|
|
 |
| Archives and Online Features |
Vermont's Northwest Corner: the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail
By John M. Smith
|
|
Printer friendly page
|
The 26.5-mile Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail is nestled in the mountainous northwest corner of Vermont. Opened in 1998, the trail leads you east along the Missisquoi River from St. Albans to Richford.
A bicycle on a post marks your arrival at the trailhead in St. Albans where you’ll pass through the most industrialized section before riding past dairy farms, forests, and wetlands.
If you are in need of a pit stop, The Abbey Restaurant, after 11 miles, offers its facilities to all travelers.
Five additional miles will bring you to the quaint village of Enosburg Falls which hosts a quarter-mile paved section of road through its surprisingly vibrant downtown from Main Street to Pleasant Street.
You’ll then ravel the next nine miles along the spectacular Missisquoi River rapids, ranging from flat water to Class II, from Enosburg Falls to the trail’s end in Richford near the Jay Peak Ski Resort, which offers summertime road and mountain biking opportunities.
If you are interested in extending your travels, there are numerous trail links that join the Missisquoi, including is the 350-mile Lake Champlain Bikeways loop in St. Albans, which takes you on, or off-road around beautiful Lake Champlain.
Once completed in 2005, there should also be a link from Richford to Quebec’s La Route Verte, which will be the longest bikeway in North America linking Vermont, New York, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Maine, on bike paths and road routes.
You may walk, bike, ride a horse, cross country ski, or snowmobile on the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. Whatever your mode of transportation, your tour of northwestern Vermont can be as relaxed or extended as you wish through the tranquil, picturesque evergreen-covered mountains.
For More Information:
St. Albans Chamber of Commerce:(802) 524-2444. www.stalbanschamber.com.
Lake Champlain Bikeways:(518) 597-4212. www.champlainbikeways.org.
Last Updated: Feb 24th, 2006 - 14:18:11
© Copyright 1999-2006 by Hooked on the Outdoors
|
|
