Every day on this tour includes awe-inspiring views of Lake Champlain, with the Adirondacks and Green Mountains as backdrops. Cross by ferry to ride through historic Essex, New York, and then onto the Champlain Islands and even a day trip into Canada.
Start - End: Burlington - Burlington
Total trip: 6 days
Average group size: 12 people
Gallery
On this outstanding bike tour in Vermont, you stay the first two nights at the fabulous multiple-award-winning Hotel Vermont. Described as “rustic and modern, natural and sophisticated, hand wrought and high tech,” this new hotel is located just a few hundred feet from Burlington’s Lake Champlain waterfront and the vibrant nightlife of Church Street. The next three nights you are a guest at the extremely popular North Hero House or Shore Acres Inn, where you can relax in your Adirondack chair while enjoying the last rays of the sun reflecting across the lake onto the Green Mountains.
Every day on this spectacular tour includes leisurely lakeside cycling and awe-inspiring views of Lake Champlain, the sixth largest (and surely one of the loveliest) lakes in the U.S. You ride to Charlotte, then cross by ferry to ride through the nationally recognized historic village of Essex, New York. You bike along the renowned Burlington Bike path, follow a causeway into Lake Champlain and take the bike ferry onto the islands. Your easy cycling includes a visit to Vermont’s oldest settlement at Fort Saint Anne (and the Saint Anne Shrine) and to the quarry at Chazy Reef where some of the oldest reef/mound fossils in the world are located. You can opt to visit to Snow Farm Vineyard and ride north into Canada (bring your passport!). You also enjoy an afternoon of professionally guided kayaking along the quiet shores of the lake.
Surfaces for this tour: 85% Paved and 15% Gravel.
Find out what each day entails on the tour and check out the map below for the route you'll follow.
Many plan to arrive early to relax and perhaps enjoy the beautiful college town of Burlington, including the Church Street Marketplace and beautiful Waterfront Park, Echo Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Frog Hollow Craft Center … and treat yourself at Lake Champlain Chocolates.
Dinner is at 7 p.m. and is followed by an introductory meeting with your leaders.
Accommodation: Hotel Vermont, Burlington
Meals: Dinner
Monday’s ride takes you south along quiet roads that give you great views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack mountains. Arriving in the Village of Charlotte, you may stop at the 160-year-old Old Brick Store where you can buy snacks and a vast array of Vermont products, gift items, and great penny candy. Pick up lunch here to eat along the way … or after the ferry to New York. Board the Essex ferry with your bike (about 20 minutes across the lake) and enjoy cycling a 5-mile loop with views back across Lake Champlain.
After taking the return ferry to Vermont, you cycle through an old covered bridge to the lake shore and enjoy water views from the Charlotte Town Beach. Lake Champlain is the sixth largest lake in the U.S. French explorer Samuel de Champlain led the first European expedition here on July 4, 1609. And while it seems rather peaceful and quiet today, in earlier times it witnessed a great deal of tumultuous history including battles in the French and Indian Wars as well as the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 with the efforts of Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys. The British also had a large fleet here during the war of 1812 and were soundly defeated by American forces in the nearby battle of Plattsburgh in 1814.
Climbing away from the lake shore you pass through orchard and horse country and are rewarded with an included wine tasting at the Shelburne Vineyard where you can savor their excellent organic wines. There are 12 more miles of country roads and bike path to the day’s route, but for those hankering for time to explore and shop in Burlington, you can take our passenger van from the winery back to Hotel Vermont.
You are on your own for dinner this evening and can select from several local options in Burlington within walking distance of the inn.
Accommodation: Hotel Vermont, Burlington
Meals: Breakfast
Biking: 47.2 miles (75.9 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,313 feet (705 meters) ascent, 2,318 feet (706 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier to Intermediate
Today you start cycling on the beautiful Burlington Waterfront Bike Path. The Bike Path follows the Lake Champlain shoreline, offering wonderful views of the lake and the Adirondack Mountains to the west and the city of Burlington to the right. The bike path links six major waterfront parks, crosses the Winooski River on a pedestrian/bike bridge and ends on a causeway that juts out into the lake. From here a seasonal bike ferry takes you and your bicycle just a few hundred feet across a gap in the causeway to Grand Isle and the Champlain Islands. In Grand Isle, guests often have lunch at a local farmstand.
From here you wind your way along the western shore of the lake and then cross a drawbridge leading into North Hero, where you are welcomed at your inn. You might want to take the opportunity to explore Hero’s Welcome General Store. This iconic general store is located in a century-old building on the shore of the lake, and you will enjoy walking through its many aisles and outbuildings, including a bakery, cafe, as well as the general store itself.
Accommodation: Shores Acres Inn, North Hero
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Biking: 35.8 miles (57.6 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,127 feet (343 meters) ascent, 1,183 feet (361 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier
Today you enjoy a pleasant ride north to Alburgh and then head north for an optional ride into Canada (bring your passport!). One Canadian highlight is a visit to Fromagerie Kaiser, a boutique cheese and bread shop and a great place to have a picnic before cycling back on a loop to the United States.
