The capital district of Vermont is full of small colleges, winding rivers, and carefully preserved small towns built from red brick, white clapboard, and granite. Farms and maple sugaring sheds surround these pockets of country homes and small businesses. Only around Barre, the state’s granite-carving center, has industry made a scar on the landscape – and it is a fascinating scar. The capital city itself, Montpelier, has fewer than 9,000 residents and is the smallest state capital in the nation, although its wide variety of cafés and bookshops emphasize diversity.

Tucked into the valley of the Winooski River, Montpelier is at the crossroads of Interstate 89, Route 2 (Vermont’s familiar old east-west route and still the road to Maine), and the very rural north-south Route 12. Most people arrive for the first time from Interstate 89, having left Interstate 91 an hour behind. If you’ve been touring the Mad River Valley you’ll come up on Route 100B to either the interstate or Route 2 east; from the Northeast Kingdom you’ll come to town on Route 2; and from neighboring Barre, the twin city to Montpelier; the connecting road is Route 302, better known locally as the Barre-Montpelier Road.

From the capital city, the interstate heads toward Burlington, but first passes through Waterbury, now full of state offices, as well as recreation providers who send canoes out onto the river, hikers up toward Mount Mansfield and Camel’s Hump, and skiers into Stowe. Route 100 connects Waterbury with Stowe, and this stretch of the little two-lane road is one of the most heavily traveled in Vermont, especially in autumn and when the snow is thick and powdery. Stowe has a distinctly European feel, perhaps first drawn from the Trapp Family Lodge; this elegant inn and touring center was founded by Maria von Trapp, whose American fame came from the movie, The Sound of Music.

Small towns scatter outward from Montpelier and Stowe: to the northeast, the traditionally toured towns of Cabot and Calais (pronounced KA-liss); to the northwest the ski resort town of Jeffersonville, home to Smuggler's Notch Resort; and due north, a spread of mountain and valley towns in the Green Mountains, with covered bridges along the Lamoille and Trout Rivers and a scenic dairying region just south of the Canadian border.

Wherever you’ve come from, slow down as you enter Montpelier. The little city’s streets are busy, and at rush hours the traffic is heavy but steady. There’s plenty of parking in lots positioned off State Street and Main Street, the two main roads, which cross at the center of the shopping district. Parallel to Main Street is Elm Street, and the town’s information kiosk is where Elm comes into State – a block south of Main Street and three blocks north of the small white capitol building with its golden dome. The information kiosk is a good place to start touring the town, which is so small that it’s a pleasure to walk.

Start by walking up State Street to the busy shopping intersection of Main and State. Notice that all the town’s main intersections have push-buttons for pedestrians to cross the road; the traffic from all directions will stop for everyone to cross at once. Close to this corner is the town’s coffee shop, a bakery operated by the New England Culinary Institute, a Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream shop, a fine crafts shop, and two bookstores. Across Main Street, East State Street continues to Vermont College, where you’ll find the T. W. Wood Gallery and Arts Center ( 828-8743).

Cross Main Street and head west past Burlington Bagels toward a lovely church and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, where the reading room is so well stocked with periodicals and newspapers that you may want to linger. Then come back on the other side of Main Street to check the New England Culinary Institute's two teaching restaurants, side by side. Turn down narrow Langdon Street to find another bookshop and the area’s best known eatery, the Horn of the Moon Café, which puts out a well-loved vegetarian cookbook.

Cross the river and turn left to return to Main Street for a walk south, into the state buildings district. Just past the post office is the Capitol Theatre, followed by the narrow driveway to the Thrush Tavern. Then comes the Pavilion Building, where the Vermont Historical Society ( 828-2291) has a great museum and research library that includes genealogical materials. Vermont’s colorful history is portrayed here in costumes, furnishings, handbills, games, and curiosities, as well as maps, photographs, and stories. The Supreme Court building follows.

Next on the right side of State Street is the Vermont State House, built from blocks of Barre granite with a gold-leaf dome and topped by a gold-leaf statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. On the steps is a marble statue of Vermont’s Revolutionary War hero, Ethan Allen, who led the Green Mountain Boys. Both sculptures are by Larkin Mead. Guided tours of the State House are given on weekdays and Saturdays from June through October, or you can step inside to pick up a brochure and look around on your own. Be sure to look at the flags that led Vermont’s famous Civil War troops, hard fighters who turned the tide of a few battles, especially the one at Cedar Creek; in the State House the Cedar Creek Room celebrates this victory and the courage and stamina involved.

Beyond the State House are more state office buildings, including the home of Vermont Life, where classic photographs of Vermont and articles on its past and present have built a loyal community of appreciators.

If you’re up for a long walk, keep going past the state buildings and turn right onto Bailey Avenue, then take the second left onto Clarendon Drive, and find the right turn into Hubbard Park. Among its 180 acres of hills and trails is a 50-foot stone tower that will give you a 360° view of the city.

Later, you might want to drive along Main Street eastward toward Route 2 and turn left onto Barre Street, to visit the Hunger Mountain Food Co-op. Here you will see the former granite worksheds that have mostly become homes to other small industries. Also by the river, on Main Street itself, is the little Savoy Theater, showplace of foreign and classic films.

For more information visit the city of Montpelier's official website at www.montpelier-vt.org.

Barre is even more of a "Main Street" town than Montpelier. Slightly larger than the capital, its heart has been the granite carving that drew both industry and great artists in stone to the town and nearby villages. Almost all of the shops are on Main Street, which is also Route 302; the section of Route 302 that connects Barre to Montpelier (the Barre-Montpelier Road) is crammed with eateries and lodgings, as well as department stores and more. Performing arts in town are housed in the newly reconstructed Barre Opera House. Where Routes 14 and 62 meet Main Street is the vest-pocket-size Dente Park. Here, a statue of a granite carver stands for the town’s pride in its ethnic diversity – stonecutters and craftsmen swarmed here from Scotland, Eastern Europe, Italy, and French Canada, as well as England, Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, and the Middle East. Most came in the granite heyday of 1880-1910.

Mt. Hope Cemetery, just north of town on Route 14, includes wonderful marking stones, mausoleums, and ornate monuments. The carvers’ striking classic and modern designs adorn not only the graves of others but also their own. The cemetery is really an outdoor art gallery. Another showcase is at Vermont Granite Works, 891 North Main Street ( 476-0699), between Barre and Montpelier.

Today most granite quarrying and carving takes place southeast of Barre in the little towns along Routes 302 and 110. The long barns in which the granite is carved are called granite sheds. The quarries are marked, not only by the scars in the rock bed, but by the tall gantry posts with their anchored cables that spread like the tops of giant carousels, each one covering a city block or more, for the pulleys and hoists to strain against as they lift the massive granite blocks.

