STOGUIDE pages 40-61:Layout 1 10/30/07 12:23 PM Page 58
G E T T I N G O U T D O O R S
Snowmobile tracks
I
maginea5,000-milehighwaythatsuddenlyappears
everywinter.Onethatgoesthroughbackcountryand
snow-coveredmountains,secludedvalleysandfriendly
villages.Onethatdeliverseye-poppingvistas.“In
Vermont,youdon’thavetoimagineit:it’sourwinter
worldofsnowmobiling,anactivitythatappealstofam-
iliesandwinterenthusiasts,aswellasskiersandvisi-
torslookingforanexcitingexcursionorsliceofNorth
Countrytradition,”accordingtoasalespitchbythe
VermontAssociationofSnowTravelers(VAST),anon-
profit,privategroupofover145snowmobileclubswith
some33,000members.Vermont’ssnowmobilingseason
generallykicksoffbyDecember,comingtoanendsome-
time inApril,dependingonweatherconditions.Butwith
thestate’shighelevations,combinedwitha100-inchto
250-inchsnowfall,mostwintersmeangreatsnowmobiling.
MostofVermont’strailsystem,80percent,sitsonpri-
vateland,andisonlymadepossiblethroughlandowner
generosity.Sotakecare,respectthelandandtherightsof
thosewhomakethemagicalhighwaypossible.Remember
toothatlandownerpermissionisrequiredtorideonpri-
vateland,whilelocalclubsobtainlandownerpermission
forVASTtrailsonprivateproperty.
Witha5,000-miletrailsystemandtoday’smodern,com-
fortablesleds,it’seasytotake200-miledaytripsormulti-
daytours.Convenienttrailheadsmeansnowmobilerscan
hookuptotrailsany-
PUBLIC SKATING
whereinthestate.And
allittakestosnowmobile
Call the Jackson Arena isasimpletrailpassand
hotline in Stowe avalidstateregistration.
253-3721
AllridersinVermont
mustbelongtoVASTand
alocalclubtoridelegally
inthestate.Anotherwaytogeton-trailistotakeaguided
tourfromoneofVermont’ssnowmobiletouroperators.
LiketherestofVermont,theStowe-Smugglers’Notch
regionisquicklybecomingasnowmobilersparadise.In
Stowealone35milesofwell-maintained,well-groomed
trailsareakeypartofthelargerVermonttrailsystem
overseenbyVAST.TheRoute100trailtravelsthrough
StoweandMorrisville,connectingtheregion’spopulation
centerstoJeffersonvilleandthewholestate.
OntheSmugglers’Notchsideofthemountain,trails
aremaintainedbytheSmugglers’NotchClub,which
maintains78milesoftrails—connected,ofcourse,tothe
VASTtrailnetwork.Guidedsnowmobiletourscanbe
takenthroughSmugglers’Notch.
Snowshoe heaven
T
heStowe-Smugglers’regionishometosomeofthe
mostextensiveanddiversetrailsintheEast,makingit
theperfectdestinationforoneofwinter’smostpopular
H
sports:snowshoeing.Snowshoeingisafeaturedactivityat
C
K
U
mostoftheStowe-Smugglers’region’scross-countryski
A
S
centers,addingtheEast’slargestgroomedtrailnetworkto
W
K
thehundredsofmilesofbackcountryterrainalreadyavail-
C
U
H
able.Fromtheflat5.5-mileStoweRecreationPathtothe
C
challengingsummitofMadonnaMountain,snowshoerscan
P
:
T
O
goattheirownpaceandreapthebenefitsofthissafe, E
;
R
aerobicexercise.
O
O
M
A
H
R
58
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