Gifford Woods State
Park
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Aaaahhh, what can I say about Vermont? Green Mountains, cool
air, quaint small towns, farms along the highways, friendly people, maple syrup.
As we drove into southwest Vermont and entered Gifford Woods State Park, we
knew we were back in the woods. It felt so great to be out of the busy,
touristy areas and back to nature. This park has no utility hook-ups, so we
would be boondocking, which we were prepared for. The rangers at this park were
friendly and helpful. We were excited to know that the Appalachian Trail goes
right through the campground. The first day, we took the dogs out on the A.T.
heading south. This part of the trail was very steep, rocky and challenging.
The dogs loved it and the chance to get out and run. We were amazed at the
beauty of the forest here; so green, marble rocks everywhere and the ground carpeted
with delicate ferns.
The town of Rutland has some really nice mountain bike trails.
The next day we packed up our bikes and headed to the trailhead. Pine Hill Park
includes various facilities and activities provided by the town. The trails
were very well engineered and maintained. We really enjoyed riding the trails
in this wooded, hilly park. They were fun and challenging, with uphill climbs right
at the start. After riding, we drove around the wonderful small town of Rutland
with its historic homes, some of them quite large. It just seemed like the
right size town, not too big or too small.
While there, we also hiked the A.T. heading north. This
trail was less steep and some parts passed along Kent Pond and Kent Brook. We
all enjoyed this trail and met many AT through hikers along the way heading
south.
The Green Mountain Trails was another mountain bike trail
system just north of the State Park. Near the town of Pittsfield, this private property
allowed bikers to park on their land and ride the trails. The trails there were
maintained by volunteers and were very nice, with less steep ascents and some
technical aspects. Riverside Farm is a beautiful venue that is used for
weddings and private events.
One of our favorite hikes was Deer Leap Overlook Loop. This
trail was very steep to the top of a mountain adjacent to Pico Ski Resort. This
ski area is smaller than Killington, which is also very close to our
campground. This hike was another steep, rocky hike that mingled with the A.T.
for a short distance. The dogs loved running free on this trail and hiked with
us to the overlook. The strenuous hike was worth the view. Amazing to look out on
the distant Green Mountains and the ski slopes on Pico, how beautiful!
The ski resorts utilize the facilities in the summer by allowing
mountain bikers to ride up the lifts with their bikes, then ride down the
mountain on the slopes. Kurt was able to do a couple of runs at Killington on
the lower levels. I dropped him off up on the hillside where he could access
the trails, then he rode them downhill. Wow, when he got to the bottom he was
squealing like a kid about how it was like riding a roller coaster. He really
had fun on these rides.
Our last day we spent on a mountain lake, Chittenden Lake.
This crystal clear water lake was surrounded by the Green Mountains and had a
nice beach area and boat ramp. We were ready to kick back and relax, so we took
the dogs and some happy hour supplies and hung out for the afternoon. How
relaxing to sit back and look at the gorgeous Green Mountains surrounding us. It
was going to be tough leaving the next day.
Even though we still have two more stops in Vermont, we have
already fallen in love with this state. This is one state so far that we would
hope to revisit again someday.