Touring is best at the Rock of Ages quarries ( 476-3119), where there is a visitors’ center and guided and self-guided tours (May through October). Route 14 heads there from town, going into South Barre, where you will see signs for the quarry across the road from the interstate highway access. Take the left turn uphill and follow signs to the visitors’ center. The granite vein runs deep into the earth, eight to 10 miles deep, but the actual quarries can reach down only about 450 feet into the vein. This is because the top of a "hole in the ground" has to be quite wide to keep the walls from collapsing inward. The main quarry now in use is already 50 acres in "ground level" size, just to be able to reach down to that 450-foot depth. Although there were once more than 70 quarries here, they are now consolidated into six, and from June to mid-October a shuttle tour runs among the working sites. You can also visit the quarry’s manufacturing division on weekdays year-round; get directions at the main office.

From Montpelier, Route 2 north passes through several interesting small towns. At East Montpelier, watch the turn so that you don’t accidentally end up on Route 14 (many do!). Plainfield, home of Goddard College, is just three miles farther. Goddard was widely noted for its experimental learning programs in the 1970s and for the politically active Bread and Puppet Theater, which was based there for several years. Today, the college maintains an active liberal arts program with innovative masters degree options. Although Plainfield is a small village, the college influence nourishes a bookstore and some special eateries nearby.

Marshfield is a long eight miles past Plainfield along the winding riverbanks of the Winooski. When you get there, note Rainbow Sweets, the heavenly bakery on the right; take the unpaved road next to Rainbow Sweets for half a mile and go a short distance up either fork in the road to see a spectacular, but little-known, waterfall – one of the longest in the state.

From Marshfield, Route 215 heads north to Cabot, home of Vermont’s best known cheese maker. Cabot is especially famous for its cheddars; at the visitor’s center ( 563-2231) on Route 215 you can see the cheeses being made, watch a short film, and sample to your heart’s content. The center is closed Sundays and for the month of January; children are very welcome on the tour.

What happens when the state’s most famous cheddar cheese maker and the Vermont Historical Society team up their energy In 1999 the first Vermont Heritage Weekend took place, and was such a big winner that it is likely to be an annual event. Dates will be in mid-June, and although the Cabot Creamery is the center of the whirl of events, they also take place at 35 local historical society museums, meeting rooms, and collections throughout central and northeastern Vermont. Check this year’s commitment at  888-TRY-CABOT. Among the treats: entertainment, tours, agricultural demonstrations, archeological insight, cultural demonstrations, and of course food, food, food!

For a very pleasant drive, go back down Route 215 less than a mile and take the Bathfield Road (also called the Cabot Road as you get farther along it) to Woodbury, passing a lovely old church and cemetery and arriving in the picturesque village on Route 14. To the north on Route 14 is Greenwood Lake; to the south, as you head back toward Montpelier, is Woodbury Lake (aka Sabin Pond), a summer haven for swimmers and boaters.

If you choose to tour south of Montpelier, be sure to include a stop in Northfield to see the military museum at Norwich University, a private academy of about a thousand cadets. The town also has a classic July 4th parade.

Williamstown is on Route 14, reached by heading south from Barre or by taking the same exit from Interstate 89 as you would for Northfield, Exit 5, but heading east on Route 64. It has two unusual museums: Knight’s Spider Web Farm (just off Route 14 on Cliff Place,  433-5568), and the Weathered Barn Doll Museum (from Route 64 turn at the school signs and go past the elementary school to the left onto Flint, then take a right onto George Rd.;  433-5502). Both are open in summer and through foliage season.

When the state offices overflowed from Montpelier to neighboring Waterbury, occupying the red brick buildings that were once used by the state hospital for the mentally ill, they brought new flavor to this town, which has always been the southern hub of the year-round Stowe Resort. The downtown stores include eateries and modest shops. Near the railroad is the headquarters of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. You can visit their company store in Waterbury Center, farther north. When you drive up Route 100 toward Waterbury Center, though, you’re entering a region that supports adventure year-round, from fishing and canoeing, to hiking the great peaks of Mount Mansfield and Camel’s Hump, to skiing, snowshoeing, skating, and snowboarding.

From Interstate 89, take Route 100 north and head toward Waterbury Center. A mile up the road is the region’s most tasty adventure: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream ( 244-5641 to reserve a tour; 244-TOUR for the hotline; or online at www.benjerry.com). Factory tours let you taste and have fun, and a movie tells the story of the boyhood buddies who founded the company in a Burlington garage and saw it grow to international proportions. Ben & Jerry’s has a strong environmental and social action commitment; the tour deals with this as well.

Farther up Route 100 is a shop shared by Green Mountain Chocolate Company and Cabot Cheese (its annex store). Green Mountain Chocolate Company ( 244-1139) is the creation of a former White House pastry chef, Albert Kumin; there are 40 coffees from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and even a drive-through shop to accompany the chocolates, cakes, fudge, and cookies. You may also see the chef’s chocolate sculptures and catch a chocolate-making demonstration.

Three miles north of Interstate 89, on the right, is the Cold Hollow Cider Mill ( 800-3-APPLES or 244-8771), where year-round demonstrations of cider-making include free samples.

If you’re an avid hiker and lover of the Green Mountains, or on your way to becoming one, go just one mile farther up Route 100 and turn left into the parking lot of the Green Mountain Club ( 244-7037). This organization created the Long Trail, Vermont’s hiking route through the mountain peaks, and it maintains the trail with the help of dedicated volunteers. A small bookshop offers a good selection on hiking here and in other regions of Vermont and New England, plus climbing, biking, canoeing, and winter sports. Catch up on the latest trail news and chat with other lovers of the mountains.

Stowe is a four-season resort, a town caught up in the hundred different ways to savor life and especially life on Mount Mansfield, the true host of the town. Here, visitors explore high-altitude ecosystems, find recreation, and enjoy spectacular views.

Native American folklore said a tired giant once lay down here with his face turned toward the sky. He lies there still, in the Green Mountains of Stowe: the forehead, nose, lips, and chin are at the top of Mount Mansfield, and the prominent chin is the highest point in Vermont, at 4,393 feet elevation.

Hikers were certainly becoming familiar with the mountain long before skiers; the first recorded descent of the mountain was in 1914 by Nathaniel Goodrich, a librarian from Dartmouth College. Today the mountain’s slopes form two ski areas: Stowe to the east, and Smuggler's Notch to the west. Ski trails link them on a high ridge that gets battered by winter storms.

Route 100 from Waterbury rolls another smooth 10 miles north to reach the center of Stowe. Despite all the visitors, Stowe looks like a small town, neatly caught in the valley alongside the Little River, old-timey and quaint.

But when you make the west turn in the middle of town onto Route 108, which is the resort access road, you see where all the development has happened. The Mountain Road, as it’s locally called, is lined with posh ski shops, art galleries, restaurants, and lodgings. Then there are the ski sheds and snowboard and mountain bike stores, where the decor is less important than the high-quality merchandise. There’s a recreation path alongside the Mountain Road, a 5_-mile paved walkway that winds back and forth over the waters of the West Branch and is open to walkers, Nordic skiers, cyclists, and runners. There are four bike shops along the way.

You can easily tour the historic village on foot, browsing in craft shops, art galleries, and a great bookstore. The first tenth of a mile of Route 108 is part of this collection of attractive businesses. After that, though, you need to be on wheels, whether by car on the Mountain Road or by bicycle on the rec path; the village entrance to this path is behind the Community Church on Main Street (Route 100), where there’s parking. By the way, across from the church is School Street; the Helen Day Art Center ( 253-8358) is three blocks down School Street and is open daily (except summer Mondays and winter Sundays and Mondays) with exciting exhibits of regional art and artists, and plenty of lectures, classes, and other special programs.