From here, West Shore Road leads down another beautiful side of the lake and to Alburgh Dunes State Park. This 625-acre property is named for the sand dunes located along the long south-facing natural sand beach.
Accommodation: Shores Acres Inn, North Hero
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Biking: 53.2 miles (85.6 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 930 feet (283 meters) ascent, 927 feet (283 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier
Today you explore historic Isle La Motte. Heading north, you soon come to a point in the road where Lake Champlain is very close on both sides. This is known as “The Carrying Place” a narrow isthmus that was used by Native Americans to traverse canoes between sections of Lake Champlain as well as by rum-running smugglers trying to avoid Jefferson’s 1808 embargo on trade with Canada. Crossing the bridge over Alburgh Passage, you then ride the narrow neck and bridge leading onto Isle La Motte.
Here you visit the site of Fort Saint Anne and Saint Anne’s Shrine. The shrine includes a chapel, scenic walkways, historic site markers and seasonal snack bar. Fort Saint Anne was built by the French in 1666 as protection against Mohawk Indian raids, and was the first white settlement in Vermont. In addition, General Montgomery had his headquarters here before the 1775 expedition into Canada. Benedict Arnold also anchored his fleet near here before the Battle of Valcour Island (1776), and the British fleet stopped here before their defeat at the Battle of Plattsburgh (1814).
Leaving St. Anne, you continue to hug the island shore with great views west into the Adirondacks. You can opt for a visit to the Fiske Farm and Quarry Preserve where old quarries have exposed outcroppings of the Chazy reef formation. This is an example of the world’s oldest type of coral reef (450,000,000 years old and nearly a mile long).
After completing your ride, you return to the accommodation to enjoy the afternoon on your own, including an optional unguided afternoon of kayaking on the beautiful eastern bays of Lake Champlain.
Accommodation: Shores Acres Inn, North Hero
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Biking: 36.9 miles (59.4 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 884 feet (269 meters) ascent, 882 feet (269 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier
Today's ride heads south over the drawbridge from North Hero and along the western shore of Grand Isle to the seasonal bike ferry, a trip highlight where you'll cross the gap in the causeway by boat. Once across, you'll ride the iconic Lake Champlain Causeway with its sweeping lake and Adirondack views. From there, you rejoin the Lake Champlain Bike Path and follow the shoreline back into downtown Burlington, finishing at Hotel Vermont.
Accommodation: Not applicable
Meals: Breakfast
Biking: 29.4 miles (47.3 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 890 feet (271 meters) ascent, 826 feet (252 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier
Inns
Hotel Vermont, Burlington
Vermonters are known for being independent, together. And like Vermont, Hotel Vermont is full of compatible contradictions. Located in downtown Burlington near the shores of Lake Champlain, they’re rustic and modern, local and global, natural and sophisticated, hand wrought and high tech.
North Hero House
The North Hero House is a lovely waterfront inn and was founded in 1891 by James H. Dodds, the descendant of a Scottish family which settled in North Hero in the early 1800’s. It now consists of three buildings in addition to the main lodge building. Famous guests who have visited or stayed at the North Hero House include Paul Newman and Joann Woodward, Robert Redford, Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke and Steven Forbes, to name a few.
Shore Acres Inn
Tucked away on forty-six acres of rolling grounds that meet the calming shore of Lake Champlain, this quiet lakeside inn awaits you. With a half mile of private lakeshore, embrace a side of Vermont that only few are lucky enough to experience. With perennial purple martins vibrant throughout the grounds, and morning sunrises unlike you’ve ever seen, Shore Acres Inn and Restaurant will provide you with the recharge and relaxation we all truly need.
From where you'll stay to the what to pack, read our Frequently Asked Questions for lots of useful information about this bike tour.
On the first morning of the tour please meet at the Hotel Vermont at 3pm. You are welcome to book your pre-tour stay at this hotel directly or any other hotel in Burlington, though you must make your own way to the pick-up point at the pre-designated time.
Your tour ends with a drop-off back at the Hotel Vermont at 12pm.
Arrival: We recommend arriving in Burlington at least the day before your tour starts. Many guests like to arrive a day or two early to accommodate potential flight delays and/or explore the city prior to your tour start.
Departure: Flying out on the last day of the tour, we recommend departing from Burlington after 3pm. Earlier flight times will require a separate transfer booked at your own expense.
If you plan to drive to the tour’s pick-up location, please ensure you arrange parking for the duration of your tour. If the pick-up point is a hotel, we recommend contacting them directly to inquire about parking availability. Keep in mind some hotels do not permit non-guests to park on-site, so you may need to find alternative parking options.
Vermonters are known for being independent, together. And like Vermont, Hotel Vermont is full of compatible contradictions. Located in downtown Burlington near the shores of Lake Champlain, they’re rustic and modern, local and global, natural and sophisticated, hand wrought and high tech.
The North Hero House is an historic, beautifully restored country inn. Nestled in the heart of a charming well-preserved 19th century village on Lake Champlain, the Inn has been welcoming guests since 1891 when they arrived by paddle wheel steamer.
Limited time offer: Book with flexible dates and save 10% on your trip. Use code: FLEX10 Learn more
