A senator’s name for a wilderness
Tucked into the far northeastern corner of the state, bounded by the Connecticut River to the east and the Canadian border to the north, lies a region that feels entirely cut off from the modern world. In 1949 Vermont Senator George Aiken, addressing a crowd in Lyndonville, said it was such beautiful country that it ought to be called the Northeast Kingdom.
The name stuck. Today the Northeast Kingdom — Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties — remains the most remote, wild and rugged quadrant of New England. Dirt roads outnumber paved highways, moose outnumber traffic lights, and cell service is a rare luxury.
Yet hidden within this expanse of boreal forest and glacial valleys sits a world-class adventure hub: the fjord-like cliffs of Lake Willoughby, the renowned singletrack of Kingdom Trails, and Hill Farmstead, consistently ranked among the finest breweries on earth.
Anchor destinations
Where to point the car.
Lake Willoughby and Westmore — glacial fjord, dramatic hiking and cliff swimming. Mount Pisgah, Mount Hor, South Beach, ice climbing. Summer and autumn.
East Burke and Kingdom Trails — mountain biking mecca with 100-plus miles of hand-built singletrack, plus Burke Mountain Resort. May through October.
Greensboro and Hill Farmstead — world-class craft brewing, Caspian Lake and Willey’s Store. Year-round.
Jay Peak and the high north — deep powder skiing, alpine hiking and an indoor waterpark. Winter and late summer.
Seyon and Maidstone state parks — pure backcountry, canoeing and moose watching in boreal spruce-fir forest. Spring through autumn.
Lake Willoughby: the fjord of New England
Often called the Lucerne of America for its resemblance to the Swiss Alps, Lake Willoughby is a geological marvel. Carved tens of thousands of years ago by advancing ice sheets, it sits in a deep glacial trough gouged between two towering sheer cliffs: Mount Pisgah at 2,751 feet to the east and Mount Hor at 2,648 feet to the west.
The Mount Pisgah south trail runs 4.8 miles round trip with 1,650 feet of gain, moderate to strenuous, climbing through northern hardwoods before breaking out onto dramatic cliffside overlooks suspended 1,000 feet directly above the sapphire water. Peregrine falcons frequently nest along these vertical walls between April and August.
Mount Hor, from the Herbert Hawkes trailhead, is 3.6 miles round trip with 1,200 feet of gain and less crowded, offering west- and north-facing vistas over Willoughby, Lake Memphremagog and the Canadian border peaks.
Reaching depths over 320 feet, Willoughby is the deepest lake contained entirely within Vermont, and stays crystal clear and cold through August. South Beach at the southern tip off Route 5A gives a shallow sandy entry for swimming and paddling beneath the cliff shadows, while the depth and clarity make the lake a hotspot for lake trout, landlocked salmon and freshwater scuba along underwater rock shelves.
Kingdom Trails: mountain biking’s holy grail
Ask any avid North American mountain biker for their top three destinations and Kingdom Trails in East Burke will almost certainly appear. What started in 1994 as a grass-roots effort to link multi-use paths has grown into a world-famous network of over 100 miles of non-motorized singletrack.
What makes it unique is the access model: the network relies on the generosity of over 100 private landowners who allow trails to cross their farms, forests and fields.
The signature experience is Darling Hill — smooth flowing singletrack over a rolling pine-needle carpet with pastoral field vistas, on trails like Sidewinder, a natural roller coaster carved through a deep ravine, plus Kitchel and Troll Stroll. Burke Mountain adds a lift-served downhill park with technical rock and roots, jump lines and steep berms for full-suspension riders.
Unlike high-alpine downhill parks demanding extreme technical skill, Kingdom Trails offers terrain wide-ranging enough for beginners, families and expert endurance riders to share the same system safely. All riders must buy a day pass or membership online or at the Kingdom Trails Welcome Center in East Burke, and local shops rent full-suspension bikes, e-bikes and winter fat bikes.