As you ascend the Mountain Road, crossing roads to note are the Luce Hill Road on the left, from which you can make the second left onto Trapp Hill Road to find the famous Trapp Family Lodge; higher up, the Edson Hill Road on the right, leading to a cross-country ski touring center and riding stables; and the Mountain Toll Road on the left, the beginning of the resort at the top of the mountain, a very driveable paved road to the summit in warm weather. Just beyond the toll road is the entrance to Smugglers’ Notch State Park on the right. Don’t let the name confuse you: both ski areas are in the park, and it really is Mount Mansfield you’re about to visit on this side, to your left. The Mount Mansfield base lodge is just ahead on the left. To reach the Long Trail over the peaks you need to drive farther into the Notch itself, a 2,162-foot-elevation mountain pass that is most definitely closed once the snows arrive. In summer there’s an alpine slide in the Stowehof Inn and Resort ; an in-line skate park is located near the Mansfield base lodge.

When the mountain is richly green or flaming in autumn’s gold and scarlet, the drive over Route 108 through Smuggler's Notch (cows were being smuggled from Canada when the name was given!) is a breathtaking (and car-brake-challenging) way to reach Jeffersonville, the base town for Smuggler's Notch ski and resort area. In winter, the long way around is the only way: up Route 100 from Stowe nine miles to Morrisville (well, there is a little short cut on a back road to Hyde Park), then along Route 15, four miles to Johnson and nine more to Jeffersonville. Route 108 on the Jeffersonville side of the mountain ridge is less crowded, and has some nice eateries. The terrain around Smuggler's Notch is severe enough to be a training ground for rock and ice climbing and for military wilderness troops. Luckily, your car won’t have to suffer; the roads are excellent.

Smuggler's Notch includes three peaks: Madonna, Sterling, and Morse. In winter it’s a stunning ski resort. In summer the resort offers road touring, as well as hikes, guided walks, birders’ breakfasts, canoeing connections, and fly-fishing.

If you took the winter route around to Jeffersonville and the Smuggler's Notch Resort, you already discovered Morrisville, with its small and cheerful downtown section. This pleasant town has assorted shops as well as the Noyes House Museum, full of artifacts and architecture from the Federal and Victorian eras. It’s an 18-room brick house at number 1 Main Street on Route 100, across from the police station. Don’t miss the 1800 pitcher and Toby jug collection. Hours are afternoons from June to September or by appointment ( 888-7617).

Morrisville’s biggest recreation asset is Green River Reservoir, a wild three-mile-long lake to the northwest, where canoes and kayaks can easily lose themselves among the islands and waterways. Moose, loons (one of Vermont’s rare birds), and beavers flourish, and the wild area is so large that human use doesn’t seem to have overly disturbed the residents yet.

Between Morrisville and Jeffersonville is Johnson, with a woolen mill, good eateries, and assorted shops. The Johnson Woolen Mills opens its factory store Monday through Saturday for most of the year, and Sundays in the fall; in April and May the hours are shortened ( 635-2271). This is where you can get those great red-and-black-plaid wool jackets that oldtimers wear in the woods, as well as rugged sweaters and Hudson Bay Company point blankets (the "points" are marks that indicate how many beaver pelts would have been required to trade for each blanket in 1779). Nearby East Johnson on Route 100 has a gallery shop for Vermont Rug Makers ( 635-2434, Web site www.vermontrugmakers.com), where a traditional New England craft is transformed into up-to-date explosions of color and texture.

From Johnson, Route 100 heads north; a turn onto Route 118 in Eden enters a placid, rural landscape of wetlands and dairy farms, covered bridges and small pockets of history, home to deer, moose, raccoons and hawks. This landscape continues to the Canadian border towns of Richford and West Berkshire. From Richford a trip back south on Route 108 visits other agriculturally oriented towns: Enosburg Falls, Bakersfield, and back to Jeffersonville.

A third ski resort lies on the side of the high mountains: Bolton Valley Resort , most easily reached from the Interstate 89 (Exit 11) at Waterbury and then taking Route 2 northwest, parallel to the limited-access interstate, for another 10 miles. This ski area is the closest to Burlington, and draws a good winter crowd from that area.

The next exit of Interstate 89, Exit 10, is at Richmond. If you’d like to step back an era in skiing history, the little ski area here, Cochran’s (see On Snow & Ice, page 262), has a pair of rope tows and is a good place to take children.

Five miles south of Richmond is Huntington, where the Green Mountain Audubon Society Nature Center ( 434-3068) has a 230-acre preserve with year-round trails, and where the Bird Museum of Vermont ( 434-2167) with its carvings of over 200 species by naturalist Bob Spear makes an interesting summer stop.

The Middlesex Trail is a few miles north of Montpelier and leads to a view of the Green Mountain peaks, from Killington in the south to Whiteface Mountain in the north. In the distance you can see the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and closer, to the north, the Northeast Kingdom mountains of Burke and Bald Mountain. Start in Montpelier at the information kiosk. Turn onto Elm Street and follow it as it becomes Route 12 north. About 7.5 miles from town, as you drive alongside the Wrightsville Dam Recreation Area, take a left onto Shady Rill Road. Go through the cluster of houses that’s called Shady Rill and keep going 2.2 miles; when you reach a "four-corners," take the right onto the Hill Road (Worcester Road). You’ll go over a one-lane bridge, pass a right turn, and make the left at 0.7 mile from the four-corners onto North Bear Swamp Road. Stay on this road 2.2 miles to where you see a large house on the right with a windmill in the front yard; look for the logging road that goes straight ahead where the main road bears left, and park at the junction. The blue-blazed trail starts on the logging road, although you won’t see blazes until you’ve gone through the fields into the woods. You’ll start to climb gradually, and will pass a side path on the right at 0.8 mile.

Still following along the old road, the trail gets steeper and meets the White Rock Trail (white blazes) which comes in from the left at 1.6 miles. Swing to the right with the trail, noting a rock spur at 2_ miles, where you can take a side trip about 125 feet to an overlook. Go back to the trail and keep climbing, skirting the ledges; the trail will come to an apparent dead end at 2_ miles, but look around: it goes sharply left up onto a ledge. You are now climbing to the south summit of Mt. Hunger, and you meet the Waterbury and Worcester Trails here. Look closely at your own return path before you move up to the summit and enjoy the vista. The one-way trip is 2.8 miles.

Check the Green Mountain Club’s (GMC) Day Hiker’s Guide to Vermont for the trail to Spruce Mountain, which is reached from Route 302, east of East Barre; it’s a 2.2-mile (one-way) ascent to the summit.

Two other summit hikes of about two miles (one-way) each are the Elmore Mountain Trail near Morrisville, and the Mount Norris Trail in Eden. Check the Day Hiker’s Guide for trailhead and landmarks.

