The Granville Gulf is the narrowest, steepest and most dramatic stretch of Vermont's Route 100, and it feels like a mountain pass without ever quite becoming one. The road threads a deep, wooded cleft between the high ridges of the Green Mountains, with rock walls rising on both sides and a small stream, the Mad River's upper branch, running along the bottom. The state set the whole gorge aside as a reservation, and the effect is of riding through a green corridor with almost no buildings.
The star attraction is Moss Glen Falls, a tall, thin cascade that drops over a mossy rock face right beside the road. It is a short walk from the parking area, and the spray keeps the cliff dripping green all summer. There are several of these small falls in Vermont, but this one is easy to reach and quite spectacular after rain, with a viewing platform that allows a close approach. The forest around the gulf is mixed hardwood and spruce, with ferns and mosses, and the air feels cooler and damper than outside.
The road itself is a pleasure. Between Granville and Warren, Route 100 follows the contours of the valley with a series of smooth bends, gentle rises and a few tighter corners, and the surface is usually good. There is almost no shoulder, though, and the rock faces make sightlines short, so ride within what you can see. Moose are not unusual in the gulf, particularly at dawn and dusk, and the signs warning of them are not ornamental. Traffic is modest except on weekends in autumn, when leaf-peepers slow things down.
There is nothing in the gulf itself, so supplies are a matter for the villages on either side. Granville has a general store, and Warren and Waitsfield to the north have fuel, restaurants and shops, with Middlebury and Montpelier the nearest larger towns. Winter closes nothing, but snow and ice can make the narrow gorge a risky place, and in spring, runoff can leave sand and gravel on the road. The best light comes in the morning or late afternoon, when sun slants through the trees, and mid-October brings the full spectacle of color.