Woodstock, VT - Pedaling the Pastoral Landscape

Terrain:
10% Beginner
60% Intermediate
30% Expert

Good For:
Families
Foodies
Non-riders

If your agenda includes real riding as well as a taste for the finer things, or when your group includes non-riders looking to have their own kinds of fun, Woodstock fits the bill.

Woodstock, Vermont

Ride hard and have fun in a charming town with 3 trail networks to explore

Woodstock may be a well-known tourist destination, but beneath its classic Vermont charm lies a thriving local mountain biking community. The trails here, built by locals with a passion for the sport, accommodate riders of all abilities but really reward experienced riders. Your non-biking companions can shop in the art-filled, pedestrian-friendly downtown, spend time hiking, golfing and fly-fishing, or visiting nearby historic sites. The riding options include everything from open grassy trails with calming views of the Green Mountains, to some of Vermont’s choicest flow trails. Add creative cuisine and craft beverages to the mix and Woodstock offers the perfect balance of outdoor adventure and cultural experiences for everyone in your group.

WOODSTOCK, VT LOCATOR MAP
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  • Woodstock Inn & Resort offers luxurious accommodations with small town charm. The inn is tucked just off Woodstock’s friendly main street and caters well to tourists—including skiers and bikers. 

    The Vesper is a cyclist-owned bed and breakfast known for its vibrant interior, nourishing food, and adventurous guests. 

    506 on the River Inn** offers quiet, riverside lodging away from the bustle of town and only one mile distant from the Aqueduct Trails.

    ** Offers VMBA Member Benefit

  • Trail Break Taps & Tacos is a colorful from-scratch kitchen serving tacos, burritos, and an array of inventive appetizers. Oh, and they have 28 taps pouring a rotating selection of brews from near and far. 

    Worthy Kitchen ** is a casual farm-to-table pub offering New American cuisine and a selection of local taps that are a worthy attraction of their own. 

    Woodstock Farmers’ Market ** is a specialty grocery store, bakery, cheesemonger, and bottle shop all under one roof. A selection of delicious grab-and-go sandwiches make it an excellent spot to snag a quick bite plus some provisions for later. 

    Stop by Mon Vert Cafe for organic country food in a cozy, classy setting. Think hearty breakfast sandwiches and maple lattes—yum. 

    Abracadabra Coffee is a coffee roaster and cafe serving single origin coffee, liége waffles, donuts, canelés, and, in the summer, signature takes on the Vermont-classic creemee. 

    Soulfully Good Cafe offers local, organic and just good food. All breads are made in-house.

    Santé partners with nearby Peace Field Farm to offer globally-inspired small bites & entrées as well as premium wines & hand-crafted cocktails.

    ** Offers a VMBA Member Benefit

  • The Woodstock Inn Activity Center offers convenient mountain bike rentals. They stock both adult and youth sizes and can set you up with a cross country or enduro bike depending on your day’s plans. With a prior reservation, the Activity Center will also transport your rental(s) to and from the Mt. Peg and Saskadena Six trailheads. 

    Woodstock Sports is a great spot to take your bike for a quick fix or to pick up sports nutrition or gear that you may have left at home. The shop also has a rental fleet. 

    Route 4 Bikes is an independent, by-appointment-only local service that offers bike sales and maintenance.

  • The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is Vermont’s only National Park. Tour the mansion for its outstanding collection of Hudson River School artwork and walk along the park’s carriage roads to see the oldest professionally managed forest in the United States.

    Take the kids to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) Nature Center to learn about local ecosystems. Raptor demonstrations, a songbird aviary, and a forest canopy walk are highlights on site. 

    Give yourself a driving tour of Woodstock’s four covered bridges, which are local relics of what was once a common form of crossing.

    Take a dip in the Ottauquechee River, which is lined with swimming holes and runs right through town. East End Park hosts easy river access and a rope swing. 

    Visit Quechee Gorge State Park to stare 165 feet down into Vermont’s deepest gorge, or take a hike down to see it from the bottom.