When you get to Stowe, you’ll want to climb Mount Mansfield for the "peak experience" of going up Vermont’s highest mountain. To pick your approach to Mount Mansfield, get a copy of the Long Trail Guide and match the route to your level of skill.

If you’d rather take it easy for the day, you can go up the Toll Road by car, a 4_-mile road with steep hairpin turns that can be exciting; there’s a parking area at the top. Or you can go up in the eight-passenger gondola to the base station that’s just under the "chin," the high peak of the mountain. The gondola runs from mid-June to early October. From the station at the top you can scramble up the steep trail for 0.3 mile to the summit ridge and the Long Trail, where you’ll turn north (right) and go another 0.4 mile to the actual summit. Remember the rock walk and step on the rocks, not the plants! You can get dinner at Cliff House while you’re up there. But if you’re ready to hike in, the easiest route is from where the Long Trail meets Route 108 in Smugglers’ Notch, 8.2 miles from Route 100. You’ll need decent hiking boots even for this trail. Some of the more challenging routes in the Long Trail Guide actually involve ladders and squeezing through rock crevices – not much fun for backpackers!

The hike from Smugglers’ Notch to Sterling Pond will give you another taste of the Long Trail, this time heading north. Your connection with the southbound Long Trail was at 8.2 miles from Route 100; this time, continue on into the Stowehof Inn and Resort and look for a large parking lot on the left, with an information booth. Across from the parking lot find the white-blazed Long Trail and climb the steep rock steps. At 1.1 miles the trail meets a ski trail connecting the Spruce Peak and Smuggler's Notch ski areas and joins the ski trail to drop down and cross the Sterling Pond Outlet Trail. It’s only another 0.2 mile to Sterling Pond and the associated hikers’ shelter. At the pond, if you stay to the left you’ll find a good overlook above the next chairlift.

Summer is the traditional time for a waterfall trek, but try it in the spring when the water is high for an exciting sense of the power of hydro. In the Stowe area, there’s a quick hike less than half a mile long that leads to Moss Glen Falls (same name as the one in Granville Gulf, but not as high). From the center of Stowe at the intersection of Routes 100 and 108, take Route 100 north for 3.1 miles and turn right onto Randolph Road. At the next fork, 0.4 mile down Randolph Road, take the right onto Moss Glen Fall Road, which comes to another fork. Leave the paved road on the right, while you take the old road that goes straight ahead; park the car here at the turnoff. Follow the old road into the field and watch for where the trail angles off to the right into the woods; you can hear the falls already. A short, steep climb takes you to the lookout, with the bowl of the falls below you.

Rock climbers, ice climbers, and mountaineers in training will find great opportunities for adventure climbing in the rock walls and ledges of Smuggler's Notch. Even the military brings its wilderness troops here for training. Two nearby guide and adventure training groups will help you get started: Peak Concepts (PO Box 338, Jeffersonville, VT 05464;  644-5385) offers a wide range of year-round courses in mountaineering, at both local and international locations. Also included are programs in Nordic and telemark skiing, self-rescue, and instructor training. Green Mountain Guides (PO Box 421, Jeffersonville, VT 05464,  644-8131) offers ice and mountaineering courses in the Notch, plus a wilderness first responder course (specialized first-aid course for rescuers). If you’re headed for the cliffs, a challenging course will get you prepared.

For a good ramble on guided or self-guided nature trails, head for Bolton Valley Resort ( 434-2131 or 800-451-3220), with 32 miles of marked trails. A pair of the endangered peregrine falcons is nesting on Bone Mountain within the resort; do the birds a favor and stay well away, but take along your field glasses to admire their soaring from a distance.

Not all of the Mount Mansfield area is for death-defying climbers. The Little River block of the Mount Mansfield State Forest comprises several thousand acres around the Waterbury Reservoir. From Waterbury, take Route 2 west for about 1_ miles and look for the road to the Little River Campground on your right. It’s a 3_-mile road in to the campground, but instead, drive just 1.7 miles to park at the Waterbury parking area. The Little River Trail starts here, and goes on to meet the North CCC Loop, the Stevenson Brook Trail, and others, totaling more than 12 miles. Little River Trail has orange diamond markers with some blue paint blazes. You can try to follow the trails just by watching for blazes, but the tangle is pretty fierce, and using the GMC’s Day Hiker’s Guide with close attention to landmarks and distances will help keep you headed in the right direction.

There are two riding stables in Stowe (Edson Hill Riding Stables,  253-8954, and Topnotch Riding Stables,  253-8585). Another is across from the Smuggler's Notch Resort (Vermont Horse Park,  644-5347). Expect trail rides, carriage rides, and winter sleigh rides.

Bolton Valley Resort provides trail rides every morning and afternoon, summers only ( 434-5329).

Enjoy family experiences with dignified, curious llamas, who carry the packs (and the food!) along the trails of the Green Mountains, departing from the village at Smugglers’ Notch. Day treks, half-day treks, and sunset rambles are popular from summer through the foliage season. These guides adapt well to families with small children, too. Contact Geoff and Lindsay Chandler, Northern Llama Co., RR1, Box 544, Waterville, VT 05492;  644-2257).

If you’re ready for some out-of-town travel, get out your copy of John Freidin’s 25 Bicycle Tours in Vermont. Freidin founded Vermont Bicycle Tours, and he has great suggestions. The route he proposes from Stowe to Morrisville and back is a mellow 20-mile loop using a pair of roads parallel to Route 100, the Stagecoach Road and the Randolph Road. Watch for hot-air balloonists overhead, as well as gliders and small planes. Stagecoach Road offers long views of Mount Mansfield and the surrounding peaks; so does the Randolph Road on the way back to Stowe.

A very challenging road ride, 42 miles with one heck of a mountain in the middle, is the Stowe to Smugglers’ Notch loop. From Stowe, go north on Route 100 and pick up the Stagecoach Road through Morristown to Hyde Park (11 miles). Using Route 15, bike through Johnson (nice eateries!) to Jeffersonville. Take a good rest now if you need it, then pedal up the seven miles of Route 108 to Smuggler's Notch and descend to Stowe; watch out, the first part of the descent is very steep.

As you head north of Stowe, roads are less traveled and more appealing for biking. From Jeffersonville, there’s a good loop with five covered bridges and a nice assortment of wetlands, pastures with cows and sometimes white-tailed deer, and gentler vistas. From Jeffersonville, go north on Route 108 less than half a mile to the junction with Route 109, and turn right onto this winding road along the Lamoille River. Stay with Route 109 through Waterville (five miles), Belvidere Center (six more miles), and the four-mile stretch to Route 118 (that’s 15 miles so far). Bear right onto Route 118, enjoy Long Pond on your left, watch for signs of beaver, and then note that you’re crossing the Long Trail. You come down into the village of Eden (you’ve now gone seven miles along Route 118), where the general store has tasty baked goods. Head south on Route 100, and after four miles take the right-hand cutoff, which is Route 100C, to see two more covered bridges in the five miles before you reach Johnson. A right on Route 15 brings you back to Jeffersonville in another nine miles (40 miles total).

