Some of the Valley's Best On and Off Road Biking/Walking Routes

Content borrowed from The Valley Reporter, June 28, 2007 and the 2007 Mad River Valley 4-Seaon Guide.

East Warren Road Loop -- The ride passes through two covered bridges and offers spectacular mountain views.  With just one sustained uphill, it's one of the less strenuous rides in the area.  Start out by biking south out of Waitsfield on Route 100.  Take a left about 6.5 miles onto Covered Bridge Road, the second turn after the main entrance to the village of Warren, and cross over the Mad River on the first covered bridge of the ride.  Turn left through the village center and right onto Brook Road for the first and only major uphill of the ride.  Brook Road hugs the banks of Freeman Brook as it continues to climb, before coming to a T-intersection with Plunkton Road.  Veer left onto East Warren Road.  The road is relatively flat and offers views to the west of Lincoln Peak, Mount Abraham, and other mountains to the north.  At about 13 miles, cyclists may either continue straight down the unpaved Common Road or veer left for a lengthy downhill on the East Warren Road.  The East Warren Road ends at Bridge Street in Waitsfield, where cyclists pass through the second covered bridge of the trip.  The Common Road passes several farms, the historic Skinner Barn and von Trapp's Greenhouse before meeting up with Joslin Hill Road.  Turn left to return to the village of Waitsfield via Bridge Street and the covered bridge.

Plunkton Road Loop (3.7 miles) -- Rolling open terrain, offering some of the best views of the valley.  Drive up Brook Road from Warren to the Roxbury Mountain Road four corners.  Park here.  Walk east on the Roxbury Mountain Raod for 0.6 miles.  Turn right at the first road.  Continue on this road (Senor) for 1.4 miles before turning right again.  Continue for 0.5 miles, turn right at the first intersection and continue along Plunkton Road.

North Fayston Loop (4.2 miles)  -- This moderately hilly terrain takes 2 hours.  From Waitsfield Village drive north on Rte 100 for about 3 miles.  Turn left on North Fayston Road and go 2.8 miles up to North Fayston cemetery on the right.  Park here.  Continue up the North Fayston Road for about 1.3 miles.  At the four corners bear left onto Center Fayston Road and proceed 1.3 miles before turning left onto Randall Road and back to your car.  This upper basin is a remote area offering some unique vistas.

West Hill - Inferno Road Loop (5.8 miles) -- A hilly scenic country road loop offering both wooded and open sections.  Over half paved.  Go south out of Warren Village over the covered bridge, cross Rte 100, go up Lincoln Gap Road, to West Hill Road (2 miles).  Turn right on West Hill Road and travel up a long hill; you will pass Inferno Road on your left.  Bear right and continue to follow West Hill Road, through the golf course and past Golf Course Road on your left.  West Hill Road descends to Rte 100.  Cross Rte 100 and head back into Warren Village.

Bundy to Warren Village (4.5 miles, not a round trip route) -- At the south end of the town of Waitsfield, just north of Yestermorrow, take the Bundy Road up to the gallery.  This is a lovely place for a picnic and then take the route south along a gravel road, past a cluster of apple trees surrounding a large concrete mushroom.  Continue for 1/2 mile and turn left on Warren Airport road.   Watch sailplanes take flight, pick up Ole's cross country ski trails, or follow the signs to Warren Village.

Challenging Bike Trips:

Southern Portion of Route 100 -- For beginner cyclists or for those looking to avoid major climbs.  Cyclists may begin their journey in the village of Warren and travel south down Route100, passing through the scenic Granville Gulf.  This six-mile stretch of road features wilderness and prime moose habitat.  Moss Glen Falls, one of the most visited waterfalls in the state, is on the right hand side traveling south.  A boardwalk takes visitors to the base of the falls.  Continue south to the village of Granville, home of the Granville Bowl Mill.  The mill has been manufacturing wooden bowls and clapboard siding since 1857.  For an additional five miles, keep pedaling to the village of Rochester.  Rochester features several lunch spots and a large, shaded village green.  Round trip from Warren to Rochester is roughly 40 miles.

