Rutland County

Situated on the western side just south of Addison.

The Marble City and the ski giant Killington — southern Vermont’s practical, affordable base.

Where to stay in Rutland County

Rutland city is the practical base, with supermarkets, honest prices and twenty-five minutes on US-4 to the Killington lifts, while Mendon, halfway up the pass, splits the difference between city rates and mountain access. The Killington Access Road is where to be if you want to walk between the lifts and the bars and will pay for the privilege; Pittsfield and the VT-100 corridor north of it are the quieter, cheaper version of the same commute. Over in the west of the county, Castleton, Poultney and Brandon give you village greens, lake access and a train stop at Castleton, on the understanding that you will drive to almost everything. Holiday ski weeks and foliage weekends want booking months ahead, but the rest of the year this is one of the easier corners of Vermont in which to find a room.

Getting around & the essentials

Transport

US-7 runs north to south through the county and US-4 crosses it east to west from the New York line through Rutland and up over Sherburne Pass to Killington and Woodstock, with VT-103 and VT-30 filling in the south. Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express stops at Castleton and Rutland, and the small Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport has limited service, with Albany about an hour and forty-five minutes away. A car is needed for the ski areas, lakes and trailheads.