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Vermont Gravel –Northeast Kingdom

This ride takes you through some of the most scenic and exciting gravel roads in the country, visiting charming Vermont towns along the way. You’ll follow smooth dirt roads and rail trails, rarely encountering cars as we explore the backroads of the Northeast Kingdom. Over three nights, we’ll stay at the Highland Lodge, nestled by Caspian Lake. The challenging rides offer incredible rewards, including the chance to savor the state’s delicious local food and farms throughout the journey.

Accommodations
Rooms and Cabins
A limited number of single supplements are available for an additional fee.
Total Mileage
200
Group Size
25
This trip is limited to 25 participatnts and will sell out quickly.
Range of Daily Mileage
40-60 miles
You’ll have options to shorten or lengthen daily mileages.
Fundraising Commitment (Choose your beneficiaries in Registration)
$2,800
Registration fee $100 until December 1, 2024
Recommended Bike Style
Gravel bike
Trip Length
4 days


Join us for an unforgettable bike ride through Vermont’s most picturesque landscapes. Starting and ending in Waterbury, home of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, we’ll spend four days exploring the state’s top roads and trails. Enjoy three nights by the serene Caspian Lake, accompanied by the sounds of loons. Along the way, you’ll visit local breweries, sample Vermont’s finest cheeses, stop by charming general stores, and top it all off with a maple creemee. As we pedal through vibrant fall foliage in towns like Stowe, Greensboro, Craftsbury, and Danville, you’ll experience the best of Vermont’s backroads.

More Details

This is more than a bike trip – it’s an inspiring journey with like-minded people united by their passion for sustainability and adventure. You can choose from our full list of beneficiaries and proceeds will be distributed to the Climate Ride grants program based on your beneficiary selection. You will have access to our superb personal fundraising software and the full support of our team. Participants may select their beneficiaries from our list of more than 100 extraordinary non-profit organizations.

By joining us, you’ll experience epic cycling, amazing scenery, and dynamic fellow riders & speakers that all combine to make this charitable event exciting, informative, and fun.

Our professional Climate Ride staff takes care of all the details, so you can focus on riding your bike on carefully planned routes on scenic back roads. It’s challenging yet doable, and you have all day to make it to the next rest stop. On the road, the Climate Ride support team is always nearby to assist you, keep you happy and healthy, and make your ride worry-free and memorable. You’ll settle into your new home at the beautiful Highland Lodge, a classic Vermont B&B with recently renovated cabins.

We provide daily cycling mileage to suit all types of cyclists, including shorter options as needed. We welcome every level of athlete – what’s most important to us is to welcome you into the Climate Ride community and provide a cycling experience that will inspire you to bike for the rest of your life. This is a fully supported ride which means you can focus on pedaling and making connections with your new friends while we take care of everything from overnight details, meals, snacks, luggage transport, and much more to make your trip as enjoyable as possible. Learn more in the FAQ.

Getting to and from the Ride

Our ride begins in Waterbury, Vermont at 9:00 AM where participants will be able to leave vehicles for the week. We will offer a pickup at 8:00 AM from Burlington Airport for those who plan on flying into Burlington for the event.

On the last day of the ride, we’ll end back at the same place the ride started where riders can head out in their vehicles. We’ll also offer a shuttle from Waterbury to Burlington Airport. Participants flying out of Burlington Airport should not book a flight prior to 6:00 PM on the last day of the trip.

Accommodations & Meals

On this trip, we’ll stay indoors on all 3 nights of the trip at the Highland Lodge in Greensboro, Vermont. The Lodge sits on the edge of Caspian Lake where there is a beach for swimming as well as canoes and kayaks to paddle with the loons.

The Highland Lodge has a variety of accommodations ranging from rooms in the main lodge to adorable cabins. We’ll collect rooming preferences from all participants but all accommodations are double occupancy. There will be some single supplement rooms available for those that want more privacy for an additional fee of $300 for the trip.

All meals from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 4 will be provided. Hot breakfast will be provided by the Highland Lodge, lunches will be provided by Climate Ride Guides and we’ll offer a variety of dinners where riders will enjoy the local cuisine of the Northeast Kingdom.

What type of bike should I bring and what are the roads like?

The ideal bike for this ride is a gravel bike with 38c (or greater), tubeless tires, disc brakes and a wide range of gears for the numerous steep grades we’ll be climbing. The terrain on this ride varies from perfectly smooth gravel roads, paved roads and bike trails, crushed granite bike paths, and a few rugged class 4 roads.

Transporting Your Bike or Bike Rental

Gravel Bike Rentals are available from a bike shop in Waterbury, VT, making it easy for those who wish to rent a bike for the week. Alternatively, you can fly or drive with your perosnal bike to the event.

Fundraising Beneficiaries

Cyclists can choose from the more than 100 incredible beneficiary organizations in our network! One of the things that make Climate Ride such an effective charitable event is that you can select the organization(s) you wish to benefit through the Climate Ride grants program. Our beneficiaries were selected for their work on the environment, conservation, sustainability, climate education, and active transportation advocacy. At the end of the year, Climate Ride grants the proceeds from our events to these hard-working organizations.

Fundraising and Transfer Deadlines | Important Dates

Fundraising Deadlines:

$500 to be raised by:6/25/2025
$1,500 to be raised by:7/24/2025
$2,800 to be raised by:8/25/2025

Transfer Deadline:

July 24, 2025

More Questions?

Be sure to review our general FAQ and policies or contact us!

Chris McEntee, Northeast Ride
Climate Ride Northeast

If you’re considering doing a Climate Ride, or questioning whether you have the physical ability to do it—I’d say to you, “If I can do it, you can do it.” I’m not a competitive cyclist; I rode on a hybrid bike, not a fancy road bike. You’ll be welcomed, you’ll be encouraged, and you’ll enjoy it. Anyone who’s determined and in reasonable shape can finish this ride.

Sarah Hadler
Maine

Climate Ride Maine was a joyous and rewarding experience! After completing the fundraising and the ride, I come back to my community, feeling strong and empowered and happy. I work in the field of bicycle education and advocacy, and it might sound strange to take time off to go on a long bike ride while raising money and bringing attention to organizations that are doing fine work in the areas of sustainability, health, and transportation advocacy, but for me, it was the ideal vacation! I got to be deliriously active (in a good way) every day while contributing to the bigger solutions around climate action, all in the company of some pretty wonderful people.

Anonymous

Best week of my year! Incredible to spend a week with over 100 people passionate about improving the world and their local communities, who also love biking! I made some great connections and am energized to keep going and reaching and working for change. And I will do this again for sure!