Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
12.
Middlebury Gap
Farther north along Rte. 100, a turn west on Rte. 125 at Hancock leads to Middlebury Gap,
named for the cozy college town across the mountains. After climbing for three miles, the
road's path reaches a short side route to the picnic area at Texas Falls.
Farther west, beyond the gap's highest point, a wayside park honors poet Robert Frost,
who lived for more than 20 years in nearby Ripton. Frost once declared that along with
New Hampshire, Vermont was “one of the two best states in the Union.” Plaques along a
footpath are inscribed with quotes taken from the poet's works.
13.
Lincoln Gap
North of Hancock the forests of the Green Mountain foothills take on a somber cast. The
heart of this cool, shadowy realm is the six-mile stretch called Granville Gulf, north of the
littletownofGranville.Woodedslopescloseevermoretightlyabouttheroadway,untilthe
trees give way to sheer rock walls, dripping with the cold waters of cascading mountain
streams at Moss Glen Falls.
TheroaduptothewildestandloftiestoftheGreenMountaingapsbeginsatWarren,10
miles north of Granville. As the Lincoln Gap road climbs westward away from Rte. 100, it
is sheltered by tall ancient maples that in summer shroud the highway and, in winter, lies
underneath an impassable blanket of snow.
When drivers reach the road's 2,424-foot crest, they discover that the venerable Long
Trailhasgottentherefirstandoffersthechallengeofa2½-miletrektothetopofMt.Abra-
ham,a4,006-footperchcommandingviewsoftheChamplainValley,LakeChamplain,and
New York's towering Adirondacks.
14.
Mad River Valley
Loosed from the tight grip of Granville Gulf, Rte. 100 makes the six-mile northward run
from Warren to Waitsfield along the fertile fields of the Mad River valley. The stream runs
to madness only when it's gorged with snowmelt in spring; during the rest of the year, it
flows gently through a bucolic region of ski resorts and well-maintained family farms.
The ski areas—sprawling Sugarbush and smaller, tradition-minded Mad River
Glen—lie west of Rte. 100 between Warren and Waitsfield. The farms, like most in Ver-
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