MANCHESTER, VT
An outdoor hub for everyone
2 Riding Days
2 Trail Networks
Activities & Riding
All Skill Levels
Play vintage pinball, experiment with angling and all-terrain driving, and plunge into a marble quarry, all with lift-served downhill and rolling cross country at your fingertips.
Nestled along the Battenkill River and at the foot of Equinox Mountain, Manchester is both charming and inspiring. The quaint town center offers easy access to outdoor activities in every direction. In winter, nearby ski areas are popular, while summer brings opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, and fishing. Known for its rich outdoor heritage—it's the birthplace of Orvis and Burton Snowboards—the town now draws tourists with shopping and attractions for all ages and abilities. Mountain bikers can enjoy cross-country trails in Dorset, just 15 minutes northwest, or head 20 minutes southeast to Stratton Mountain Resort for lift-served downhill riding.
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There are lots of lodging options in Manchester, with everything from roadside motels to full-service resorts on offer.
The Equinox Resort & Spa first opened in 1769 and offers spacious, luxurious accommodations in an elegant resort setting in the heart of town.
Stratton Mountain Resort has lodging options suitable for any size family or group. We recommend booking near the Main Base Lodge for convenient access to the village and chairlifts.
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MANCHESTER:
The Yard is one of three dining experiences hosted by The Crooked Ram. Visit the open-air kitchen and bar for Neapolitan-style pizzas, New England seafood platters, charred vegetables, and peak-season salads.
Drop into the Union Undergroundfor live music, craft cocktails, and elevated bar fare.
The Avocado Pit is a quick-stop spot for burritos, tacos, and salads made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Depot Street Burgers is the friendly, go-to spot in Manchester for burgers, fries, and milkshakes.
Zoey’s Double Hex boasts a big dining room and specializes in steaks, seafood, and hamburgers.
Up for Breakfast is a casual upstairs dining room serving breakfast plates that are equal parts classic and creative.
STRATTON:
Stratton Mountain Market and Delisits conveniently near the base of the bike park and slings delicious made-to-order sandwiches.
Upper Standard Coffee Company is more than a coffee shop and roaster. The Stratton Village staple also serves pastries, Belgian Liège waffles, grilled cheeses, and boozy milkshakes.
Honeypie is perfect for an apres ride treat - go sweet with a maple creemee, or go savory with flash-fried cauliflower and a local beer.
DORSET:
The Dorset Bakery is a European-style café serving cappuccinos and croissants in the morning as well as soups and sandwiches in the afternoon.
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Stratton Mountain Bike Park offers full-suspension bike rentals that are well-suited to gravity riding. Even if you bring a cross country bike for riding Dorset, a rental is recommended.
Four Mountain Bike Shop in Londonderry, Vermont is a full-service repair shop that also carries a limited selection of cycles for sale.
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Pastime Pinball Arcade is a playable pinball museum with over sixty games spanning seventy five years of arcade history.
Land Rover Experience welcomes drivers to hone their off-roading skills under expert guidance on a closed course through the Green Mountains.
Orvis’ 1-Day Fly Fishing School teaches you the basics of angling, both on Orvis’ fully-stocked casting pond and out on the famed Battenkill River.
Northshire Bookstore is a family-owned, independent bookstore with a large collection of new, used, and rare books, plus a curated collection of vinyl records, stationery, and gifts made by local artisans.
The 5.3 mile-long Mount Equinox Toll Road is the longest privately owned, paved toll road in the United States. Offering sweeping valley views, it ascends 3,248 feet through four types of forest to the top of Mount Equinox.
The H.N. Williams Store in Dorset is an unexpected delight. It doesn’t look like much from the road, but its insides are endless, with aisles including everything from ice fishing gear to children’s toys and fine wine.
Dorset Quarry is one of the best swimming holes in the state—it’s cavernous, marble-lined, and an indescribable shade of blue-green that you must see in person.
For more information, visit the Manchester, VT Tourism Website
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You can save a lot of money by joining VMBA for your trip! Everyone one is welcome. Individual memberships are $60, with discounts available for families and those under 25. Your benefits can be used immediately from the VMBA App!
Join VMBA today for immediate access to these member benefits through our App.
First Run Ski Shop
15% Off accessories, service and repairs
20% Off a ski rental (walk-in only based on availability)Stratton Nordic Center
2 Free nordic day passes
50% Off a Fat Bike Rental
Becoming a VMBA member supports mountain biking and trails throughout Vermont, as well as our local chapters.
Local VMBA Chapter:
Northshire Area Trail System (NATS)Additional conditions may apply for any of the above offers. Please refer to the VMBA App for details.
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Chances are, pinball isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Vermont. Beth and Marty Friedman combined their passion for pinball with a vision of living in Vermont and the result is worth a visit.
