Stowe Mountain Resort might be best known for its downhill skiing, but the area around Stowe also has some of the best cross-country ski trails in the Northeast. Strap on a pair of “skinny” skis and you can explore quiet wooded trails near frozen brooks, glide across open meadows with big views of the surrounding mountains and even ski to a cabin or inn for lunch. Locals often spend the morning downhill skiing on Mount Mansfield’s alpine trails and then burn off calories in the afternoon with a cross-country ski through the woods on some of the area’s groomed Nordic trails.
At any of the cross-country centers below, you can rent gear such as classic skis and boots, skate skis or backcountry gear if you are thinking of heading off the groomed trails or skinning uphill.
Here are a few of the best places to go:
Stowe Mountain Resort Cross Country Center
Located off Route 108, just about a mile before you reach the slopes of Stowe Mountain Resort, the resort’s Cross Country Ski Center is a world apart. At the welcome yurt, you can pick up your trail pass (it’s not included with the Epic Pass), rent boots and skis if you need them and study maps of the trails. The easiest and prettiest trails follow the West Branch of the Little River and rise into valley where Stowe’s first backcountry trails were cut, an area known as Ranch Camp. Those earliest trails were cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and some, such as The Steeple and The Bruce, are still popular with backcountry skiers. If you are willing to ascend on skis, the trail system connects with the vast network of trails that belong to the Trapp Family Lodge, and you should have a separate trail pass to access those trails. But with 45 kilometers of groomed trails and 30 kilometers of backcountry trails, there’s plenty here to explore in a day. Note that rental equipment is available at the Center — including classic, skate and some backcountry skis as well as snowshoes and children’s gear — but you must call ahead (802-253-3658) to reserve.Trapp Family Lodge Outdoor Center
After the von Trapp family (made famous by the musical, “The Sound of Music”) fled Austria, they bought land in Stowe and set up an inn. More than 50 years ago, Maria von Trapp’s youngest, Johannes, got the idea that if the inn offered cross-country skiing and lessons, they could attract more winter guests.
The Trapp Family Lodge is a premier cross-country ski destination in the country and was also the first to install snowmaking. The network now features more than 100 kilometers of trails that crisscross the forests and open meadows of the Lodge’s 2,500 acres. You can rent both classic and freestyle (also known as ‘skate’) skis at the Trapp Family Lodge Outdoor Center and sign up for a lesson there, as well.
The groomed trails start out at the Practice Meadow with stunning views of the mountains, east and west. From there, the adventurous can ski through the woods uphill to the rustic Slayton Pasture Cabin. There, warm up by the roaring fire with a hot soup before flying back downhill, a 6.1-mile loop. For a shorter ski, and a great one to do with children, head from the Center to the von Trapp’s sugar shack. In spring, sap from the property’s trees gets boiled down to make maple syrup, and you can watch the process. Thanks to snowmaking, the season goes longer here than it might otherwise. Another fun loop heads west from the Center down to the Bierhall, where you can try one of the von Trapp’s now-famous pilsners or lagers and fuel up with a Johannes burger, made from beef raised on the von Trapp pastureland.
Craftsbury Outdoor Center Cross Country Ski Trails
A 30-mile drive north of Stowe on Route 100, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center is known as a training ground for top athletes. In the summer, folks come here for elite level sculling and running camps. In the winter, Olympic-level cross-country skiers and biathletes train on the miles of trails. Recreational skiers often put the annual Craftsbury Marathon, a 25- or 50-kilometer ski race, on their bucket lists. But you don’t need to be an athlete to enjoy The Center and it’s 105-kilometer network of groomed trails, including 20K that are dog-friendly. You can ski past frozen ponds all the way to Craftsbury Village or connect to the trails of Highland Lodge and the town of Greensboro. There’s even a shuttle that can bring you back to the Center for $5 (check on times at the Center.) If you want to spend the night, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center has cabins, cottages, and a dorm room. Rooms come with three meals made from farm-fresh local ingredients.There are also several smaller places that have shorter, but equally beautiful trail networks. The elegant Edson Hill Inn in Stowe has a Nordic Center where you can rent gear and explore their 9 kilometers of groomed trails or continue on to explore the 79 acres of Wiessner Woods, a Stowe Land Trust property. Just across Route 108 from Topnotch at Stowe, the MountainOps shop has cross-country and backcountry ski gear for rent. From there, you can jump on the Stowe Recreation Path and ski 5 miles to the village of Stowe. The path follows the West Branch of the Little River, crosses open farm fields and parallels Route 108 as it meanders its way into town. Last, if you have your own gear try skiing up the closed part of Route 108 to Smugglers’ Notch. The road is often packed down by skiers and hikers and offers beautiful views of the cliffs and mountainsides.
Produced in partnership with Vermont Ski + Ride Magazine.
