Trapp Family Lodge Mountain Biking

Mountain Biking at Vermont’s Trapp Family Lodge

[review]It’s time to escape the sticky city heat and find some sort of release that doesn’t involve sweltering by the overcrowded neighborhood pool. Mountain biking in Stowe, Vermont is the perfect summer getaway—a half day’s drive north from NYC makes a surprising difference in the overwhelming humidity and biking through the mystical woods of Vermont is an unforgettable experience.

Mountain Biking
Part of the 20 miles of trails at the Trapp Family Lodge. Photography by Kelsey Floyd.

Mountain Biking doesn’t sound that hardcore. Everyone knows how to ride a bike. What’s the big deal? Turns out, it’s a pretty big deal. Mountain biking is an amazingly intense way to explore nature in an entirely new way. The Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe has 1 mile of intermediate single-track trail, 5+ miles of intermediate/expert single-track, and 20 miles of beginner to advanced double-track that spreads over their stunning property. The lodge is such a sight to see in winter for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, etc. that it’s hard to imagine how much fun it can be in the summer too—it’s a very pleasant surprise.

Jenna Bostock Mountain Biking
Our Editor gets ready to hit the single track at the Trapp Family Lodge! Photography by Kelsey Floyd.

The best way to get started on the trails, if you’re not an experienced mountain biker (and using your commuter bike all over Brooklyn doesn’t count) is to set up a lesson and guided trip with any one of the Trapp’s experienced staff. We had the pleasure of going out into the mountains with Briggs—definitely request him if you drop by with any newbies. He can help the group ‘relearn’ some basic bike skills and have you on intermediate/advanced trails by the end of the day.

Trapp Family Lodge
Briggs, an instructor at the Trapp Family Lodge Outdoor Center, teaches our team a few tricks before heading down to Stepping Stone. Photography by Kelsey Floyd.

There’s something incredibly freeing about speeding through the woods on a bicycle—suddenly it’s not just your legs running, you’re not slowed down by your own body, you just have precision and power and the ability to go places you didn’t know you could.

Mountain Biking Vermont
The Trapp Family Lodge has 2,500 acres of breathtaking land in Stowe. Photography by Kelsey Floyd.

After a long muddy day on the trails make sure you first hit up the Deli Bakery Brewery for some of the Trapp Family Lodge’s in-house brews, Austrian style lagers that don’t need pumpkin or blueberry flavorings to be absolutely refreshing. After working up an appetite you’ll have earned a dinner prepared by the famed Chef Cody Vasek, a Stowe chef favorite known for his impeccable attention to detail and excellence in simplicity. If you catch an evening when he’s serving his Risotto Croquette with Tomato and Parmesan Fondue you’ll know you’re in for a farm-to-table treat.

Lamb Osso Bucco
Lamb Osso Bucco with Wild Mushroom Risotto prepared by Chef Cody. Photography by Kelsey Floyd.

New York feels like it’s on fire this week. Take a break and cool off in the magical Vermont mountains with some extreme mountain biking, five star cuisine and authentic New England hospitality and charm.

Chef Cody Vasek
Chef Cody Vasek hanging out in his kitchen at the Trapp Family Lodge. Photography by Kelsey Floyd.