Where can you stay right on the VAST trail in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom? At the Wildflower Inn in Lyndonville, the VAST corridor trail runs right through our 300 acres on Darling Hill. You unload the sleds in our parking lot, sleep in one of 27 rooms and suites, and ride from the door, no morning trailering required. Our restaurant serves breakfast and dinner 365 days a year, so the end of your ride is a warm meal, not a drive to find one.
The trail runs through the property
VAST, the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, maintains and grooms nearly 5,000 miles of trails across the state, stitched together by local volunteer clubs. The Northeast Kingdom is the deep end of that network: long corridor runs, real snow, and small towns that still wave when you ride through. One of those corridors crosses the Wildflower's 300 acres. From our hill you drop onto the network and connect toward Burke, Victory, Island Pond and the rest of the Kingdom's classic riding.
That changes the shape of a sled trip. No pre-dawn trailering to a crowded trailhead. Walk out after breakfast, start the machines, and go.
Room for the truck, the trailer, and the machines
Bring the enclosed trailer. Bring two. We have large parking lots with room for trucks, trailers and RVs, and open space to stage and park the machines by your vehicle. You are not threading a hotel garage or begging a gas station for overnight space. This is a 300-acre former farm; parking is one thing we have plenty of.
Ride in, eat well, sleep on the hill
The restaurant and pub at the inn are open 365 days a year with breakfast and dinner, plus a full bar with Vermont beer always pouring. Riders can pull off the trail for lunch or dinner even if they are not staying the night, and guests end the day fifty yards from a hot meal. Upstairs and across the property, our 27 rooms and suites fit solo riders, couples and whole families. Dogs are welcome too.
Stay a week, ride it all
The Kingdom's trail network is too big for a weekend. Stay 5 to 14 nights and save 15 percent, or 15 to 30 nights and save 20 percent, when you book direct. Midweek is the quiet, freshly groomed sweet spot: trails see the least traffic Monday through Thursday, and so does the inn. Pair a long stay with a remote-work setup and ride every afternoon;
our long-stay guide covers how people make that work.
Know before you ride
To ride the VAST network you need a Trail Maintenance Assessment (TMA) pass, which includes membership in VAST and a local club; buy it at
vtvast.org. The season opens December 16, after rifle season, and runs to mid-April depending on snow. Trails are groomed by volunteer clubs, so ride respectfully: stay on the corridor, respect landowner postings, and slow down near crossings. On our property the trail crosses walking and snowshoe routes, so watch for people and dogs near the inn.
The rest of your winter basecamp
If half your crew does not ride, nobody is bored. Burke Mountain is 8 minutes away, Jay Peak under an hour, snowshoe loops and the 27-hole disc golf course (walkable on snowshoes) start at the door, and the whole property goes quiet and bright after a storm. See everything on
our
winter page.
Book your stay at wildflowerinn.com or call the front desk, and watch the forecast. The first storm is when the Kingdom starts humming.
