← Parks & nature
Stowe Mountain Resort
Vermont's flagship ski destination and summer trail hub on the shoulder of Mount Mansfield, the state's highest peak.
Ticket
$189 adult day ticket (window)
Free hours
Not free (lift ticket required in winter; hiking access on the Long Trail from Route 108 is free)
Stowe sits at the base of 4,395-foot Mount Mansfield and pairs 116 trails across two connected mountains (Mansfield and Spruce Peak) with a walkable alpine village. In summer the same lifts open to hikers and mountain bikers, feeding into the 30-mile Cady Hill and Trapp Family Lodge trail networks and the paved 5.5-mile Stowe Recreation Path. It is the most complete four-season base in the Green Mountains for eco-minded travelers who want lift-served terrain plus long-distance hiking.
For the best day, arrive at Mansfield base by 8:15am to grab the FourRunner Quad before school groups, ski the front four (National, Liftline, Goat, Starr) while the light is on them, then move to Spruce Peak after lunch for gentler cruisers and sun. In green season, take the Gondola Skyride to the Cliff House and hike the Cliff Trail to the Chin — Vermont's true summit — before descending back to Spruce for craft beer at The Bench.
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Stowe Mountain Resort: what to expect
Stowe sits at the base of 4,395-foot Mount Mansfield and pairs 116 trails across two connected mountains (Mansfield and Spruce Peak) with a walkable alpine village. In summer the same lifts open to hikers and mountain bikers, feeding into the 30-mile Cady Hill and Trapp Family Lodge trail networks and the paved 5.5-mile Stowe Recreation Path. It is the most complete four-season base in the Green Mountains for eco-minded travelers who want lift-served terrain plus long-distance hiking.
For the best day, arrive at Mansfield base by 8:15am to grab the FourRunner Quad before school groups, ski the front four (National, Liftline, Goat, Starr) while the light is on them, then move to Spruce Peak after lunch for gentler cruisers and sun. In green season, take the Gondola Skyride to the Cliff House and hike the Cliff Trail to the Chin — Vermont's true summit — before descending back to Spruce for craft beer at The Bench.
Tickets & free entry
Entry costs $189 adult day ticket (window). Free entry: Not free (lift ticket required in winter; hiking access on the Long Trail from Route 108 is free). Opening hours: Winter: Daily 8:00-16:00 (lifts) · Summer gondola: Fri-Sun 10:00-17:00 · Base lodges open year-round.
Where to stay: Burlington, Stowe, Woodstock, Manchester, Northeast Kingdom
Burlington is the base for lake swims off North Beach and easy access to the 14-mile Island Line Trail causeway ride out to South Hero. Stay near Church Street if you want to walk to dinner at Hen of the Wood or American Flatbread. Stowe suits mountain bikers heading for Cady Hill and Perry Hill and skiers riding Mount Mansfield; the Mountain Road strip between the village and the resort is where most inns cluster. Woodstock is quieter, wealthier, and centered on the green with the Billings Farm and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park a short walk away.
Manchester splits between the historic Equinox area and outlet-strip motels on Route 7A, with the Long Trail crossing just east at Bromley. The Northeast Kingdom is the wildest option: East Burke for the Kingdom Trails network (over 100 miles of singletrack), Greensboro for Caspian Lake and Hill Farmstead beer, Craftsbury for Nordic skiing and sculling. Distances between these regions are real: Burlington to East Burke is about 90 minutes, Woodstock to Manchester about an hour on Route 4 and 7.
What it costs: real price bands by area and season
In Burlington, expect $130-180 USD midweek in summer at hotels like the Courtyard on Cherry Street, dropping to $95-130 in April and November. Stowe runs $180-260 in summer and shoulder, $300-500 during peak ski weekends at Trapp Family Lodge and Topnotch, and cheaper $140-190 slots in late May and June. Woodstock inns like the Woodstocker sit at $200-280 in summer and easily $400+ during the first week of October.
The Northeast Kingdom stays saner year-round: Inn at Mountain View Farm and the Wildflower Inn area run $150-220 in summer biking season, $180-260 during Jay Peak ski weeks. Manchester falls between Burlington and Stowe, with motels on 7A from $110 off-peak and the Equinox Resort from $280. Foliage the first two weeks of October adds 60 to 150 percent statewide, and Christmas week at any ski town is the second peak.