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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
VERMONT | HIKING
Green Mountain Refreshment Enjoy a brisk hike and a cold beer in Vermont By Brent Hallenbeck
W
Mad River Valley CHELLIE NAYAR
HEN VISITING VERMONT, ONE recommended activ-
ity is to experience the plentiful nature the state has to offer. Another draw is the bevy of beers local brewers have to offer. Why not try both? The Bristol/Middlebury area has several hikes for all abilities, including the Snake Mountain Trail, which offers views of the Adirondacks. But stunning vistas can equal crowded trails. Sometimes it’s best to get off the literal beaten path. This 4-mile hike through the Green Mountain National Forest’s Abbey Pond Trail offers a perfect blend of pleasant woods, just enough climb to feel it in your hamstrings and the likelihood that you’ll have the peaceful, lily pad-filled body of water all to yourself. For your reward, drive about 6 miles or so to Middlebury’s Drop-In Brewing, which might be the most underrated member of this small state’s high-profile beer scene. Heart of Lothian, a self-confident Scottish ale, might just put enough pep in your step to make you want to climb another of the region’s many mountains. The Mad River Valley in central Vermont is named for a body of water, but the adjective applies in the nicest of ways to the people who live there. An energetic and eccentric collection of snow hounds, backto-the-landers and boundlessly creative types has settled in the area that includes Sugarbush Resort and Mad River Glen, a rustic slope that famously dares adventurers with the slogan “Ski it if you can.” Or hike it if you can. The trail up General Stark Mountain winds in and out of the ski slope, and while it’s on the steep side, the views of the valley are extraordinary. Once you’re back in the valley, take a rest at Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, one
of Vermont’s highest-profile breweries. Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine IPA is the stuff of legends, but don’t overlook the Maple Nipple, a maple ale as strong and smooth as the Mad River itself. Stowe is world-famous for skiing. Skiing means mountains; mountains mean hiking, and there are oodles of trails available for your feet to lead the way. Choosing just one trail in Stowe, however, can be difficult. Stowe Pinnacle is one option that hits that sweet middle spot — a nearly 3-mile effort that’s strenuous enough to work up a sweat but not so taxing that it’ll keep you from that apres-hike beer appointment.
VON TRAPP BREWING
As for that beer, there are almost as many breweries in Stowe as there are trails. The Alchemist conjures one of Vermont’s iconic beers, the hop-heavy Heady Topper. Just across the Mountain Road, Idletyme Brewing Company takes a balanced approach. And don’t forget another of Stowe’s worldfamous attractions, the Trapp Family Lodge, operated for more than 70 years by the family made famous in The Sound of Music. The on-site brewery makes beer that, as its cans note, contains “A little of Austria, a lot of Vermont.” Brent Hallenbeck writes for the Burlington (Vt.) Free Press.
