Lamoille Valley Rail Trail was delayed due to flooding but now stretches for nearly 150 km, connecting 18 different towns
Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, New England’s longest rail trail has now officially opened to public. This trail will allow travellers in Vermont to walk, bike and even horseback ride across the scenic state in the United States.
According to press statements, the opening of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail was delayed due to flooding but now stretches for nearly 150 km, connecting 18 different towns.
The trail is open year-round and allows for winter activities like snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dog sledding and snowmobiling, says the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
The statement adds that along the way, travellers will come across quintessential New England sights like the Fisher Covered Bridge and historic railroad station buildings. It is also wheelchair-accessible thanks to low grades and a compact, crushed stone surface.
The statement adds that the trail, which runs on a rail line originally completed in 1877, was initially set to open last year, but plans were delayed due to flooding.
The LVRT is the longest rail trail in New England and connects 18 towns from St Johnsbury to Swanton. It offers a four-season, multi-purpose recreation and transportation corridor for walking, hiking, cycling, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dogsledding, and snowmobiling.
The trail also provides important connections between recreational trails in Vermont and Canada including more regional trail systems like the Vast snowmobile trail network, Long Trail, Catamount Trail, Velomont, and Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail, as well as local trail connectors like Hardwick Trails, Three Rivers Bike Path and Cambridge Greenway.
Beyond the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, Vermont boasts three other four-season rail trails across the state, including the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. The second largest trail runs for about 42 km through villages, farms, forests, and fields in Franklin County, says the tourism board.