Alternate Route(Vermont Edition)

Recently, while enjoying the sunset from the top of our property in Vermont, we had an idea. One of our favorite things to do while we are visiting Vermont is to venture out on what we have termed the Alternate Route. It works like this; First we decide where we are going, then we pull out our Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer, a must have if you are planning on traveling to Vermont, then instead of sticking to the Rt16s or the interstate highways (interstate 91, as those who've traveled it know, is beautiful in it's own right) means of travel, which would surely get us there faster, we choose to travel via an alternate route on roads such as the Rockin Rock Road, Stannard Mountain Road or the Mud City Loop Road. We call it the paved road alternative(Alternate Route), with our secondary goal simply to get off the tar and onto the dirt. As for our primary goal, one never knows what will be discovered on a road named Rockin!!!

A quick note on Vermont's Roadways. The state of Vermont reigns as the champion of maintaining roadways. Their third class roads (dirt) are better maintained than most of the major freeways in our little state of Rhode Island. You do not need an SUV to travel the back roads of Vermont, although I would steer clear from them during mud season. If you are still daunted by idea of traveling the "alternate route" on your own, there are businesses, such as Vermont Backroad Tours , that can arrange such a experience.

We don't actually choose our route based on the name, but occasionally you can't help but to notice such things. Of course with time we have developed our favorites, hence the idea. We decided to compile and share our favorite alternate routes with you in a series called Alternate Route. Of course we encourage you to discover your own alternate route but at least this is a place to start.


You can find stories in this series listed under the label Alternate Route in the sidebar of our homepage.

Happy travels...Medelise