Stowe sits in a bowl of the Green Mountains, with the long ridge of Mount Mansfield rising behind it, and its white church steeple is perhaps the most photographed in Vermont. Mansfield, at 4,393 feet the highest point in the state, has a profile that resembles a human face, with a forehead, nose, lips and chin along the ridgeline, and the summit is reached by a toll road in summer and by ski lifts in winter. The town has about four thousand residents, a lively main street of shops and restaurants, and a long tradition of skiing that goes back to the 1930s.
The Trapp Family Lodge, a short distance up the hill, was founded by the von Trapp family, whose escape from Austria in the 1930s inspired The Sound of Music, and the family settled here because the mountains reminded them of home. A bakery, a brewery and trails run through the grounds. Down in the valley, the Stowe Recreation Path, a paved trail beside a stream, is a popular way to stroll or cycle, and the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, along the road to Waterbury, presses cider and sells doughnuts. At Waterbury, a few minutes south, the Ben and Jerry's factory offers tours, and the ice cream is the sort you eat on the lawn.
Route 100, the Green Mountain Byway, runs the length of the state through valleys and farms, and the road from Stowe over Smugglers Notch, Route 108, is one of the best short rides in New England. It climbs through a narrow pass between huge boulders, with hairpin bends, a very tight width and sheer rock walls, and the road is closed in winter. Large vehicles are banned, and the speed is low. Traffic is heavy at the peak of the foliage, in late September and the first half of October, when visitors come from all over the country, so book ahead and go early.
Fuel, food and coffee are easy in Stowe, with several stations and shops, and Morristown and Morrisville, eleven and thirteen kilometres away, have more. Maple syrup, cheese and cider are the local products, and a diner or farm stand makes a good lunch. Check the weather before climbing, as mist and rain can cut the visibility.
Spend an evening in the village, with a walk around the green, and a drink in one of the old inns. Few places are as quintessentially Vermont.