The postcard ski town
Stowe is the Vermont mountain town of the imagination — a white church spire above a compact village, the Mountain Road climbing four miles toward Mansfield, and skiers, hikers and leaf-peepers filling its inns through every season. It has been welcoming visitors since alpine skiing arrived in the 1930s.
On the mountain
Stowe Mountain Resort spreads across Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, with a 2,360-foot vertical and the legendary Front Four — National, Liftline, Goat and Starr. In summer and fall, the auto toll road and gondola carry non-skiers to the summit ridge for views across Lake Champlain into New York.
In the village
Down in the valley, the paved Stowe Recreation Path runs 5.3 miles along the West Branch — perfect for a stroll or an easy bike ride — and the Mountain Road is lined with taverns, breweries and farm-to-table tables, from The Alchemist to the Austrian von Trapp Bierhall.
Four seasons
Ski and ride in winter, hike Mansfield and chase waterfalls in summer, leaf-peep in a blaze of October color, and slow down in spring for maple and mud-season quiet. Whatever the month, Stowe is the county’s beating heart.
Good to know
What is the Front Four?+
Stowe’s four famously steep trails on Mount Mansfield — National, Liftline, Goat and Starr.
Can non-skiers reach the summit?+
Yes — the Mansfield auto toll road and the Stowe gondola both run in the warmer months.
What is the Stowe Recreation Path?+
A paved 5.3-mile valley greenway from the village along the West Branch, ideal for walking, biking and winter skiing.