We did a quick 15-min hike to the falls and got a somewhat-slippery though gorgeous view of the…read morepowerful falls and all the ways the water has shaped and smoothed the rocks. Loved the up-close view of it all and the shade of the forest. 5 stars!!!!

So glad we did the short but somewhat challenging hike to see these during our visit to Stowe -…read moretotally worth it. We parked at the trailhead (plenty of space on a weekday afternoon). Had to be careful on the rocks but on the whole doable. Wasn't brave enough to jump into the waters but you could. No restrooms that we saw so plan accordingly.

Smuggler's Notch State Park provides hiking, camping, nature programs, and mountain biking…read more Smuggler's Notch Park got its name because In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson passed an embargo act forbidding American trade with Great Britain and Canada. This was a severe hardship for northern Vermonters, since Montreal was closer than other markets in the US. Many local people continued illegal trade with Canada, herding cattle and carrying other goods through the Notch. Later, fugitive slaves used the Notch as an escape route to Canada. During the Prohibition years, liquor was smuggled from Canada over the improved road built in 1922. My mother and I just rode through and it was miles of the park with different areas to explore. The we're many hikers and explorers out. All I can say is the mountains are beautiful and the atmosphere is amazing. I would definitely want to come back in fall to see the trees change colors.

I love this twisty road! The spring is a must stop for a drink of water literally flowing out of…read morethe mountain. It's usually gorgeous in the fall but we missed the leaves this year. There are plenty of places to stop and hike along the notch. It's really a beautiful place.

Such an amazing hike! Me and my family do it every time we visit VT. It's moderate to challenging…read moredepending on your physical fitness and athletic capabilities. Takes around 2 hours. Great length. Definitely uphill most of the way to the top but SO worth it for the view. Incredible summit. It's also easy to navigate because it's an out and back and the trail is very well marked. There's also a second parking lot a bit higher up if you want to do a shorter version of this hike.

Stowe Pinnacle Trail is a quick hike but strenuous in some parts. Towards the top there is a…read moreserious incline which can be tricky if it rained/snowed recently. Took us around 2hrs round trip and the steep incline really got the blood pumping. If you reach the top you are rewarded with a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. I highly recommend!

100% recommend this walking/bike path…read more Round trip, our bike ride was just about 10.5 miles. Along the way we passed a small memorial garden, athletic fields, an indoor public pool, restaurants, benches, a gazebo over looking the river and trash cans for your dog waste. At the other end, is a covered bridge just at the entrance to that parking area. There are several parking areas along the route with picnic tables and port-a-johns. Trails are kept in good conditiin. Lots of wooden brudges criss-cross the river. These are barely wide enough to pass pedestrians on a bike and most have an incline on both ends. This trail is in no way mostly flat. Our way out was an incline. Sometimes slight, sometimes more. The way back was *way* quicker and easier. Parking at this end is paved. Other lots along the way are a mix of dirt and paved. Signs trail side state to stop at road crossings and walk your bicycle across. Pedestrians and bicycles stay to the right. Let pedestrians, and other cyclists, know you are passing them. On-leash dog friendly.

The best hike of our whole trip to Vermont! Hardly took any photos because I was so in-the-peace of…read moreit all. Heavenly walk through the backside of Stowe, a paved nature path through meadows and woods and fields. So picturesque on even what started as a cold, rainy morning that became sunny and bright. A highlight of our trip and a good 4 miles (walked 2 miles each way). Can't wait to walk this again one day. 5 stars!!!!

Beautiful hidden gem in Elmore. Reasonable rental rates for peddle boats, kayaks, canoes and…read morestand-up paddle boards. Admission was $5/person. Indoor restrooms with space to change. Beautiful views, calm water and clean spots to lay your blankets and chairs. Carry in/ carry out, so having a garbage bag with you is helpful. Hours were 10am-dusk.

A great park about 20 minutes north of Stowe featuring a large lake and both a sandy beach and a…read moregrassy area behind it with a few shaded spots and picnic tables. Restroom facilities right next to beach. They also offer rentals for the water as well as hiking and camping. Fee to enter varies by # of adults ($4 per) and kids 4-13 ($2). Of similar spots I've visited, this is my favorite.

