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★ 4.7Located just south of Franklin and Orleans.
Home to Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak, and the classic ski town of Stowe.
Where to stay in Lamoille County
In Stowe the real choice is Mountain Road (VT-108) or the village: the road puts you closest to the lifts and to most of the eating and drinking, though it queues on powder mornings, while the village is quieter and prettier and still only a few minutes from the base. Morrisville, ten minutes north on VT-100, is the value option, with supermarkets and services and no resort premium, and Hyde Park, Johnson and Elmore are quieter again. For Smugglers' Notch, base yourself at Jeffersonville or Cambridge on VT-15, remembering that the notch road is gated from late October to late May, so a winter stay there is 45 minutes from the Stowe lifts rather than ten. Christmas week, the February holidays and the foliage weekends are the dates to book months out.
Hand-checked stays
Stays in Lamoille County
★ 4.7
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★ 4.5On the ground
Things to do in Lamoille County
- Mount Mansfield & Stowe ResortVermont’s highest summit and its most storied ski mountain, with a toll road and gondola in summer.
- Stowe Recreation PathA paved 5.3-mile greenway winding from the village along the West Branch — walk, bike or ski it.
- Smugglers' NotchA hairpin mountain pass squeezing between boulders below Mansfield — closed to cars in winter.
- Lamoille Valley Rail TrailThe finished western end of Vermont’s longest rail trail runs through Morrisville and Cambridge.
Getting around & the essentials
Transport
Come in from I-89 exit 10 at Waterbury and drive north on VT-100 for Stowe and Morrisville, or take VT-15 east from Essex for Cambridge, Johnson and Hyde Park. Burlington International (BTV) is about 45 minutes from Stowe, and the nearest Amtrak stop is Waterbury on the Vermonter line, just south of the county boundary. There is a local bus network around Stowe and Morrisville, but everywhere else assumes a car.
Good to know
Common questions
Do I have to stay in Stowe?
No, and you will usually pay less if you do not. Morrisville, Hyde Park, Johnson and Jeffersonville are all within 15 to 25 minutes of the Stowe or Smugglers' Notch lifts and cost noticeably less, particularly on winter weekends.
What is the best hike in the county?
Mount Mansfield if you have the legs and the weather, either from the Stowe side or up over the Long Trail. Sterling Pond from the top of Smugglers' Notch is the best short one, and Elmore Mountain is the easiest with a real payoff at the top.
Is the notch road really closed all winter?
Yes. VT-108 through Smugglers' Notch is gated from around late October until late May, which turns the short hop between Stowe and Jeffersonville into a 45-minute drive via VT-15. Satellite navigation systems still route people into the closed gate every year.
When does foliage peak up here?
Northern Vermont turns earlier than the south, so late September into the first week or two of October is the usual window, with the higher slopes of Mansfield colouring first. VT-100 through Stowe is the most photographed drive and the most congested.
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