Tour Overview
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Tour Dates: You may schedule your tour to begin on any date during our tour season, which extends from
May
1 through October 31. See Schedule for additional scheduling considerations.
Distance: 99 miles
in 4 stages plus miles of optional cycling loops.
Terrain: Easy
to moderately challenging. Long flat stretches and moderately rolling terrain, often on quiet dirt roads.
Some long climbs, but mostly gradual and not terribly steep. Many rewarding, lengthy descents.
Location: Southeastern Vermont's lovely and historic Windham County. Tour starts in Brattleboro, Vermont's southern gateway.
Highlights:
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Historic covered
bridges
-
Gorgeous scenery
-
Visits to quintessential Vermont and New Hampshire villages, including Grafton,
Jamaica, Walpole (NH) and Newfane, among New England's most beautiful
-
Opportunities to supplement your cycling with hiking, swimming, canoeing,
and other activities
Daily Itinerary
Arrival Day: Free Day in Brattleboro. Sightsee, Canoe, Kayak, Dine, Relax. Spend 1 or more nights.
You may arrive in Brattleboro at the time of your choosing, as there are no activities planned for your arrival day. Of course,
the earlier you arrive, the more time you have to take advantage of the sights and charms of this wonderful New England town.
Brattleboro is a lively southern Vermont arts and cultural center ideal for window shopping, gallery hopping, people
watching, participating in a walking tour, canoeing on the Connecticut River, hiking the trails of the Brattleboro Retreat or visiting the Retreat's Petting Farm, buying Vermont handcrafts, relaxing over a
locally brewed beer, catching a movie or some live music, and of course, enjoying any one of a variety of exciting eateries and fine restaurants.
Accommodation options for your stay in Brattleboro include a downtown 1930's art deco style hotel, several lovely
bed and breakfasts, and for the budget-minded, a variety of motels. Click here to view Brattleboro accommodation options. For more information about the town of Brattleboro, click
here.
Stage 1: Cycle from Brattleboro to Grafton - Distance: 31 miles.
Spend 1 or more nights.
Following
breakfast you will attend a brief orientation at your hotel or B&B, test ride
your bicycle, and then begin your first day's journey from Brattleboro to Grafton.
Following the crystal clear waters of the West River, you'll pass cascading waterfalls and the West Dummerston
Covered Bridge, the first of five historic covered bridges you may see on this
tour, and Vermont's longest covered bridge still in use. A little further
upstream you pass through Newfane, the loveliest of Windham County's so-called
18th Century "White Villages." (Virtually all of Newfane's buildings
and homes are white, from the grand, Federal-style courthouse to the smallest
private home.) Newfane is the ideal place to stop for lunch and explore the beautiful buildings along the village green.
From Newfane your route hugs the river valley between two mountain ranges, with
beautiful views of the hills and farms of tiny Brookline. Beyond Brookline, the
pavement ends and you cycle through a deep, canopied forest where you'll
feel you have left all 21st century cares behind. And just when you think life
can be no better and you can take no more beauty, you arrive in Grafton. Grafton
is one of
Vermont's most beautiful villages and is like a trip back to a simpler time. Its
setting amidst the hills and river is magnificent, as is the restoration of its historic structures.
You'll spend the night in the only place to stay in Grafton, the splendid
Old Tavern Inn. For more information about the village of
Grafton, click here.
Optional Free Day(s) in
Grafton
You
should plan to spend at least two nights in Grafton or you may forever regret it. For your second day, we offer a 25-mile
cycling loop over quiet, wooded back roads,
passing small farms, a covered bridge, and quaint villages like Cambridgeport
and Saxtons River.
If you prefer
activities other than cycling, you may choose to stay closer to home, just
soaking in Grafton's beauty, or taking the short half-mile ride to the Grafton Village Cheese Company,
the Grafton covered bridge, and
Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center. Grafton Ponds offers mountain biking and
hiking, as well as guided canoe excursions and fly-fishing clinics.
Stage 2: Cycle from
Grafton to Jamaica / West Townshend - Distance: 21 miles - Spend 1 or more nights.
