Green Mountain Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 862

tectthetimbersandroadbedsfromtheelements,nottopreventhorsesfrombalkingatriver
crossings. Today these quaint bridges are as much a symbol of Vermont as dairy cows and
cheese.
TownshendStateParkservesasthetrailheadforapaththatleadstothesummitofBald
Mountain.Thetrailmeanderspastanalderswamp,acrossamurmuringbrook,andthrough
ahemlock wood;itthenascendsnearly1,100feetinlessthantwomiles. Therewardatthe
top is a splendid panorama of farms and forests along the West River valley.
4. Jamaica State Park
Returning to East Jamaica and Rte. 100, head north three miles to Jamaica State Park.
Here,wheretheWestRiverloopseastwardaroundthegreatgranitebulkofBallMountain,
you can cool off at an old-fashioned swimming hole, watch as white-water canoeists and
kayakers negotiate the river rapids, or hike to Cobb Brook's 125-foot plunge over the
smooth chutes and jagged precipices of Hamilton Falls, one of Vermont's tallest cascades.
Thoughnosignofitsuntamedpastlingers,thisidyllicwoodlandwasonceatNewEng-
land's western frontier. One day in 1748, as a party of Colonial scouts was returning to a
fort on the Connecticut River from Lake Champlain, they were ambushed by Abnaki Indi-
ans at the foot of Ball Mountain, and six of their number were killed.
5. Scenic Mountain Loop
Once you reach the hamlet of Rawsonville, you can proceed in one of two ways: north on
Rte. 100 or west on Rte. 30. Rte. 100 passes through meadows and valleys punctuated by
the streamside village of South Londonderry.
Rte. 30 opens a scenic highland circuit that passes through Green Mountain National
Forest and the heart of southern Vermont's ski country. Just to the west of Rawsonville is
the access road to Stratton Mountain, a giant alpine resort that features a gondola ride to
the summit, where visitors are treated to views of four states. Past Stratton, turn right onto
Rte.11andcontinuepasttheskitrailsofBromleyMountain,whichpresidesovera10-mile
valley vista.
Before you get back to Rte. 100, you'll pass a turnoff leading to the toylike village of
Peru—a handful of houses, a white church, and the venerable, squeaky-floored J. J. Hap-
good Store, established in 1827 and still offering everything from penny candy to fishing
line.