Pleasant Valley Road: The Most Beautiful Road in Vermont
March 11, 2014
So many of Vermont’s roads, including Pleasant Valley Road, are scenic in their own unique way. On hundreds of two-lane, paved roads you’ll find gorgeous views of mountains, villages, farms, or rolling hills. Everyone has their own personal favorite—Route 100, Route 108, Route 30, Stowe Hollow Road, Peacham Road, or East Warren Road. The list goes on and on.
If I had to pick just one road in Vermont as the ultimate scenic drive, it would be Pleasant Valley Road in Cambridge.
This is a short and sweet 10-mile stretch connecting Cambridge and Underhill. Heading south from Cambridge, the road offers Vermont’s most dramatic view of Mount Mansfield. You won’t see ski trails on this side of Mount Mansfield; but this scenic route highlights a more interesting angle of the rugged contours and rocky summit of Vermont’s tallest peak.
In the shadow of Mount Mansfield along the road are barns, fields, and farms. Much of the land is undeveloped, which has preserved the area’s beauty and character.
For the best views, take Route 15 to Lower Pleasant Valley Road in Cambridge and follow toward toward Underhill. Even though it’s a quick jaunt, you won’t be disappointed.
What about you? What do you think is the best scenic drive in Vermont?
**If You Go: Map
Janine Huisjen
Posted at 16:10h, 11 MarchRte 125 in the fall !
Erica
Posted at 19:40h, 11 MarchHi Janine – Oh, definitely. Route 125 is lovely, especially during foliage season. Thanks for saying hello!
Erica
Scott
Posted at 16:18h, 12 MarchI’ll have to check that out someday. Sounds like a nice road for a bike ride too! I don’t think I have a “favorite”, but Rt100 has many nice sections. The auto road up Mt. Equinox is always fun for me too.
Erica
Posted at 21:54h, 12 MarchHi Scott – Skyline Drive up Mt Equinox is great, isn’t it? Route 100 is nice, too, especially between Wilmington and Weston. Thanks for all of your comments! Such a treat to hear from readers. -Erica
wedding photographer Houston
Posted at 10:08h, 03 AprilYes! Finally someone writes about cambridge insight meditation center.
Jeff
Posted at 11:55h, 23 MayNow that it has been reopened again for the season, we should also include Route 108, Smugglers’ Notch road between Stowe and Jeffersonville. Even after years of driving it, I always get a great deal of pleasure seeing this unique road again.
Pingback:6 Vermont Fall Drives a Little Off the Beaten Path
Posted at 09:31h, 03 September[…] between Cambridge and Underhill, is the final part of this wonderful scenic trip (see my post “The Most Beautiful Road in Vermont”). A tip for fall foliage seekers – take this route in the early morning hours or in […]
Lisa
Posted at 22:38h, 09 SeptemberFor the very best view of Mt Mansfield, you want to turn off on Bryce Road, a dirt road about a mile and a half from Jeffersonville. Go to the top of the hill where there’s a huge red barn, stop the car and get out
Erica
Posted at 09:06h, 10 SeptemberGreat tip, Lisa. I will check this out! Thanks so much.
Darla Heyer
Posted at 07:42h, 10 SeptemberI grew up a few houses down the road from the Porter farm and could not pick a more beautiful area, so worth a foliage ride in the fall.
Erica
Posted at 09:06h, 10 SeptemberHi Darla — It’s just incredible there. What an amazing place to grow up! I can’t wait to take a ride through Pleasant Valley this fall. Erica
Charles Bogue
Posted at 22:58h, 12 SeptemberIm 60 years old and live in tn but I remember Underhill well.My grandparents Arther and Edith lived in Underhill center…I remember pleasant valley well and traveled it many times in my young life…It is and always will be paradise to me..The greatest thing about it to me is it hasnt changed in all these years and when i went back there a few years ago it was like going back in time..a truly unique experience in such a beautiful place in the world…Pleasant Valley Road
Erica
Posted at 09:26h, 13 SeptemberHi Charles – That is such a good point. I first traveled the road in the early 1990s, and it is still very much the same. How wonderful for you to see the road/area remain untouched after all these years. It is such a gem! Thanks for saying hello! -Erica
Peter Albert
Posted at 02:22h, 02 DecemberI’m weighing in all the way from San Francisco, but I’m in agreement. I spent more than a few fall/winter/spring mornings walking from home down Pleasant Valley Road with my siblings to Underhill Elementary School. Even as youngsters, we recognized the beauty surrounding us.
Of course, on some winter afternoons, nothing was more beautiful than seeing Mrs. Linde drive toward us as we’d walk up the hill toward the Casey’s house: we could predict Mrs. Linde would stop, invite us all over for hot chocolate, and drive us back home.
And she could predict we’d accept!
Erica
Posted at 09:19h, 02 DecemberHi Peter — What a wonderful memory! It must have been a gorgeous place to grow up. I lived in Underhill for a few years as an adult, and was always drawn to Pleasant Valley Road and the magnificent view of Mansfield. Thanks so much for saying hello! -Erica
Peter Albert
Posted at 17:18h, 07 JulyYou’re welcome: and thanks for prompting the memories.
We were a big family — six kids, going on seven before we moved to California– and lived in that great old stone house with wood-frame addition that seems like a landmark today. It was a beautiful place to grow up, with terrific views of Mt. Mansfield, only about a mile from town…and one of the few homes big enough for our family!
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Posted at 21:47h, 09 July[…] thousands of acres of productive forestland, and numerous parcels of community land. Drive along Pleasant Valley Road in Underhill Center or Taylor Farm in Route 11 in Londonderry to get a taste of the land […]