ARRIVAL DAY:
Play vintage pinball and stop in a bookshop
Although lodging options abound in Stratton, stay in Manchester for its central location and extra amenities. Choose somewhere walkable to downtown, and enjoy the evening strolling and shopping along Main Street. You’ll encounter both local shops and designer outlets, but be sure to save some time for Manchester’s more unique attractions, such as the unexpected Pastime Pinball Arcade, a playable pinball museum founded by Beth and Marty Friedman with the sole goal of making visitors happy—and it will. In worse weather find shelter in the lovely Northshire Bookstore, or, if clear skies call, drive up the Mount Equinox toll road for sweeping views of the valley and an aerial peek at Charterhouse of the Transfiguration, the only Carthusian monastery in North America. For dinner, drop into the always-welcoming Depot Street Burgers for a hamburger, french fries, and a milkshake.
Hot lapping Stratton’s buffed banked trails is efficient thanks to its detachable quad, American Express.
Located in a converted filling station, the retro-themed Honeypie is a magnet for hungry riders on the way down from Stratton.
DAY ONE:
Get up for breakfast and then ride down all day
Fill your belly at Up For Breakfast, a hole-in-the-wall eatery popular with locals for its sweet service and country-style fare. If you can’t find it, look for the red awning—it’s a story above the street, literally upstairs. Drive twenty minutes to Stratton Mountain Resort for a day of downhill riding. If you’ve brought a cross country or hardtail bike, opt to rent something with a little more squish. Combined with the included full face helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads, the extra suspension will make you feel a whole lot more confident as you take on the mountain’s flowing berms and bumpy rock gardens. Intermediate and advanced riders won’t want to miss cruising down Bermie Sanders, a mile-long descent filled with jumps and—you guessed it—banked turns. Stop midday for a sandwich and soft drink from the Stratton Mountain Market and Deli, then squeeze in a final few laps on the hill.
Apres-ride with something sweet or savory
On your way down from the resort, hang a right on Route 30 and stop in at Honeypie, a gas station that’s been converted into a cute eatery, for an après ride treat. Go sweet with a milkshake or creemee, or go savory with flash-fried cauliflower and a local beer.
Sip natural wine in an enviable backyard garden
Back in Manchester, stop at The Crooked Ram for dinner. What started as a bottle shop in 2017 has since grown into a full-service restaurant offering three distinct dining experiences, each with its own menu and setting. Find a seat in The Yard, a covered outdoor beer garden with a sustainably-sourced, ingredient-driven menu and expertly curated drinks list. Enjoy golden hour as an excellent playlist (The Crooked Ram is known for that, too) takes you away. Afterward, if you’ve still got an appetite for music, catch some live tunes and a nightcap at the Union Underground a mile down the road.
The epicenter of Vermont fly-fishing, the trout pond at Orvis is a fun and gratifying experience. Practice your cast, or take a 1-Day learn to fly fish course, but be warned - it’s not only the fish that get hooked!
DAY TWO:
Ride through a village fit for a movie set
Hop in the car first thing and drive north out of town to Dorset, a monochrome country village that is so tidy, you’ll swear you’ve seen it in a holiday rom-com. Have a cappuccino and a fresh-baked croissant (or a from-scratch breakfast sandwich) at the Dorset Bakery, then pop over to the Raptor Lane Trails for the day’s riding. Intermediate and advanced bikers will want to go to battle on Gettysberm, a highlight of the trail system. Midway down, Gettysberm is intersected by Breather, which offers a worthy detour along a mixed-use trail to the Gettysburg Quarry, named as it is for being the source of headstones for thousands of soldiers who died in Gettysburg. If you exhaust Raptor Lane’s nine miles of singletrack—or if you feel overwhelmed by all the options— you can also tack on a little tootle along the intermediate-friendly Humphrey’s Trail on the other side of the valley.
Get lost in a general store and go for a dunk
Before you leave Dorset, a stop at the H.N. Williams Store is a must. A general store in every sense, it doesn’t look like much from the road, but its insides are endless, with aisles including everything from ice fishing gear to children’s toys and fine wine. Along with whatever else you find, pick up some lunch items and go to Dorset Quarry for a picnic just down the road. In addition to being one of Vermont’s most famous swimming holes, it’s also the nation’s oldest marble quarry and the source of material for iconic buildings including the New York Public Library.
ROUTES & RIDE TIPS
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Stratton Bike Park
Stratton Mountain Resort Bike Park
Stratton Mountain Bike Park Website
Northshire Area Trail System VMBA Chapter
With ten miles of singletrack and over seven hundred vertical feet of lift-served terrain, Stratton is an excellent place to enjoy the thrills of classic Vermont downhill. Designed and built by Sinuosity, the mountain’s trails feature both machine-built lines and hand-shaped features, creating ample opportunity for progression and excitement across all ability levels.
Raptor Lane Trails
Raptor Lane Trails
Northshire Area Trail System VMBA Chapter
Built and maintained by the Northshire Area Trail System, Raptor Lane hosts nine miles of purpose-built mountain biking trails and also adjoins scenic hiking trails that run through Dorset’s Owl's Head Town Forest. The mountain biking trails range from beginner to intermediate and include dedicated, professionally built downhill trails. The trails are accessed from Raptor Lane in Dorset. Intermediate and advanced riders can park at the "Hawk's Pass" trailhead, while other riders can park a little further up the road. To get there, stay right on Raptor Lane and keep following the road. It will get steep and narrow then level out before you reach the upper biking parking.