Ready for a guided tour in different territory Majic Mountain Cycling ( 496-2614), based in Moretown, offers multi-day rides on back roads, through the Lake Champlain Valley, or across New England. They even have a special tour for family riding. Check out the 70-mile foliage ride through central Vermont!

There are several good mountain bike rides described in the Map & Guide to Stowe and the Mt. Mansfield Region (Huntington Graphics), which you can buy at the Green Mountain Club’s office on Route 100, about six miles south of Stowe. All use town roads or the recreation path in Stowe. If you want off-road biking, talk with the bike shop staff about whether any of the Nordic ski touring centers have yet opened their trails to summer use: AJ’s Mountain Bikes ( 253-4593), Action Outfitters ( 253-7975), the Mountain Bike Shop ( 253-7919), Stowe Mountain Sports ( 253-4896), and Lamoille Mountain Guides & Topnotch Bike Rentals ( 253-6433). All are on the Mountain Road.

Mountain biking in Bolton gets a boost from the Bolton Valley Resort ( 434-2131 or 800-451-3220), where 30 km of old logging roads and single-track rides have been marked out. Bike rentals and trail maps are available; start at the lodge and head for the summit at 3,200 feet.

For canoe rentals, lake and river shuttle trips, a complete paddle shop, and some talk about the water, the place to go is Umiak Outdoor Outfitters ( 253-2317), on Route 100 in Stowe’s "lower" (southern) village. There are also boat rentals at the Fly Rod Shop, about 2.6 miles up the Mountain Road in Stowe ( 253-7346 or 800-5-FLYROD, Web site www.flyrodshop.com).

The Lamoille River is the prime paddling river in this region; it flows for some 80 miles across Vermont, ending at Lake Champlain. There’s a basic seven-mile stretch for a relaxed paddle if you drive north from Stowe through Johnson on Route 15, then bear right onto Hogback Road. Go another 1_ miles down Hogback to the put-in; the take-out is half a mile below the covered bridge in Cambridge.

Another playful quickwater paddle on the Lamoille is from Hyde Park to Johnson. Put in just below Cady’s Falls Dam and take out just above the Dog’s Head eight miles later; watch for a gravel pit on the right to spot the take-out on the left.

The stretch of the Lamoille from Morrisville to Fairfax Falls makes a more ambitious day of it, just over 34 miles. You need to scout the rapids carefully; they are Class IV at Ithiel Falls in high water. Use the Appalachian Mountain Club River Guide to New Hampshire and Vermont for a first survey, and then either walk the river or take your first run with someone who has already paddled it very recently.

From its start in Cabot, the Winooski River winds about 90 miles through about every kind of terrain the state offers, from mountains and forests to wetlands, farms, and even cities. Any river this scenic gets paddled often, which is not so great if you’re looking for solitude, but terrific in terms of established access. A good half-day run starts just below the Middlesex Dam, where there’s a put-in, to Waterbury, where you can choose among take-outs at the Route 2 bridge at River Road, the bridge and Winooski Street, or the recreation field at the far end of Waterbury. Vermont Pack & Paddle Outfitters ( 496-7225) in Waitsfield will help with route planning as well as rentals and shuttles. So will Clearwater Sports, also in Waitsfield on Route 100 ( 496-2708).

If you’re headed north, all the way up near the Canadian border is a great paddling river for skilled canoeists – the Missisquoi. Expert paddlers can even request water releases. Study the River Guide before you head north so you know what you’ve got ahead (we’re talking Class III rapids, a difficult ledge, and four portages between East Richford and Highgate Falls, one of which is a half-mile long). Check on water releases before you put in (Ray Gonda at Boise Cascade,  862-6164).

Vermont is a good place to try out the special skills of creek paddling. In the Johnson area, the Gihon River gives an interesting run. Plan on narrow banks and shallow water.

Smugglers’ Notch Canoe Touring in Jeffersonville ( 644-8321 or 888-937-6266) puts together Lamoille River trips with shuttle service and all gear; they’ll also equip you for fishing if you like, and for overnight camping. Weekend packages and options with kayaks or tubes are available too.

Two reservoirs in this region offer good flatwater boating: the Waterbury Reservoir and the Green River Reservoir. To reach Waterbury Reservoir, head from Waterbury Center south on Route 100 to the Old River Road, take a right turn, then go to the end of the road for the boat ramp. Or you can go farther south to Route 2 and turn right (west), looking for the Little River Road in less than two miles on the right. Again, go to the end of the road and find the boat ramp. Waterbury Reservoir gives you about four miles of open water and is surrounded by good hiking trails. To reach Green River Reservoir from Morrisville, take Route 15A out to Route 15 and start east; take the first left turn, which goes to the little hamlet of Garfield, where the road jogs right and immediately left again, for a total of about seven miles to the reservoir. This is a wild and unspoiled lake, where loons nest, beavers slap their tales, and moose tramp through the wooded hillsides. Take plenty of bug repellent; there is primitive camping allowed, as well as picnicking, but no motorboats.

"Good fishing" is an understatement; the trout in these rivers draw anglers, and there’s excellent ice fishing on the lakes too. In Stowe check in at the Fly Rod Shop on the Mountain Road ( 253-7346 or 800-FLY ROD, Web site www.flyrodshop.com). Also in Stowe is Fly Fish Vermont on South Main Street ( 253-3964), where you can swap stories and buy or rent equipment. You can get your fishing license here if you haven’t already got one, as well as maps and information on conditions. The Fly Rod Shop has fly-fishing courses and also fly-tying. Fly Fish Vermont offers casting clinics, instructional tours, and drift boat trips; on the lakes they get you going on float tubes fly-fishing for brookies.

Fishing rivers are the Lamoille (rainbow and brown trout), the Brewster (in Jeffersonville, stocked with trout), the Little River (just west of Waterbury), and the Winooski below Bolton Falls Dam. In Montpelier, walk east of town to the Dog River and angle for brown and rainbow trout. Up north on the Mississquoi there are plenty of fishing accesses for the abundant trout. Remember this river takes longer to warm up; spring doesn’t come until the end of May.

For flatwater fishing, make sure you try Green River (see page 260). Lake Eden on Route 100 near Eden Mills has some nice rainbows. Ice fishing is prime at Lake Elmore, reached from Morrisville by taking Route 12 southeast about five miles to Elmore State Park. For ice fishing gear like power and hand augers, rods, lures, jigs, and live bait (as well as other wilderness sports gear), try Water ‘N Woods (21 Portland Street, Morrisville, VT 05661;  888-7101). Another lesser-known fishing spot is Lake Carmi, at the state park northwest of Enosburgh Falls, up by the Canadian border. Boats can be rented at the park; look for smallmouth bass as well as northern pike and perch.

Finally, for a taste of really rich lake angling for trout, consider Beaver Lake Trout Club ( 888-3746) outside Morrisville near Green River Reservoir. The club has a 14-acre private lake stocked with 14,000 trout, open daily, no license needed, and no limit. Boats are rented, or fish from the shore. There’s a bait and tackle shop too. No more than 30 anglers are allowed at any given time.

