To Do Locally:

Welcome to the heart of Vermont!

There’s endless things to do here both on and off site – below are a list of some of those

we find most appealing. We encourage you to seek other info. as well as this is just the

tip of the iceberg.

Rochester Village (8 mins): Sandy’s Café/Bakery and the Rochester Café – the

former better for lunches and baked goods, local foods and library ambience the latter

better for a real breakfast. The town green is beautiful. The library is as well. And the

Big Town Gallery gets great work.

The bike shop – Green Mountain Bikes – is legendary and people come from all over

to buy and have bikes worked on and built here by Doon and his guys. The Sunshine

Valley Berry Farm is great for blueberries, raspberries and others – PYO and to buy.

Just before the village on the left.

Swim in the White River: Cool water year round and crystal clear unless it just

rained hard. Dipping spots at the bottom of Quarry Hill road and in the village –

really good swimming holes south of town at Tupper’s Ledge (a few miles south of

town on the right, below a small cliff on the east side of the road, pull off to the right

(west) then walk, a bit hard to find at first). In Gaysville – down 100 south, left on

Blackmer to 107 and park at Bridge Road right off 107, go left down trail to very large

swimming hole with rocks to jump off or not (walk across trestle bridge to not do

this) and access a beach. 15 mins south. The Mad River also has great spots in

Warren – Warren Falls famously so – 20+ mins north). Vermont River Tubing also

does tube floats on the river with shuttle vans.

Bike the roads and trails: This area is famous for single track, dirt road and road

biking. Single track right at the Forest Service parking lot at bottom of Quarry Hill

road (5 mins), also many trails off roads in the North Hollow (off middle hollow road

especially). Dirt roads throughout the North Hollow (left at end of driveway, right

on Oak Lodge, LEFT at North Hollow/Quarry Hill road gets you into the main

hollow. Route 100 for pavement riding. North especially to Warren is well known

through the Granville Gulf with waterfalls and cool air.

Hike the Long Trail: Many options: Lake Pliade – top of Route 125/Middlebury

Gap, go south – reach nice high “alpine” lake in 10 min walk or so. 10-12 min drive to

the trailhead. Nice swimming, easy low angle walking. Route 73/Brandon Gap

accesses Mt. Horrid going north. This is a great steep (~20-40 min) hike to the top of

a big cliff with huge views south, east and west into the Champlain Valley. 20 min

drive south of town then right on 73 to the top of the gap road, head north across the

road to the trail.

Texas Falls walk: Amazing waterfalls and rock formations, right off the road

about 5 mins up route 125 (go right on Fiske road out the driveway) above Hancock

Village. 10 mins from house or so. Very easy access. On way to Middlebury.

Ski the Middlebury Snowbowl or Rikert Nordic Center: Awesome little ski

area with no crowds and powder that sticks around when it snows. 10 mins from the

house – down Fiske (west/right) into Hancock village then up 125 toward

Middlebury. Rentals. Inexpensive. Rikert is across the street after Snowbowl and is

one of the best Nordic ski areas in the state – they make snow too.

Warren and the Mad River Valley 25-35 mins: Great food and beer

throughout the valley from the high end Pitcher Inn (bar is great and not too crazy

pricey) to Mad Taco to the famous American Flatbread original restaurant to Sweet

Spot for an amazing home-made ice cream and café (their eggplant sandwich is

amazing) and it’s right next to the covered bridge in Waitsfield with amazing

swimming and setting. Big Picture Theater is a great breakfast and lunch spot, dinner

too. Reliable and reasonable. Blueberry Lake in East Warren – great swimming,

warm, beautiful views.

Middlebury: Great town for full supplies, food (American Flatbread and others),

the college, and more. Nice swimming below the Ripton bridge on the

way, pull off before bridge on left and trail down. Popular when hot

but nice. Also nice swimming above the bridge.

Falls of Llana, Moosealamoo, Goshen trails, Blueberry Lake and Lake

Dunmore (25-30 mins). Cool zone with great adventurous swimming hole at Falls

of Llana, nice mellow trails, biking, blueberry lake touring center.

Rochester house and grounds check-in/check-out

notes.