South West Vermont

I recently picked up a copy of Vermont Off the Beaten Path and flipped through the South West Vermont section. To my surprise everything listed was . . . on the beaten path. Some were even on main roads such as Robert Todd Lincoln’s Hildene.

So in my attempt to give readers some places that really are off the beaten path, I present the trails in Arlington, Vermont.

For example, from the center of Arlington, take 313 West toward NY state. Pass River Road and then continue past the Wayside General Store, the best General Store in the state, and the covered bridge.

After a large unpainted, wooden barn turn left onto River Road and park by the bridge. Walk down the road and turn right onto the first road: Hawley Mountain Road.

This road will take you right up a steep hill and several hiking options will appear. Though I have not mastered this trail system, there are a variety of directions to go, including one lovely trail that goes past a house currently under construction and leads to a secluded meadow up the hill that provides sweeping views of the valley below.

After a while the trails narrow and seem to only survive as 4-wheeler tracks. It’s a quiet and beautiful stretch of woods.

Now that’s what I call going off the beaten path.

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