GUIDED FISHING TRIPS: Other angling guides in this area are listed in the Vermont Guides Directory, Angler’s Edition, which you can get (free) from the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife (103 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05676;  241-3700). One to mention in particular is Uncle Jammer’s Guide Service, about 15 miles from Jeffersonville (RR1, Box 6910, Underhill, VT 05489;  899-5019 or 800-805-6495), where both fly-fishing and ice fishing are high in priority.

Swimmers can take advantage of the beaches at Elmore State Park (four miles southeast of Montpelier on Route 12) or Little River State Park (Waterbury, 1_ miles west of Route 100 on Route 2). There’s a beach at Lake Eden with a fee to swim there. For an adventurous afternoon, try the Devil’s Potholes in Bolton. Park 0.2 miles up the access road to the Bolton Valley Resort and follow a well-worn path to the water. In Johnson there’s a swimming hole at the Lamoille River, just above the village on Route 100C; look for the covered bridge. And from Jeffersonville go a half-mile south of the village on Route 108 for the left turn above the mill, followed by a right turn before the bridge. From the parking area, the path goes upstream to the polls and cascades. North of Montpelier on Route 12,  Wrightsville Beach is ideal for family picnics; if you bring a canoe, you can work off your meal by exploring in the wetland areas and looking for herons and beavers.

If you like life best when there are skis or a snowboard under your feet, welcome to the Northeast’s best region. Not only is there the world-class ski resort at Stowe and its partner over at Smuggler's Notch, there are also six Nordic ski centers around Stowe, the smaller but adventurous alpine center at Bolton Valley Resort , a corner of ski history with a tow rope at the little Cochran’s Ski Area, and easily a hundred miles of interconnecting groomed and wilderness cross-country trails around Mount Mansfield. Plus, you’ll find that "ski" is both the language and the style of the area all winter (which runs from mid-October to at least mid-April!).

Downhill Skiing

Stowe offers a peak summit elevation of 4,393 feet and highest skiing elevation of 3,640 feet, with a vertical drop of 2,360 feet on its 480 skiable acres. Many of the trails are over a mile long, with the Toll Road extending 3.7 miles. A fourth of the trails are expert, including the traditional extreme skiing on the Front Four (Starr, Goat, Liftline, and National). The resort also offers off-piste skiing for experts who like risks, whether on skis or snowboards, challenging the steeps, chutes, and secret shots; a traverse connects the top of Stowe's Big Spruce with the Smuggler's Notch ski area on the other side of Spruce Peak, extending this wild area.

More than half the trails at Stowe are intermediate, and there is plenty of instruction for beginners, with some scenic gentle slopes carefully carved into the terrain. Besides the eight-person high-speed gondola, the lifts include a high-speed quad, eight double and triple chairs, and one poma. Snowmaking coverage is 73.

Advance ticket sales are available, and Stowe has extensive and luxurious slopeside lodgings;  800-253-4SKI for both (on the Internet, www.stowe.com/smr).

Don’t think Smugglers’ Notch is less exciting just because its peak isn’t as high as Stowe's; the vertical rise is actually greater (2,610 feet), the resort includes three big mountains (Morse, Sterling, and Madonna), and there are 60 trails. Smuggler's Notch has 5 double and triple diamond trails; its triple black diamond run at Freefall Woods, called the Black Hole, is the first and only one in the East.

Smuggler's specializes in diversity. For new skiers there’s a Learning and Fun Park (lighted in the evenings), with all of Morse Mountain dedicated to new skiers and snowboarders. There are all-or-nothing runs like Pipeline Escape and Robin’s Run; awesome bumps on Upper FIS and Smugglers’ Alley; and smooth cruising on Garden Path and Rumrunner. The mountain also carves out traditional New England trails winding among the glades. Over 1,000 acres of wooded areas, glades, and between-trail regions are open to off-piste skiing and boarding.

The 55-acre Resort Village at Smuggler's also puts together winter activities like sleigh rides, cross-country skiing, and nearby horseback riding. There are parties, parades, and festivals. Smugglers’ adds a petting zoo, a self-guided nature trail and night touring. You can reach Smuggler's at  644-8752 or 800-451-8752, e-mail smuggs@smuggs.com, Web site www. smuggs.com.

Bolton Valley Resort is a family ski resort with true slopeside access – no shuttles, just step out of the car and ski. It has recently changed hands, and has newly updated hotel-style and condo lodging. It is a lively spot, with 48 trails and six lifts, and 70 snowmaking coverage. This is the closest ski area to Burlington, just off I-89 (from Burlington use Exit 11 and take Route 2 to the access road; from Waterbury use Route 2). Night skiing and a kids’ park add to its appeal. Bolton also has a special instructional program for skiers who want to switch to snowboards.  434-3444 for informations and reservations;  434-7669 for snow conditions.

The slopes at Cochran’s Ski Area ( 434-2479) in Richmond are open all day on weekends and holiday weeks, plus afternoons on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. If you’ve never skied from a tow rope, or want your kids to have this experience of early American skiing, this is the place to go. It’s small, friendly, and very open to families. Many competitive skiers started here!

The most famous Nordic ski center at Stowe is the Trapp Family Ski Touring Center ( 253-7311), founded by Maria Von Trapp whose story is known to many from the movie The Sound of Music. The Stowe offers the Mount Mansfield Ski Touring Center ( 253-3000). Nearby are also the Topnotch Ski Touring Center (25 km,  253-8585) and Edson Hill Manor Ski Touring Center (50 km,  253-8954). Smuggler's Notch Resort has the Smugglers’ Notch Cross Country Center (21 km,  644-8851); not far away is Sterling Ridge Inn (Jeffersonville, 15 km,  644-8265). All the Nordic centers in Stowe Area Association have easy ways to ski from one to the next. Over 130 miles of backcountry trails link Stowe, Bolton, Jeffersonville, Underhill, and Waterbury. The Catamount Ski Trail, Vermont’s winter end-to-ender, also runs through the area (get the Catamount Trail Guidebook: Catamount Trail Association, PO Box 1235, Burlington, VT 05402;  864-5794). In Bolton is the Bolton Valley Resort Ski Touring Center ( 434-2131, ext. 194), with 20 miles of groomed trails and 46 miles of marked outlying trails.

Other Winter Sports

Snowshoeing has gained popularity with recent new shoe designs; most ski shops (there are at least five in Stowe) now have them for purchase or rental. In Morrisville, Water ‘N Woods ( 888-7101) offers rentals too, to go with their extensive line of outdoor equipment for winter (and more for summer).

Snowmobiling Check with Ride Vermont in Williamstown ( 433-1208) for tours of the Notch, a hidden valley, and a country village. There’s also Nichols Snowmobile Rentals in Stowe ( 253-7239).

Ice climbing is alive and well at Smuggler's Notch, but as someone who’s not an expert I’m not even going to try to describe the variety of challenging routes. Instead, I suggest that you start with someone who already knows what they’re doing here, as this is a very risky adventure. Meanwhile, there’s now a guidebook, The Local’s Guide to Smugglers’ Notch Ice, published by The Duke of Jeffersonville, PO Box 487, Jeffersonville, VT 05454, and easily obtained by mail from Adventurous Traveler Bookstore (call for their catalog,  860-6776 or 800-282-3963, or order online at www. adventuroustraveler.com). Another way to enter this sport is through Green Mountain Guides Climbing School (Tim Kontos, Director/Guide, PO Box 421, Jeffersonville, VT 05464,  644-8131, e-mail tkgmgcs @aol.com).

