The Four Seasons of Stowe

The Stowe area is truly a four seasons resort area.   While many know about the great skiing in the winter at Stowe Mountain Resort and on area trails, Stowe is also the perfect vacation spot in late spring and summer, and offers spectacular red, yellow and orange tinted views of the changing foliage in the fall.

At any time of year, there are plenty of unique shopping opportunities, with products not offered anywhere else.  The Stowe area does not allow chain stores, so most stores are quite unique.  There are also several well known museums and heritage houses.  Dining out is always a treat in Stowe, with a full selection of restaurants for all tastes and budgets.

Spring, Summer and Fall Recreation In Stowe

The Lodge is a few hundred feet from the end of the scenic 5.3 mile Stowe Recreation Path, a popular paved trail that follows the West Branch River and ends up in the downtown Stowe area.  It is perfect for walking, running, biking and rollerblading.

Nearby, there are many more trails for hiking and biking, including more rugged nature paths such as the Stowe Pinnacle Trail and the Long Trail.  More details can be found here:
 

The nearby Stowe Mountain Resort offers several unique attractions, including the Alpine Slide, the "Gondola" and the Auto Toll Road which get you almost to the top of Mount Mansfield.

  Stowe Mountain Resort Summer Attractions

For golfers, there are five golf courses within a 15 minute radius of Stowe (and several more just slightly further away):

Canoeing and kayaking are growing in poplularity in the Stowe region.  Umiak Outdoor Outfitters in Stowe runs guided tours and offers equipment rentals and touring advice.   In the winter, Umiak

If you can't bring your own, bicycle and rollerblade rentals are available in Stowe.  AJ Sports is a popular choice and offers guided bike tours and mountain biking advice.

Weather Links for Stowe

Area Attractions

Stowe is a few miles from the home of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Waterbury, which offers factory tours and free samples!   Also nearby is the popular Cold Hollow Cider Mill and a factory tour of Cabot Creamery, famous for it's cheddar cheeses.

We are slightly over an hour from the world-renowned Shelburne Museum with 37 buildings that are home to vast collections of fine and decorative arts, paintings, folk sculpture, weathervanes, decoys, quilts, toys, dolls, circus memorabilia and more. Even the buildings are historic, with traditional New England structures dotting the Museum's beautifully landscaped 45 acres.  The Museum has been called "one of America's great combined repositories of American arts, architecture and artifacts."

Not far from the museum, on the shores of Lake Champlain, is Shelburne Farms.  A national historic site, this model agricultural estate was developed in the early 1900's by the Vanderbilt-Webb family with impressive buildings and landscaping, and was one of the grandest estates in New England.  Today it offers tours of the property, a demonstration farm, children's farmyard, a walking trail and an environmental education center.

Also near the Shelburne attractions is the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, which offers a fun tour for the whole family showing how teddy bears come to be!

Winter Recreation In Stowe

Stowe is consistently ranked as the "Ski Capital Of The East" with the 25-30 feet of snow that falls on the Stowe Mountain Resort's Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak each year.  The ambience, hospitality and facilities of the mountain village of Stowe also play a big part in this ranking. 

This year the "Mountain" offers some great bonuses with multi-day lift tickets as long as you pre-order your tickets 3 days or more before arrival.  Call them at 1-888-253-4TIX and check out their webpage with details below.

Stowe is also a premier cross country ski resort area with the largest connected cross country trail network in the East.  Trapp Family Lodge Cross Country Ski Center, with 45km of groomed trails and 100km of back-country trails, is ranked as one of the best cross country ski centers in the world.  There are several other great cross country ski areas, including the Stowe Mountain Resort Cross Country Ski Center  itself, providing a varied nordic ski experience.

Snowshoeing is also a growing sport in the Stowe area with our extensive network of nearby trails.  Umiak Outdoor Outfitters in Stowe runs guided tours, and offers equipment rentals and touring advice.

If you can't bring your own, alpine and nordic ski rentals are available in Stowe.  AJ Sports is a popular choice, since you don't need reservations and can pick up your equipment the night before.

And for those who want a varied alpine ski experience, Stowe is also conveniently located within an hour's drive of north-central Vermont's other great ski areas, including Smuggler's Notch, Sagebrush Valley, Mad River Glen and Jay Peak.