Ausable Chasm, NY - billing itself as "the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks" is a shamelessly…read moreambitious boast for an attraction that I'd more accurately describe as Watkins Glen with the consumer interface of Bushkill Falls, but there's no denying Ausable Chasm is a fun, scenic, and daring adventure for all ages! We came during the off season at the end of April, before the more high thrills activities like rafting & tubing, riverwalk, Via Ferrata adventure trail, rappelling, rock climbing, etc. were open for the season (usually around late-May to June through autumn). That was no problem as we are visiting with our toddler who isn't old enough to do most of these activities anyway, and, as we discovered, it was actually perfect and to our advantage, since as first-time visitors we only wanted/had time to explore the chasm itself. And as there were very few other visitors on a weekday, it was as if we had this private park all to ourselves! No need to jostle for views/photos, can enjoy lunch & snacks at the best picnic tables by vista points, and it's also more pleasant than hiking in hot summer, though many of the trails are shaded. The basic "trails only" admission is about $20 for adults & teens, $12 for kids 5-12, and free for under 5. All the other activities have additional fees, which can add up so you might explore packages, or even stay overnight at their campground & cabins. We are a family of hikers so wanted to do the whole perimeter and see the entire gorge (about 2 miles). But if you only wish to see the exciting parts and leave time for other activities, then you can turn back halfway and do the shorter loop (1 mile if you do the Inner Sanctum Trail which I 100% recommend as this is the "signature" trail along the canyon's edge. But note it has many stairs up & down). We took the Inner Sanctum (yellow) trail, crossed over to Big Dry Chasm and hiked to the Whirlpool Basin Overlook at other end, then looped back around on the orange trail via Little Dry Chasm. The trails are well maintained, with most of the outer edge trails on comfortable soft padded ground. They're mostly well marked except the end part is not really shown clearly on the park map so I used AllTrails. The orange trail (Dry Chasm Trail) is marked as more difficult, but it's basically just a regular wooded hiking trail that's not paved, with rooty and rocky sections. The park is very walkable for most able-bodied people. Even our 3yo was able to hike the whole thing by himself, with a bit of help over the orange trails. We loved our visit and are excited to come back when our child is older to do more activities! Will update my review when we've had a chance to experience all the action-packed adventures the park has to offer. TIP #1: No trail maps are given out so take a photo ar a screenshot. But there are maps placed along the trails marked with where you are. TIP #2: Porta-potties only on either end of the trails, so I recommend taking your nature break before setting out. TIP #3: There's a cafe by the Welcome Center but it's only open seasonally. Bring water. No garbage bins along the trails (cos bears!) so trash is carry-in carry-out.

This place is the best. Great for families. Do the explorer package with river walk...ropes…read morebridges are awesome. Boat is mild, it's not white water rafting. Very safe. Go here and enjoy!

This is a great little hike to the top of Vermont…read more We choose the steepest and shortest trail: Hellbrook. The trail is steep but well maintained with frequent "blazes". As someone that has never hiked in the east...I was shocked with how easy it is to stay on trails here. Just follow the blue or white paint marks! There are some "slimey slabs" on the way up. Unbroken surfaces of rock that can get slippery if it has recently rained. There might be a few sections where using your hands would be helpful. This meets all the other trails at the summit. The summit area is beautiful...save for all the random ski resort hardware. There were friendly trail guides on the summit making sure people don't stomp on the tundra. One of them even took a picture of my climbing partner and I. Took us about 1.5 hrs up, a little less down. (we are pretty quick though)