Resort lodging in this region generally includes sleigh rides, and so do many of the inns in winter; in Stowe you can also contact Stowehof Inn ( 253-9722) and Charlie Horse Sleigh and Carriage Rides at Topnotch Resort ( 253-2215).

Ready for a glider ride and instruction Stowe Soaring ( 888-7845) is six miles north of Stowe on Route 100.

Hot-air balloon trips are a specialty of Ruth Ludwig ( 333-4883), editor of Ballooning Magazine, who is often in the air around Stowe. She can accommodate up to three passengers.

Jim Paige at Green Mountain Outdoor Adventures ( 229-4246) in Montpelier used to do all kinds of guide work, but has now narrowed his scope. He still offers wildlife photography sessions and special walks for birders.

Water ’N Woods in Morrisville ( 888-7101) stocks binoculars and monoculars for winter birdwatching.

The Green Mountain Audubon Society Nature Center ( 434-3068) in Huntington, five miles south of Richmond, has 230 acres of land, with trails and self-guided nature study. There are special programs for kids in the summer.

If you’ve been an advocate for land preservation and wildlife diversity, or would like to know more about these issues, visit the Nature Conservancy of Vermont ( 229-4425), which has an office at 27 State Street in Montpelier. The Nature Conservancy keeps most of its Vermont lands quietly private to protect the animals, plants, and intricate ecosystems there, but occasionally it’ll send a naturalist-led field trip to some complex environment like the Maquam Bog in Swanton or the Chickering Bog in East Montpelier; you might consider becoming a member to support its efforts. The Vermont Land Trust, specifically geared to helping farm families conserve productive land for agriculture, also has its central office in Montpelier, at 8 Bailey Avenue ( 223-5234); visitors with questions and suggestions are welcome to stop in.

Ready to visit a farm Pick up the listing of working farms interested in company, either from the Stowe Area Association or directly from the Lamoille Valley Chamber of Commerce (PO Box 445, Morrisville, VT 05661); there are llamas, cows, Christmas trees, maple sugaring to see, and a working horse ranch.

A traditional treat for Montpelier visitors is the Morse Farm Sugar Shack, three miles from the center of town. Take Main Street away from Route 2, across State Street, and in another two blocks the road swerves to the right around a small circle in front of a school, becoming County Road and climbing a hill. It bends to the left, passes a cemetery, and finally you’ll see the farm well marked on the right (and there are plenty of signs). The best time to visit is in late March and early April, when the sap from the maple trees is being boiled into rich sticky syrup. But year-round there are folklife exhibits, a "woodshed theater," a maple trail to follow (learn the differences between the trees), and a gift shop, as well as delicious foodstuffs and even syrup samples to taste. The farm is open daily from 9 to 5, and in summer stays open until 8 p.m. ( 223-2740 or 800-242-2740, Web site www.morsefarm.com). The Bragg Farm, five miles out of town with signs on Route 14 north in East Montpelier, also offers a walk through the maple woods and a chance for tasting ( 223-5757).

Cultural events in Montpelier, the state’s capital, seem endless, from concerts to performances to lectures and classes. If you’ll be in town in July, check the date for the Midsummer Festival and attend it for unusually fine folk and regional music, dancing and general fun. Stowe has a steady schedule of concerts too; the Stowe Area Association ( 253-7321 or 800-24-STOWE) in the center of town has listings. If you get north to Johnson, visit the Vermont Studio Center ( 635-2727), housed in assorted historic buildings, and the Dibden Center for the Arts ( 635-1386) at Johnson State College. In Hyde Park (between Morrisville and Johnson), the Hyde Park Opera House ( 888-4507) has been restored and the Lamoille County Players put on great summer shows there.

Montpelier’s Capitol Plaza ( 223-5252 or 800-274-5252, $$-$$$) has hosted its legislators since the 1930s. At 100 State Street, it is the obvious choice for government access while you stay, but it is also a comfortable center-city hotel, with its own restaurant and boutiques. Equally well known is the Inn at Montpelier ( 223-2727, $$-$$$), whose two buildings date back to the early 1800s and have been connected and added to since. Greek and Colonial Revival woodwork, fireplaces, and elegant staircases emphasize the mellow graciousness of this inn, which serves breakfast and a light gourmet dinner. An assortment of small inns and bed-and-breakfast homes, mostly in the center of town for easy walking, includes Betsy’s Bed & Breakfast ( 229-0466, $$), the Montpelier Guest Home ( 229-0878, $-$$), Gamble’s Bed & Breakfast ( 229-4810, $$), and Raspberry Ledge Bed & Breakfast ( 223-3903, no children or pets, $$).

Barre’s lodgings cluster along the Barre-Montpelier Road and the South Barre approach to Interstate 89. There’s a Days Inn by Interstate 89 ( 476-6678 or 800-325-2525, $$), along with the Hollow Inn and Motel ( 479-9313 or 800-998-9444, $$). On the Barre-Montpelier Road are the Twin City Motel ( 476-3104, $$), the Vermonter Motel ( 476-8541, $$), and the Knoll Motel ( 479-3648, $$). LaGue Inns ( 229-5766, $$) is between Barre and Berlin.

South of Waterbury on Route 100 is the Grunberg Haus B & B and Cabins ( 244-7726 or 800-800-7760, $$-$$$), with guest rooms in a hand-built Austrian chalet. In Waterbury at 18 North Main Street is the carefully restored Old Stagecoach Inn ( 244-5056, $-$$), an elegant small inn. Head over to Route 100 and start north to find the Holiday Inn ( 800-621-7822, $$), with its mountain views, restaurant and lounge, and outdoor heated pool.

Lodging in Stowe ranges from luxurious to practical; your best bet is to tour the town and the Mountain Road, then drop in at the Stowe Area Association in the center of town and look through brochures, letting the helpful staff assist you with reservations ( 253-7321 or 800-24-STOWE). If you need to know where you’re headed before you get to town, the Stowe Resort has luxurious slopeside lodgings ranging from the Inn at the Mountain to townhouses and condominiums ( 800-253-4SKI, $$$-$$$$). Another superb choice is Topnotch at Stowe ( 253-8585 or 800-451-8686, $$$-$$$$), a resort and spa with its own cross-country or hiking trails. The Trapp Family Lodge ( 253-8511 or 800-826-7000, $$-$$$$) offers a touch of Austria, and the Green Mountain Inn ( 253-7301 or 800-253-7302, Web site www.greenmountaininn.com, $$-$$$$) is an 1833 historic hotel. There are many small inns, like the Siebeness ( 253-8942 or 800-426-9001, $$-$$$$). Ask at the Area Association about ski lodges, too.

The Creamery Inn Bed & Breakfast is in a rural two-acre setting not far from the Cabot Creamery, at Cabot and West Hill Roads. Hosts Dan and Judy Lloyd welcome guests to the 1835 Federal home. If you like animals (as your hosts do), you’ll have fun here with the lambs, ducks, and shelties. Hike the back roads nearby, then settle in for a candlelight dinner (by advance reservation). A full breakfast is served each morning. Children are welcome ( 563-2819, $$).

