This past Labor Day Weekend, my buddy Kris Ivers (who you might remember from my New England Dirt Podcast, Adventures in Bikepacking Ep. 2) and I rode the Rivers, Ridges, and Rails bikepacking route through North East Vermont.

This 75 mile, overnight route starts in St. Johnsbury VT, following route 5 south into Wells River, where you pick up the Cross VT Trail west through Groton State Forest (where you camp for the night) and then into Marshfield VT. Here riders leave the Cross VT trail to climb up over Cabot and into Danvers where the Lamoille Valley Rail trails return “Loopers” (this is what the state park staff refers to riders bikepacking the route) to St. Johnsbury.

I had been looking forward to riding this loop for quite some time as Groton State Forest holds a very special place in my heart, being the place where we spent most summer vacations when I was a kid. However, after this past June and July’s constant barrage of rain on many parts of Vermont,

Hands down, the most enjoyable section of this route is the section that follows the Cross VT Trail. We rode 25 miles of this multi-use 90 mile path connecting towns, communities and natural areas across North Central Vermont from Lake Champlain to the Connecticut River in New Hampshire. The portion we rode was a beautiful mix of paved and gravel roads and rail trail that meanders its way through an absolutely gorgeous part of Vermont.

Follow Kris and I along our ride as we experience lots of great riding throughout the region and are blown away by the flood damage areas both on and off the trail.

For more information on the route: https://bikepacking.com/routes/ridges...

For more information on the Cross Vermont Trail: https://www.crossvermont.org/

To listen to MTB Ben's Podcast interview with Greg Western, Ex. Dir. of Cross Vermont Trail: nedirt.com/episodes/episode-10-cross-vermont-trail-with-greg-western