Four Mountain Gaps (very hard) --  For adventurous souls not afraid of major mountain climbs, this ride offers four in one trip.  Cyclists pass through the Moretown Gap, the Roxbury Gap, the Lincoln Gap, and the Appalachian Gap.  This means thousands of feet in elevation gain, with Waitsfield as a base at about 800 feet above sea level.  Some of the roads are unpaved.  To start with the Moretown Gap, take Route 100B through the village of Moretown to Moretown Mountain Road.  It's about nine miles up and over the gap (mostly unpaved) to Northfield.  Turn right on Route 12 add take Route 12A to Roxbury.  Follow signs to Warren Mountain Road, also mostly unpaved.  Start climbing again, this time through the Roxbury Gap.  This road features sweeping mountain views.  At the four corners in East Warren, coast down Brook Road to the village of Warren.  Next up:  The Lincoln Gap.  Cross Route 100 to Lincoln Gap Road in the Green Mountain National Forest. The Long Trail cuts across the road at the top, at just over 2,400 feet in elevation.  Cycling down the west side of the gap brings riders to Route 116 after about 8.5 miles.  Take Route 17 to the last mountain gap.  Route 17 passes through the Appalachian Gap and bisects the Long Trail again.  Its highest elevation is 2,350 feet.  On the eastside of the gap, cyclists wind down Route 17 past Mad River Glen ski area before ending up in Irasville.

Mellow Cruising -- Mad River Greenway:  The Mad River Greenway is a great way to get a taste of mostly flat, non-technical trail riding.  The Greenway, which will hopefully connect Moretown to Warren someday, is perfect for kids and an enjoyable pedal for all.  This roughly three-mile section mirrors the Mad River and offers plenty of swimming spots for cool downs and refueling.  The trailhead for the longest stretch of the path is off Tremblay Road, north of Waitsfield village.  There is parking at the nearby Pines rest area and at the trailhead further up Tremblay Road, but you can park anywhere in Waitsfield or Moretown adn work the Greenway into a mixed paved/dirt/trail route lengthen the ride.  The other end of the trail is at Meadow Road, where there is also parking.  Austin Road is a quiet, view-filled road (complete with a nice covered bridge) to Moretown or can serve as a loop back to Tremblay Road.

Moderate Singletrack:   For a good entry-level loop with a good climb and a really fun moderately technical descent, start at Stark Mountain Bikes on the corner of Route 17 and Route 100.  Ride up Route 17, turn left on Marble Hill Road and continue to the top.  Head into the field at the end, onto the Class Four road, which keeps climbing gradually.  Look for the blue signs of the Catamount Trail.  Take a right and descend the CT and keep taking lefts to come out on German Flats Road.

Intense Singletrack:  This is one of the classic MRV loops, with rough trail climb to start and good selection of technical riding that the Valley is famous for.  Start on Route 17, left onto German Flats Road, and then left onto the Catamount Trail across the new bridge.  Climb the Catamount Trail all the way out to Sugar Run Road, and then onto German Flats Rd again.  Climb, then take a left onto the Sugarbush Access Road.  Go left again onto South Face Road and climb past the condos.  Look for a sign for the Eurich Pond Trail on the right.  There is a dry trail on the sides of the muddy center trail that starts right at the bottom.  Climb to Eurich Pond, follow the trail around to the left, at the first junction, just beyond the pond, take a right and climb Hell Hill, a series of steep pitches that is sometimes muddy and slick.  Quite a few people can climb this without stopping, but most of us end up walking parts of it.  At the top, look for a left onto Race.  Careful of the low hanging sap lines at the start.  Descend to the next intersection and take a right onto Ridge.  There are some options to explore, but they all converge back to one route further up the trail.  Some of them are shortcuts, so if you want the whole thing, stay right at each junction.  Cross under the power line with views north and south and continue to the Class Four road.  Take a right and descend to the top of Tucker Hill Road.  Go about 100 yards down and take a right into Camel's Hump State Forest.  The trail starts directly ahead and climbs gradually over several rock lined sections and a couple of narrow bridges.  Continue straight through the big four way intersection with all the sap lines.   The Enchanted Forest starts here and after a little descent and a short climb, there is a rolling swoopy downhill with good air-time possibilities.  Take it slow until you know the route.  At the next intersection, take a left onto Cyclone Connector and descend.  Watch the steep waterbars and look for another left onto Cyclone.  Cyclone is tight, twisty, and technical, with some small climbs mixed in with long downhill pieces.  There are lots of spiny rock lines and off-camber turns that flow better as you get to know them.  Expect to walk some stuff your first time down this trail.  Follow the singletrack all the way down to a rocky exit onto Dana Hill Road.  Descend on the road to Route 17, just a few hundred feet down.  Be careful here, the road is often wet, always steep, and tends to wash out frequently.  The exit onto Route 17 is also tough, go slowly.

Downhill:  Go to Sugarbush, get a ticket, ride the chair, take a left and head on down!  It's a really long run spiked with sweet views and flowing downhill singletrack.