    For more information, visit the Woodstock, VT Tourism Website

  • Mt. Peg Trails
    In-town multi-use trail system with 62 trails / 27 miles for XC mountain biking.
    Google Parking Directions

    Aqueduct Trails
    Multi-use trail system with 26 Trails / 16 Miles for XC mountain biking, 3 miles west of downtown Woodstock.
    Google Parking Directions

    Saskadena 6 Trails
    Flow trail system with 12 Trails / 4 miles for pedal-powered downhill mountain biking, 3.5 miles north of downtown Woodstock.
    Google Parking Directions

  • Join VMBA today for immediate access to these member benefits through our App.

    • Woodstock Farmer’s Market
      20% Off your entire purchase (One Time - Per Location)

    • Worthy Kitchen
      Free order of donuts

    • Saskadena Six
      2 for 1 midweek winter Downhill ticket (Blackout dates apply)

    • Woodstock Nordic Center
      Complimentary day pass (valid for Fat Biking, Snowshoeing, or skiing)

    • 506 On the River Inn
      15% Off your reservation. Blackout periods apply. Call for reservation.

    • TrailForks Pro
      30% OFF annual subscriptions – $5 of your subscription fee will be donated to VMBA Chapter.

    Local VMBA Chapter:
    Woodstock Area Mountain Bikers (WAMBA)

    Additional conditions may apply for any of the above offers. Please refer to the VMBA App for details.

Built in 1969, the Middle Covered Bridge pays homage to Vermont’s historic covered bridges with its 19th century-style construction. Notably, the wooden bridge contains no nails and is instead held together by pegs.

The village of Woodstock, VT from the top of Mt. Tom. A walkable downtown nestled in the rolling hills of the green mountains, there are plenty of recreational options in addition to mountain biking the area’s 30+ miles of trails.

Bike rentals at the Woodstock Inn include shuttle to Saskadena Six. One of the nation’s oldest ski areas, Saskadena Six has a classic lodge filled with Vermont skiing memorabilia.

The food scene in and around Woodstock (and Vermont in general) rewards those who appreciate farm-to-table ingredients and creative takes on classic dishes, such as the avocado toast shown above at the Soulfully Good Cafe.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY

ARRIVAL DAY:

Settle into a bit of Vermont history

Check into the Woodstock Inn & Resort, whose central location and in-house Activity Center make it an excellent hub for the weekend ahead. Once you’ve landed, roll or stroll out the front door toward The Green, a sliver-shaped park that hugs a bend in the Ottauquechee River and leads right into downtown. Pass by (and through, because it’s a unique experience) the Middle Covered Bridge, and then make your way into the brick-lined central shopping district. Most of the stores close at 5 p.m., but you can still stop by Dr. Coburn’s Tonic for a seasonal cocktail and the classic Coburn Burger. Or, if you’re arriving late, grab dinner at one of the Woodstock Inn’s on-site restaurants. Bar bites are available at the brew pub until 11 pm.

DAY ONE:

Warm up to some New England riding

Walk over to the always-cozy Soulfully Good Cafe for a baked good or breakfast burrito, then drive out toward the Aqueduct Trails, which have something for everyone. Beginners can’t miss TNT and Dyno-Mite, while more advanced pedalers will want to bite off the demanding Cabot Pepper Jack Loop. Before you leave, be sure to take in some views at the Rondell Reservoir and hone your skills at the parking lot pumptrack. On your way out, covered bridge seekers should take a detour to the Lincoln Covered Bridge, which was built in 1877 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Don’t be shy: you can drive across it and admire it from the inside.

Stop for lunch at the Woodstock Farmers’ Market, which started as a roadside farmstand in the ‘90s and is now a full-blown country store selling local cheese, produce, and meat, as well as its own prepared foods and baked goods. Grab a deli sandwich and some lemonade for lunch, and then stock up on any Vermont delicacies—local cheese and a fresh rhubarb pie recommended— you might want to take back to your room.

Keep it going with some single-origin beans

Those with an appetite for more pedalling—or who believe they can gin one up with some single-origin coffee from the almighty Abracadabra Coffee Roasters—can drive north to South Pomfret to lap the Saskadena 6 Trails. Because this network sits atop one of the oldest ski areas in the country, you might glimpse chairlifts, but rider be warned: those only spin in winter, so you’ll have to rely on your fitness and stoke to get you to the top. 

Those who are done riding for the day can head into town for some shopping or take a trip out to the VINS Nature Center for its raptor center and songbird aviary.

