. What a pleasure.

We had a great time at the beach! There is also a playground, but my guys didn't get out of the…read morewater. There was also a large area so that my fiancé & his friends could play horseshoes. My only problem was that they didn't have a lot of sizes left for their t shirts at the gift shop, but it was mid August when we were there. It didn't stop me from buying a bunch of stuff from them. We'll definitely be back next year!

Breathtaking views and great gondola experience…read more Plenty of parking available. Gondola pass can be purchased in the shop. Restrooms are here as well. Takes about 10-15 minutes to get from bottom to top or vice versa. At the top there is a half mile loop to ascend to the mountain peak. It can cycle between sun and rain quite frequently, especially when we went. The loop is quite rocky so please watch your steps. There is also a peak lodge there with restroom and place to eat. There are also additional routes to walk down from the top

I am really enjoying Killington more and more. Every spring I now look forward to just to still ski…read moreuntil as late as possible. Skiing opening day this year too set the tone for the season. This past visit I was absolutely thrilled with the lift crew on Bear Mountain. I think they enjoyed my company as much as I did theirs. The fresh snow made it easy to ski all day. Minimal stoppage as I wanted to ski a marathon and then some, successfully accomplished. Looking forward to my next upcoming visits.

Beautiful park with a small beach, kayak and paddleboard rentals, snack shack, restrooms,…read moreplayground, and volleyball court. Spent hours here on a multi-family trip and everyone had a great day. Being bug spray because there are lots of biting flies.

This park has a nice big beach area and lots of picnic tables where you can sit and enjoy the…read moresurroundings. There's plenty of parking nearby. The staff here was especially friendly.

Location is easy to access. The campground is spotless. The owners are hard workers! Picked up…read morefresh cut steaks at Floyd's Store and they did not disappoint!

" A very well maintained Lake Champagne Resort at the top of a mountain with spectacular…read morepanoramic views . We visited at the end of the season but felt invited by the welcoming office staff. The 'camping knolls' called campsites all along the green grass hillside are not traditional to your average campground but welcomed. Take an adventure away from the hustle & bustle next season on #NHPIAT's #1 rated campground of 2020." Pulling It All Together hauls RV's throughout New England. Out of all the ones we've seen, this is #1. We will be back for camping with our family for sure.

Gifford Woods State Park is a great location for hikers (or any visitor to the Killington area for…read morethat matter) to bunk for a couple of nights. The park hosts 4 cabins, 22 tent/RV sites, and 21 lean-to sites located around two paved/well-maintained dirt roads on the premises. It appears to be open Memorial Day weekend to late October. It is a breeze to find, easily located just off Route 100. The Appalachian Trail runs right through the park so you may catch a glimpse of some thru-hikers on their journey between Maine and Georgia! The park is very well-maintained! The campsite was neatly raked, the fire pit cleaned out for use. I stayed at campsite #1 and it was quite spacious...a bit further removed from the road than the other campsites. The whole site was marked out with a fine gravel, plenty of room for parking and maneuvering the car. Each road loop contains modern bathrooms and coin-operated hot showers. There are areas for picnicking, volleyball, horseshoes, trash/recycling, and drinking water. Kent Pond is just across the way complete with boat launch and fishing! Booking and check-in were a breeze for this location. I called 10 days before our intended arrival and got a site no problem. On arrival, the ranger at the park office was very friendly and sold us firewood and ice straight from there. If you need any assistance during off-hours, the ranger lives in a cute house attached to the park office. They encouraged us to knock on the door at any time if we needed help. The campsite is pet-friendly and I came across quite a few well-behaved dogs during my stay. Quiet hours are from 10pm-7am. The park itself is pretty quiet all day long... I heard nothing but birds chirping, trees rustling, and a bit less-welcoming: the traffic from Route 100. This didn't bother me so much since I generally wear earplugs to sleep but something to consider if you prefer a more rustic atmosphere when camping. Tent sites are between $20-$22/night, $27-$29 for a lean-to site, and $50 for cabins. There is a 2-night minimum for reservations. Affordable, clean, convenient... I would definitely stay here again!

I stayed in the cabin moose and it was absolutely terrific! Very clean and spacious. The ceiling…read morefan kept us cool even during late summer heat. The bathrooms and showers were also very clean (just remember to bring quarters because you do have to pay for showers). There's lovely restaurants and nearby day hikes. 10/10!