Today's
stage is all about rustic beauty. Your route begins with a gradual climb into
the hills surrounding Grafton, along rushing streams and gorgeous landscapes.
After an exhilarating descent, you return to the West River Valley and enjoy a
gently rolling ride to Jamaica and its beautiful state park.
Accommodation options for your stay in Jamaica / West Townshend include several lovely inns and two country bed & breakfasts.
Click here to view Jamaica accommodation options. For more information about the village of Jamaica, click here.
Optional
Free Day(s) in Jamaica / West Townshend
If you choose to
spend multiple nights in Jamaica / West Townshend, you'll have a variety of
activities from which to choose. On the Jamaica side, we highly recommend an easy to moderate 5-mile roundtrip
hike to Hamilton Falls, Vermont's highest waterfall, or hiking the easy riverside trails in
Jamaica State Park -- with plenty of spots ideal for a refreshing afternoon swim.
Just east of Jamaica
additional hiking opportunities avail themselves in Townshend's two wonderful parks: Townshend Lake and Dam Recreational Area
and Townshend State Park,
adjacent to the
Scott Bridge, the longest wooden span covered bridge in Vermont. Or you may choose simply to explore the tiny village of Jamaica with its craft and antique shops.
Stage 3: Jamaica / West Townshend to Bellows Falls - Distance: 22 miles. Spend 1 or more nights.
Today's
ride follows the course of the West River to pretty Townshend, with one final
opportunity to admire the Scott Covered Bridge. From Townshend's perfect village
green, you'll head north into the deep forests, following rushing streams until
you reach the Saxtons River, which you'll follow for the remainder of your
cycling day. If you didn't have the opportunity to visit the village of Saxtons
River when in Grafton, don't worry. You'll see it now en route to the day's final destination.
Bellows Falls was a manufacturing powerhouse in the 19th century, putting to use the massive energy of the falls for which it is
named. The old factories are mostly gone now, but the vestiges of that prosperous era remain in the Victorian mansions that comprise the town's
registered historic district. (You can even overnight in one, if you wish.) Bellows Falls is a wonderful place for strolling and soaking in the New England atmosphere.
Accommodation options for your stay in Bellows Falls include
two B&Bs and an economy motel. If you prefer to stay in a smaller village, you also have the option of staying at an inn in Walpole, NH or in one of two
B&Bs in nearby Saxtons River, VT. Click here to view the Bellows Falls area accommodation options. For more information about the town of Bellows Falls, click
here. Or perhaps you would like to take a
virtual walking tour of the historic district.
Optional Free Day(s) in Bellows Falls Area with Optional Cycling.
We encourage you to spend at least two nights in the Bellows Falls area to take advantage of additional cycling in the area. You have the choice of
three
circuits: (1) a moderately challenging 29-mile ride through deep forests and
sleepy New Hampshire villages, which includes the opportunity to visit a
restored 18th century fort;
(2) an easy 18-mile ride to historic
Charlestown, NH; and (3) an easy 10-mile
ride to Walpole, one of New Hampshire's most beautiful villages and home to
locally renowned Burdick's Chocolates.
There are also a
myriad of non-cycling activities available -- kayaking (whitewater or
slow moving), rock climbing, propelling, river gorge exploration, and hiking --
that can be arranged through local outfitter Adventure Trek USA. Or you can spend the day looking at
Indian petro graphs by the river, browsing in the local shops, and strolling the streets to become more familiar with the charms of Bellows Falls.
Stage 4:
Bellows Falls to Brattleboro- Distance: 25 miles. Spend 1 or more nights.
On
your final stage back to Brattleboro, you'll follow the course of the mighty
Connecticut River, which forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. The
route is rich in diversity, alternating between historic villages, farms, and
dense forests. The terrain is gently rolling for the most part, with occasional
rises providing beautiful views of the mountains just across the river.
About half-way
through the route you arrive in the quintessentially Vermont village of Putney, known as a Mecca for arts and crafts, and a wonderful opportunity to break, refuel,
and take a stroll.
In Brattleboro, you'll
have a final opportunity to shop for keepsakes made by Vermont
artisans and enjoy fine dining and entertainment before heading home.