What an adventure. This was my 17th high point (the Millennial Chum's first and possibly only) and…read moreprobably the worst weather conditions I've experienced at any of them - literally 98% humidity, though it was pretty dry precipitation-wise. But this hike has so much going for it. Unlike a lot of scampers up a tall mountain, the majority of this trek is past tree line so when the cloud covering is minimal you have an amazing view. In hindsight I'd probably do this one during peak fall foliage but it was still quite a day. The drive to the trailhead was memorable. We started out just north of Stowe on 108 and went past Smugglers' Notch Resort before veering off onto Stebbins and a bunch of unpaved roads. I was a little nervous about that (though I had my magnificent Charcuterie, a very tough Toyota Prius Prime up for the challenge) but the conditions of those roads were actually really good. No nasty potholes, etc. It was very easy to find the parking area once we got into Underhill - you literally aren't permitted to drive past it, and there's signage instructing you to pay there ($5 per person). The fellow in the small building taking payments was super helpful about current weather/trail conditions, and agreed with my pre-hiking assessment of going up and down the Sunset Ridge Trail. The trailhead itself is about a 15- to 20-minute walk on mostly gravel roads that I assume are used exclusively by park vehicles; it was easy to spot, and we were on our way once we signed the trail logbook (also a new phenomenon for the Millennial Chum, who seemed mildly alarmed once she realized why we were doing it). The hike itself is pretty straightforward. From the Sunset Ridge trailhead, you go all the way to the top of the mountain, essentially, before turning left onto the Long Trail for maybe 10 minutes to the official summit. The blazes for this weren't amazing (a lot of them were faded and could use some TLC), but it's so obvious where you're going that they're not as necessary as they might be on other hikes - there's basically one trail here and one trail only and all trail intersections were clearly marked with actual signs. The first part of the journey up the mountain (prior to tree line) was definitely tough - the humidity played a huge factor and even before we were really going up any inclines, sweat was POURING off of our faces. If you don't have a decent supply of water with you, this probably isn't going to work out very well (I had my trusty BFF giant bottle of Evian, which was just enough). There were a handful of cool little wooden bridges toward the beginning, and lots of mossy tree goodness as well. It was significantly damper on the way down because we literally climbed above a raincloud - a first for me. Once we got to tree line, visibility the rest of the way was a giant question mark. As you can see from the attached, it was super misty out there and felt very spooky. It cleared up a bit as we worked our way to the summit but it never totally gave us the view we were hoping for, which was a shame. But you could see the potential - even at 30%, it was a nice sight to take in. The bathroom situation was pretty decent, given how isolated this area is. Especially this time of year in a land of empty ski resorts, I wasn't even expecting a port-a-potty. They had a few though, as well as an actual bathroom in a building. I only used one of the port-a-potties before we got underway, which was clean enough; we sweat so much on this hike that it wasn't an issue. It's hard to gauge difficulty level because I'm used to these types of hikes. I didn't do any official training for this other than watching my beverage/food intake in the prior weeks, which was enough. My calves and thighs were sore for two days, but it could have been worse. It helps that the mileage here was low comparatively speaking - it took us five hours in total, about three up and two down, and it was probably six miles or so. In wetter conditions there may have been some issues with footing, but overall it wasn't INSANELY steep where you were doing rock scrambling or anything. The biggest selling point by far is how much time you're above tree line - earning the view early on I think is a great motivator to get all the way up if you're starting to struggle a bit. Maybe hold off though if you take one step outside and your hair instantly poofs out. Being able to comfortably breathe is kind of a prerequisite.

This is a very interesting place with a chapel built for folks to honor their dogs. The chapel is…read morecovered with pictures and notes from around the world of people's dogs. The stained glass is beautiful. The gift shop/ gallery next door is nice with a lot of cool things. Definitely worth a stop for all animal lovers.

I absolutely love this place. There is no requirement for leashes and more than enough room for the…read morefur babies to get that energy out! They just put up a fenced in park which is nicer for the dogs who are unable to roam off leash. There are amazing views all throughout the mountain, there are also multiple small hiking trails that are well marked and maintained. Everyone who I have met here has been very friendly including the staff, dogs and other individuals. Although every time I walk into the dog chapel my eyes begin to water, the pictures and notes for the pets who have passed is so unbelievably special. I think the idea of letting the community/visitors be able to give their special friend a memorial that will be seen is something very important. It is completely FREE to go and hangout at the mountain, donations are accepted and most definitely appreciated.

Pay per person, 5$, which adds up way faster than the park is worth. Park worker who took our money…read moredid not tell us beach was closed, and only let us know there was a warning afterwards. We got about halfway to the beach and got passed by another park ranger on an atv, who saw us with our towels and still let us walk all the way to the beach, where he waited for us to turn around. Overall expensive and deceptive. Nowhere near worth the cost.

Short but scenic trail. I'm guessing a little over 3 miles if you take the longest hike. Lots to…read moresee and do tho. There is a beach for swimming. A cove to relax in. And a great view of the mountains. It's a 4 or 5 dollar entry though.