Hill Farmstead: world-class beer down dirt roads
In the tiny village of Greensboro, population around 1,000, miles down winding unpaved roads, sits a timber-framed brewery that reshaped global craft brewing.
Founded in 2010 by Shaun Hill on land his family has farmed for over seven generations, Hill Farmstead approaches brewing as an expression of agricultural heritage and quiet craftsmanship. Rather than expanding into grocery-store distribution, it requires enthusiasts to make the physical journey to the farm.
The lineage runs from ancestral spring water pulled from a deep well on the family farm, through single-hop pale ales named after family ancestors — Edward, Arthur, Harlan — to oak-barrel aging with spontaneous fermentation and wine-barrel maturation.
Visiting feels more like a quiet mountain sanctuary than a commercial taproom. Guests gather on sprawling lawns overlooking Green Mountain ridges. Seek out Edward, the flagship unfiltered American pale ale bursting with citrus and pine; Arthur, a light farmhouse saison fermented with native yeasts; and limited barrel-aged wild ales like Ann and Flora. Check hours and reservation policies before driving, and pack a cooler with ice.
Unplugged backcountry
Beyond the trails and breweries lies the true spirit of the Kingdom: hundreds of thousands of acres of working forest, glacial kettle ponds and historic logging villages.
Island Pond, in the heart of Essex County, was historically a massive logging and railroad junction. The surrounding Nulhegan Basin unit of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge protects 26,000 acres of spruce-fir boreal forest and is one of the best places in New England to spot wild moose, snowshoe hares and rare boreal songbirds along unpaved logging roads.
Maidstone State Park, on the shores of deep, isolated Maidstone Lake, feels like a step back into the 1950s. Rent a canoe, listen for the haunting calls of nesting common loons, and camp beneath white pines far from light pollution.
Before leaving, stop at Willey’s Store on Caspian Lake in Greensboro. Operating since 1900, this legendary general store sells everything from local cheeses and work boots to hardware, hunting licenses and fine wines.
Travel logistics
The Kingdom is vast and rural; preparation matters.
Download maps before you arrive — cell service is extremely spotty across Essex and Orleans counties. Use offline maps or a paper Vermont gazetteer to navigate dirt-road intersections.
Time your trip by activity — June to August for lake swimming and warm singletrack, late September to early October for crowd-free foliage, January to March for deep-snow fat biking and ski touring.
Respect landowners — much of the outdoor access, including Kingdom Trails and the snowmobile network, depends on private permission. Stay on marked trails, pack out trash and drive slowly on gravel.
Keep your tank full — gas stations can be 20 to 30 miles apart in remote zones like the Nulhegan Basin or Willoughby Gap. Refuel in Lyndonville, Newport or St. Johnsbury.
Good to know
Where did the name Northeast Kingdom come from?+
Senator George Aiken coined it in 1949 while speaking in Lyndonville, remarking that the country up there was so beautiful it ought to be called the Northeast Kingdom. The region covers Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties.
Why is Lake Willoughby compared to a fjord?+
Advancing ice sheets gouged a deep glacial trough between two sheer cliffs — Mount Pisgah at 2,751 feet and Mount Hor at 2,648 — leaving a lake over 320 feet deep, the deepest contained entirely within Vermont.
What makes Kingdom Trails special?+
Over 100 miles of hand-built singletrack across land shared by more than 100 private owners, repeatedly voted the best network in the East. Darling Hill offers flowing pine-needle trails for all levels; Burke Mountain adds a lift-served downhill park.
Can I visit Hill Farmstead?+
Yes, in Greensboro down unpaved roads. Hours are limited, so check the website and consider a pre-order for peak summer and fall weekends. Bring a picnic blanket and a cooler with ice for cans and bottles.
Do I need to prepare for no cell service?+
Yes. Service is extremely spotty across Essex and Orleans counties. Download offline maps or carry a paper gazetteer, and refuel in Lyndonville, Newport or St. Johnsbury — stations can be 20 to 30 miles apart out there.