Indulge in farm-to-table comfort food

If the day has you feeling cooked, drop by East End Park for a dip in the Ottaquechee River, then check out Worthy Kitchen for dinner. Created by Dave Brodrick, founder of The Blind Tiger, a beloved but now defunct beer bar in New York City, Worthy Kitchen serves a farm-to-table menu of comfort food and local beer. The Poke Bowl is an unexpected hitter, but you might also spring for truffle fries and a plate of maple bacon chicken wings. 

DAY TWO:

Relish a ride right from town

Pad down to the Mon Vert Cafe for an organic, country-style breakfast and some strong coffee to energize yourself for a full day of riding. Woodstock native Sam DiNatale bought the cafe from the original owners in 2015 and has since turned it into a community hub filled with locals and tourists alike. Leave your car parked and access the Mt. Peg trails right out the Woodstock Inn’s backdoor. Check out the valley views from the top of the climb, then make sure you get your tires on Cloud Drop and Sir Bermsalot (one of the flowiest combos in Vermont), as well as Schist Creek, the area’s newly rebuilt tech trail. 

Wrap up with a burrito and two covered bridges

Kick back for a final meal at Trail Break Taps & Tacos, where you can fill up with a burrito or venture into new territory with from-scratch appetizers including street corn, fried duck wings, and grilled watermelon. Motorists leaving toward Boston and New York can catch two more covered bridges (the Taftsville and the Quechee, which spans a scenic waterfall) on their way out of town, while those looking to keep the riding going can drive thirty minutes west to Killington, where lift-served downhills await. 

Mt. Peg

Aqueduct

Saskadena Six

RIDE RECOMMENDATIONS

A VMBA MEMBER’S TAKE ON RIDING WOODSTOCK:

“Despite the luxe vibe of town, the trails in and around Woodstock are pretty advanced. There's a lot of climbing in Woodstock, so that's the hallmark aspect of riding here. You can't slouch anywhere. The stuff off the top of Mt. Peg is more natural, off camber, rooty, and rocky. The green-trails at Mt. Peg are easier than the rest, but still challenging. Sir Bermsalot, even boasting its golden loam, is no joke. Nick's Neighborhood (also marked green) could be considered pretty challenging for someone who hasn't spent a ton of time on a bike. Aqueduct is rooty and more cross-country riding. Saskadena Six was purpose-built as a bike park so everything rolls but it's on the steeper side and is pretty darn off camber on the black trails.”

Mt. Peg Trails

(Suggested Route)

Boasting everything from enduro-style singletrack to grassy double track across sixteen miles of trail, the woods and meadows of Mt. Peg offer something for everyone. 

Adaptive riders and riders looking for wider, less technical terrain can climb up the Village Trail right from town to reach the summit of Mt. Peg, which boasts must-see Green Mountain views. A loop into Nick's Neighborhood extends the ride into additional beginner-friendly terrain, and more advanced riders can continue on to the rest of the Mt. Peg trail system. 

Intermediate and advanced riders can also access the Mt. Peg trail system from the north at East End Park or from the south from Knox Meadow on Route 106. Knox Meadow offers the easiest access for riders to reach Cloud Drop & Sir Bermsalot (one of the flowiest combos in Vermont) as well as Schist Creek, the area’s newly rebuilt tech trail.

No trail pass required. Trails maintained by WAMBA.

Aqueduct Trails

Free. No trail pass required.
(Suggested Route)

Less than ten minutes west of town, the Aqueduct trail system is home to 13 miles of purpose-built singletrack with a variety of terrain for all levels. While more advanced riders might want to lap its 600 vertical feet of potential descending, those looking for a more relaxed outing might do a short loop around TNT and Dyno-Mite, or extend their ride for a trip around the Vondell Reservoir. 

A dedicated parking area on Cox District Road is a great place to unpack a chair, flow around the pumptrack, and hang post-ride as you mingle with other riders.

No trail pass required. Trails maintained by WAMBA.

Saskadena Six Trails

(Suggested Route)

Home to lift-served skiing during winter, the Saskadena Six Trail system hosts some of Vermont’s most exciting pedal-powered downhill trails from June through October. The 600 ft of climb to the top is well worth the long, flowy downhills that traverse the face of the mountain.

No trail pass required. Trails maintained by Saskadena Six in partnership with WAMBA.