Rochester is a small Vermont town that happens to sit at a very good crossroads. It lies in the valley of the White River's upper reaches, along Route 100, the long north-south road that the state calls the Green Mountain Byway, with a handsome village green, a bandstand and a few white-clapboard buildings around it. Behind it, the Green Mountain National Forest rises in a series of wooded ridges, and the sense of remoteness is real, even though the interstate is not far away.
The town's position makes it the starting point for some of the best roads in the central mountains. West of here, Route 125 climbs to Middlebury Gap, a pass of about 2,150 feet with long curves through spruce and maple, and descends past the Bread Loaf campus of Middlebury College, where Robert Frost spent summers and a small nature trail carries his poems on signboards through the woods. Route 73 heads west too, through Brandon Gap, a narrower, wilder pass with rock faces and tight turns. Both are spectacular, quiet roads that few visitors find.
North along Route 100, the highway rolls through farmland and forest toward Granville and the Mad River Valley, with gentle curves and views of green slopes. The surface is generally good, though frost heaves can be rough in spring, and the road is narrow in places, with little room for error. Farm stands, covered bridges and general stores appear at intervals, and a roadside creemee, as Vermonters call soft-serve ice cream, is a regular reward.
Rochester has a small supply of services. There is a station or two, a market and a handful of places to eat, but for a bigger choice you need to ride to Randolph or Rutland, a good half-hour away. Fill your tank before heading into the quieter passes, and carry a bit of food if you plan on a long day. The best time is late September to mid-October, with its high color, but early summer has a freshness all its own. Expect fog in the valleys at dawn, and be careful on shaded stretches that stay damp, especially after rain.