The Stowehof Inn and Resort has its own slopeside accommodations, from private rooms to efficiencies and studios (with fireplaces!) to multiple-bedroom condos; ask about multi-night discounts and special seasonal rates ( 644-8851 or 800-451-8752; Web site www.smuggs.com). For a different approach, Bette and Kelley Mann at Mannsview Inn at Smugglers’ Notch offer classic New England bed and breakfast accommodations, including morning coffee or tea in your room ( 644-8321 or 800-937-MANN); this is also where you connect with Smugglers’ Notch Canoe Touring, so there are canoe vacation packages as well as skiing ones.

The state parks in this region have some of the best camping: Elmore State Park (at Lake Elmore, 888-2982); Lake Carmi State Park (north by the border in Enosburg Falls,  933-8383); Little River State Park (lots of hiking, Waterbury,  244-7103); Smugglers’ Notch State Park (Stowe, on the Mountain Road,  253-4014); and Underhill State Park (Underhill Center,  899-3022).

For private campgrounds, check the many listings in the Vermont Campground Guide (Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, Division of State Parks, 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05671-0603;  241-3655). Note especially that there’s one campground open year-round: Gold Brook Campground in Stowe ( 253-7683 or 800-483-7683).

For convenience in visiting the capital, it’s hard to beat Green Valley Campground on Route 2 in East Montpelier, with river views that help make up for a lack of privacy. There’s plenty of recreation at the campground, too, where Emile and Ginette Gosselin have been welcoming many of their campers for years in a row ( 223-6217 or 800-359-1899, e-mail GGosselin@aol.com).

There are 22 cafés and restaurants in the center of Montpelier, and most of them are small and charming. The Horn of the Moon Café ( 223-2895) at 8 Langdon Street is famous for its organic vegetarian cuisine, and has published its own cookbook. The New England Culinary Institute operates both the Main Street Grill and Bar (118 Main Street,  223-3188) and its next-door neighbor the Chef’s Table ( 229-2902), a sophisticated dining experience; across the street is a third NECI restaurant, La Brioche Bakery & Café ( 229-0443), serving breads and fine pastries.

Sarducci’s ( 223-0229) at 3 Main Street offers good Italian food, and state legislators often dine here. The Thrush Tavern ( 223-2030) serves great burgers just north of the state buildings on State Street and has evening entertainment on Thursdays. And Mexican food is the ticket at Julio’s ( 229-9348), upstairs at 44 Main Street. There are good quick lunches at the Burlington Bagel Bakery ( 223-0533) in the center of town.

A traditional capital city stop has been the Lobster Pot Restaurant, now located on the Barre-Montpelier Road ( 476-9900); also here is the Wayside Restaurant & Bakery ( 223-6611). Feed the kids at the fast food eateries on this route between Montpelier and Barre (Route 302). In Barre itself, Soup ’N Greens ( 479-9862) offers a tasty meal.

Follow the directions carefully to find a tiny gem of a restaurant, possibly the best Chinese one in Vermont and certainly the most unusual. Leave Montpelier by heading north on Route 2, and in about 1_ miles you’ll come to the traffic light where Route 302 (known here as the Barre-Montpelier Road) heads east (right) toward Barre. Take this road and go 2.2 miles, crossing a railroad track. Look to your left immediately and find the Twin City Lanes & Games (a bowling alley and arcade). Pull into the parking lot and go to the far (eastern) edge of it, where on the small door of a separate building you’ll see the sign for A Single Pebble. The restaurant’s two gourmet cooks prepare fine Asian cuisine. It is open for dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday, 5-9 p.m. A reservation is usually necessary ( 476-9700).

Montpelier also has its own microbrewery, Golden Dome Brewery, on Pioneer Street (half a mile north of the center of town, off Route 2). This very small but authentic shop produces 10-barrel batches of handcrafted ales. There’s a tasting room and a retail store; hours are Tuesday through Friday from noon to 6, Saturday from 11 to 5 ( 223-3290).

Waterbury offers the Crust and Cauldron Restaurant ( 244-5111) next to the Amtrak Station for a good New England meal. Arvad’s ( 244-8973), at 3 South Main Street near the center of town, is a café with ethnic cuisine. A mix of Indian and Mexican dishes in a unique setting gives the Marsala Salsa Restaurant ( 244-2250) on Stowe Street an unusual flair.

Stowe offers such a wide range of dining that there’s an entire elegant menu book available at the Stowe Area Association office in the center of town (open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Some of the most elegant dining is at the inns. The Foxfire Inn and Restaurant, 1_ miles north of town on Route 100, serves some of the finest Italian cuisine in Vermont. Miguel’s Stowe Away ( 253-7574) is a popular Mexican restaurant and cantina. Breakfast at the Gables Inn ( 253-7730), a mile and a half up the Mountain Road, is a good choice, and there are sturdy, tasty lunches at Food for Thought Natural Market ( 253-4733) on Route 100, a mile south of the village. Stowe has a small winery shop, L’Abeille ( 253-2929), at 638 South Main Street in the Stoware Common; the specialty is mead, a honey wine. Microbrewery fanciers will want to visit The Shed ( 253-4364), a restaurant and brewery pub on the Mountain Road.

In Smugglers’ Notch, start looking at restaurants right in the resort village, where there are three family-friendly choices and a bakery and pizzeria. On the slope down toward Jeffersonville are more options, ranging from continental cuisine to ethnic favorites. Fine French and New England dining describes the gourmet dinners at the Windridge Farm Inn (Main Street, Jeffersonville,  644-5556), which has its own bakery next door.

No visit to Morrisville is complete without a meal at the Charlmont ( 888-4242) at the intersection of Routes 15 and 100, a lively overgrown diner with hearty meals.

One good reason for canoeing and hiking near Johnson is the chance to stop at the Pie Safe ( 635-7952), which calls itself "Gift & Gourmet." There are custom-built sandwiches, imported cheeses, freshly baked pies, of course, fudge, and Vermont epicurean treats. On Main Street, the Plum and Main Restaurant ( 635-7596) offers simply good food, and a generous Sunday brunch.

Although the ski resort at the Canadian border, Jay Peak, doesn’t fall into this region, some of the restaurants patronized by the resort guests do. These are the ones in Montgomery Center, where you may find yourself touring if you head north to the Mississquoi River. In the village the Inn on Trout River ( 326-4391) serves entrées like baked rainbow trout in its formal dining room. The Black Lantern Inn ( 326-4507) offers continental cuisine served by candlelight in a pleasant old inn. There’s a very unusual restaurant on the road that leads up into Hazen’s Notch, Route 58: it’s called Zack’s on the Rocks ( 326-4500) and is probably worth a two-hour drive all by itself. The food is superb and the atmosphere romantic to the nth degree. Expect to wait for your table, even with a reservation (which you definitely need); also expect to spend hours there, savoring every mouthful and enjoying the offbeat elegance. Only dinner is served.