Scenic Drive: A Detour on East Bethel Road
August 07, 2015

I recently stumbled upon East Bethel Road after taking a wrong turn in Randolph Center. Dave, Phoebe and I were heading north on Interstate 89 back from my sister’s place in New Hampshire when we decided to get off the highway and meander over to East Randolph to see a couple of covered bridges. But I wasn’t paying close attention to the map on my phone (Dave was driving), and my sense of direction was off.

Somewhere near Floyd’s General Store, we took an unintended detour and drove south. Before I knew it, we found ourselves on this four-mile dirt road with scenic views, red barns, farm houses and open fields. The road curves and winds through the rural countryside of Randolph Center before taking you to South Royalton.

What delighted me the most was the number of farms we came across on East Bethel Road—four working dairy farms on a quiet dirt road. It doesn’t get much more Vermont than that.

We never made it to the covered bridges in East Randolph. But the drive made our trip all the worthwhile.

**Getting there: Take Exit 4 off Interstate 89 and follow Route 66 to Randolph Center. At the intersection, take a right and travel south past Vermont Technical College to East Bethel Road.