By Dan Mathers
Winter is no excuse to stay indoors. In fact, it might be the best time of year to explore the outdoors.
Perhaps no place is a more idyllic location in winter than Vermont. Come winter, the state’s embarrassing riches of beautiful woodlands and mountains become covered in snow, making them even more breathtaking.
Exploring this terrain is one of the best outdoor experiences you’ll have all year. Snow actually muffles sound, so the woods become extra quiet. You run into fewer people in the winter (and may sometimes even get the woods all to yourself). You’ll have fun examining wildlife tracks left in the snow. And best of all: No bugs!
If you enjoy hiking, but have never snowshoed in the winter, you may have been intimidated because you don’t know how. Actually, snowshoeing is super easy. Just strap some snowshoes to your feet and go.
But if you’re still unsure, many places around the region have staff who can set you up with the proper equipment and even take you on a guided snowshoe trek so you’re not alone.
Here are some of the best places to go snowshoeing in Vermont.
Sugarbush
This ski resort in Warren, Vermont offers a lot more than just downhill skiing and snowboarding. Visitors can rent snowshoes at the resort (or bring their own) and enjoy scenic, wooded trails. Sugarbush has snowshoe trails on both of its mountains — Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen — and visitors have several snowshoeing options.
Snowshoers can enjoy self-guided adventures where they explore designated snowshoe trails on their own. They can also go on guided tours led by experienced guides who can teach them about snowshoeing and the wildlife and wilderness around them. Sugarbush also offers special tours, such as snowshoeing under the stars. Visitors can rent snowshoes for $36. Guided tours start at $95.
Catamount Outdoor Family Center
Catamount started as a cross-country skiing center in Williston in 1978 and has since expanded to offer outdoor activities throughout the year. In the winter, that means cross-country skiing, fat biking, and snowshoeing along its network of roughly 25 miles of trails. They offer complimentary use of their snowshoe trails (although donations are appreciated to help fund trail maintenance).
If you need to rent snowshoes, you can do so for $15 for a half day or $20 for a full day. They offer night loops on certain days when they light up their trails, and they often hold special events. Visitors can also do one of Catamount’s guided snowshoe tours, which are $100 per hour.
Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center
Located in Goshen, Vermont, in the heart of the Green Mountain National Forest, this outdoor center provides access to the Blueberry Hill network of trails, the Vermont Long Trail, the Catamount Trail, and the Moosalamoo National Forest Trails. Come winter, Blueberry Hill is open for skiing, snowshoeing, and fat biking.
They describe their trails as a purposeful departure from the busy, manicured trails that have become the norm, instead choosing to offer quiet, ungroomed, and authentic backcountry adventures. Afterwards, visitors can enjoy hot soup and cookies. Snowshoe rentals are $19 per day.
Registration is required for each winter visit for those parking a vehicle in their parking lot between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Anyone who anticipates being out after 5 p.m. should indicate that when signing in so nobody needs to send a search party. The folks at Blueberry Hill check the parking area at the end of each day to be sure all have returned from their adventure safely. Let them know if you will be parking overnight.
Smuggler’s Notch
This ski resort in Jeffersonville, Vermont offers a variety of snowshoe trails for all levels, making it an ideal destination for both beginners and experienced snowshoers. Visitors can choose to explore the Smuggs trail network on their own, enjoying diverse landscapes either on easy treks past serene beaver ponds or tackling challenging climbs to high elevation areas.
The resort also offers an impressive variety of themed guided treks, from beginner lessons to winter survival experiences to maple treks where snowshoers learn about the sugaring process. Snowshoe rentals are $20 a day. Guided treks vary in price.
Woodstock Nordic Center
The nordic center at the Woodstock Inn and Resort in Woodstock, Vermont offers a vast range of trails for all abilities. Visitors can explore nearby Mount Tom and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, or head out the doors of the Nordic Center Lodge and trek the trails of Mount Peg. On select Saturdays, the center offers a snowshoe trek up to the Mount Tom Cabin for a warm lunch and cozy atmosphere.
Snowshoe rental prices vary from $20 to $40 a day depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend, and whether you’re a local. Guided tours range from $150 to $200.
Check out our complete list of places to snowshoe and cross-country ski in the Northeast.