Vermont Sports Today
October, 2001

Abi says this ride has everything:  great views, one good climb, roads lined with hardwoods, unusual odors, new tar, and best of all - Lake Willoughby. The ride is named for the 100-year-old maples whose foliage-covered branches canopy the road to Sutton.

Start / Finish:   Barton, Crystal Lake State Park ($2 entry fee in season)

Route:  Leaving the park, turn left, then immediately left on Vermont Route 5.  Crystal Lake is on your left. After 6t miles of easy riding, turn right onto Underpass Road (some call it Underpants Road). Go under the overpass and start climbing (note: if you do this ride in reverse, WATCH OUT for the sharp, fast, sandy turn that goes under the overpass).

Climb steadily through colorful hardwoods for 2 miles and reach a high plateau with great views in all directions. Enjoy this for 3 miles. At the 5-way junction in Sutton (is this really a town?), turn left and ride by the working dary farm (P.U.!). Now be an eagle and fly down the new pavement to West Burke (caution, stop sign!).

Turn left on Route 5 and immediately right at the fork onto 5A. Climb again, with the Willoughby cut in the distance. Finally you reach the Lake and ride by its beautiful cliffs and shores for 5 miles. Just past Westmore turn left on Route 16 and climb again. More great views! A fast descent brings you back to your start at Crystal lake. Pierce's Market Place in Barton has great grinders.

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Bear Notch, Corinth - 13 miles

Submitted by Judy & Chuck Bond
Owners of GrassRoots GIS, producers of the VMBA Class Four Road Maps

Vermont Sports Today
October, 2001

You are immersed in color on this woodsy mountain bike ride in the towns of Corinth and West Fairlee. The ride is moderately challenging, both technically and aerobically. You will see plenty of color, a few grouse, and maybe even a bear. Consult DeLorme's Vermont Atlas& Gazetteer, which shows this route in detail (Map #36).

Start / Finish:  Corinth Center, at the junction of Brook and Washington Roads. Park at the white church.

Route:  From the church, descend paved Washington Road to Goose Green. At the junction turn left, staying on Washington Road. In one-half mile turn right on Bear Notch Road, then immediately left on Scruton Hill Road, which turns to dirt. Climb steadily on this wooded, canopied dirt road. At the junction of Jennings Road, Scruton becomes a class four jeep road. Stay on Scruton and continue climbing gradually, sometimes steeply, with Buffalo Mountain on your right. The road becomes double track.

A mile-long descent take you past a private game preserve on the left. At Old Brown Road turn right, and then immediately right again onto Wild Hill Road. Soon you'll turn right again onto Cook Hill Road, which brings you to Fairlee Center, a hamlet with a few houses. Turn right on Bear Notch Road for a long, gradual climb on a double track trail through Bear Notch. Descent all the way back to Washington Road and return to Corinth Center the way you came.

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Middletown Springs Loop - 27 miles

Submitted by Rutland's Peggy Shinn,
Long-time writer, rider and recent mother

Vermont Sports Today
October, 2001

Peggy likes this ride because it feels like it's downhill most of the way. Plus, you get great views along Lake St. Catherine, narrow roads lined with maple trees and hardly any traffic.

Start / Finish:  Middletown Springs. Park around the green.

Route:  Ride west on Route 140 toward Poultney. The road follows the Poultney River as it descends gently westward. Mostly new pavement! Soon after leaving Middletown Springs, you'll pass the Burnham Hollow Apple Orchard, which sells excellent homemade doughnuts.

In East Poultney, take the first left onto Thall Road and pass a general store on your left and a classic, white church on your right. Cross a big gorge in the Poultney River and climb easily for a mile or so. The road is lined with maples, creating a tunnel that glows gold at the height of foliage.

At Route 30, go left. After a couple of miles, the road reaches the shores of Lake St. Catherine and goes between the lake and cliffs. At the end of the lake, the road climbs gently into the forest where you get that golden glow again.

Descend into Wells and at the green, take a left onto East Wells Road. This road climbs gently for about 4 miles, culminating in a very steep but short pitch that tops out in open farmland with views of the surrounding hills. The road continues climbing again - even more gently this time - through some maples, finally descending to Route 133. Turn left and ride the final 5 miles descending gently through pasture-land back to Middletown Springs.