Try These Vermont Stick Season Gravel Rides
October 29, 2025

The period between fall foliage and the arrival of snow is known as stick season in Vermont. It’s prime time for hunting season, frosty mornings, and 4 p.m. sunsets. Want to get outside? Vermont stick season gravel rides are a fun way to explore the outdoors.

Vermont stick season gravel rides are a chance to pedal on dirt roads past working farms, hardwood forests, and tiny villages.

From Poultney to the Northeast Kingdom, here are gravel rides recommended by local cycling enthusiasts and Vermont bike shops.

-Vermont’s Mad River Valley is one of the most scenic places for gravel riding. 

Mad River Valley: Gravel Rides with Outstanding Views

In the heart of central Vermont, the Mad River Valley offers some of the most scenic gravel routes in the state.

Jonny Adler is the founder of Madbush Falls, a biking destination complete with trails, lodging, and a restaurant on Route 100 in Waitsfield. At Mad Bush Falls, he says “The Great 8 and the Creemee Ride are both intermediate routes with gorgeous views.”

The Great 8 is 17 miles, and the Creemee Ride is 23 miles—both on mostly unpaved roads.

For those looking for something more relaxed, Adler suggests Common Road, a six-mile, flat, and gentler introduction to the area’s gravel terrain—with stunning views of the Green Mountains.

Whether you’re climbing hills or cruising quiet dirt roads framed by barns and ridgelines, the experience is pure Vermont—unhurried, rustic, and rewarding.

For more trails, visit MadBushFalls.com.

-Dirt roads are abundant in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.

Northeast Kingdom: Miles and Miles of Gravel

The Northeast Kingdom is a gravel-riding paradise with over 1,000 miles of back roads to explore on your bike.

Fritz Fay is a volunteer with NEK Gravel, an all-volunteer effort working with local towns to promote gravel riding.

Two of his personal favorites are shorter loops primarily on dirt roads, each with a few miles of pavement and convenient parking.

The Barnet Short Loop is 15.2 miles of mostly dirt roads in the town of Barnet. The Waterford Loop is an 18.9-mile route that starts near the Passumpsic River, east of Interstate 91.

Both rides capture what makes the Northeast Kingdom special: unspoiled backroads, minimal traffic, and a sense of solitude that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Fay says the NEK Gravel team is refining new rides and uploading them to Ride with GPS, with plans to expand the map further across the Northeast Kingdom.

For updates, visit NEKgravel.org or follow @nekgravel on Instagram.

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Poultney: Gravel Gems in Vermont’s Slate Valley

The Slate Valley Trails in Poultney have no shortage of scenic loops that blend pastoral farmland and natural features.

The intermediate Hills and Hollows ride is 14.4 miles and moderately hilly. On this route, you’ll meander the hills and hollows to the east and north of Poultney village.  You’ll then pedal through East Poultney on Route 140 and gradually ascend to the top of Watkins Hill.

On the descent, take some time to see the gorge on your left with a beautiful waterfall.  From there, it’s an easy ride back over gentle rolling terrain to the D&H Rail Trail and back to Poultney.

For more gravel rides in Poultney, visit slatevalleytrails.org.

-The team at the Burlington-based Terry Cycling outfitted me with a soft tulip jersey and stylish gravel pants, both ideal for cool-weather riding in stick season. 

Central Vermont: Scenic Routes and Ridges

Vermont Bicycle Shop owner Darren Ohl suggests two rides for beginners and intermediate riders that offer stunning views and a classic Vermont gravel riding experience in Central Vermont.

He recommends The Ridening of the Ridgening, inspired by the annual Cabot Ride the Ridges event.

“It’s an amazing route, the terrain stays pretty tame, though the elevation can be a bit of work. There are some incredible views of Montpelier on this ride,” says Ohl, whose bike shop is in Barre.

Another Central Vermont ride—a 26.7-mile loop near Groton—ventures briefly onto a class IV road, offering a more rugged experience.

For those who prefer smoother gravel, Ohl says you can opt for a simple detour around the rough section without sacrificing scenery. Take County Road to Great Road, and then Great Road to Minard Hill Road. You’ll end up back in Groton near the start of your ride.

Ohl suggests visiting the Vermont Bicycle Club website for more Central Vermont gravel routes.

-A random bike parked in fallen leaves. 

Woodstock: Classic Rides and Covered Bridges

Woodstock is one of those classic New England towns that looks like it’s right out of a Nancy Meyers movie. According to Mark Harris of Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association, the gravel riding around Woodstock is second to none.

“The gravel road riding in our area is some of the best in all of New England,” he says. “There are so many amazing views and homes tucked into the hills, with so few cars to contend with.”

For newcomers, Harris recommends the Around the Horn ride, a relatively easy 10-mile route that features a covered bridge and scenic views of Killington. It’s still not a flat ride, so true beginners may want to consider an e-bike.

He also says the area’s most picturesque ride is the Cloudland Loop—a road that is closed to vehicular traffic during foliage season. This one has more climbing involved, but e-bikes can make it possible for beginners, he says.

“The fall foliage road closures on Cloudland Road only apply to motor vehicle traffic,” he says. “So bikers can enjoy the scenic beauty all to themselves.”

For more gravel routes, visit mtbwoodstock.com/gravel.

-Terry Cycling and Untapped are Happy Vermont’s affiliate partners. When you make a purchase through links on my website, I may earn a commission. 

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