Day Four

Leaving Barre, we hop onto Interstate 89 north for a quick shuttle to Route 100 in Waterbury. This section of Route 100, nestled against the serrated spine of the Green Mountains, has cycling options galore, with beautiful winding roads for the skinny tire set, and endless ribbons of trail for mountain bikers. My daughters, however, can’t pass through the Mad River Valley without visiting the Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm in Waitsfield. Commonly called the “skier’s highway,” Route 100 could easily be dubbed “swimmer’s highway,” thanks to the myriad swimming holes, such as the Moretown Gorge in Moretown and the Punch Bowl in Warren, that dot the Mad River (so named because it flows north).

The crown jewel of the valley’s serpentine hiking network is the route along Monroe Skyline, which traverses the 4,000-foot summits of Mount Abraham, Cutts Peak, Mount Ellen, and Camel’s Hump, as well as 3,168-foot Burnt Rock Mountain, a popular day trek with panoramic views from the Adirondacks to the White Mountains. Accommodations range from primitive camping at Camel’s Hump State Park to modern camping at Little River State Park in Waterbury, and the rustic Wilder Farm Inn in Waitsfield to the luxurious Pitcher Inn and Alta Day Spa in Warren Village.

Route 100 then meanders south through dense stands of hardwood forest, passing the thundering Moss Glen Falls just before Granville, and along pastoral river valleys. Killington Resort’s dedicated hiking center features more than 45 miles of trails over seven peaks. We often stay at one of two quiet campgrounds, Calvin Coolidge State Park in Plymouth, and Camp Plymouth State Park outside of Tyson, with four rental cottages in addition to other camping options on the east shore of Echo Lake. In Ludlow, the six-mile Healdville Trail that runs to the top of the 3,340-foot Okemo Mountain features several lookouts and a reconditioned fire tower.

Day Five

We continue south on Route 100 to Londonderry and then bear west on Route 11 toward Manchester. In Manchester Center, we opt for the road less traveled, Route 7A instead of Route 7. This older route snakes along the renowned Battenkill River, a bountiful fishing locale. Inevitably, the girls and I will strike a deal here: they’ll indulge me my fly-fishing fantasies for a while (either on the Battenkill, or at the nearby Orvis retail store), provided I let them indulge in an ice cream at the lavish Equinox Resort and Spa afterwards. Someday, I’ll also don leather gloves for a falconry class at the resort’s British School of Falconry, though I haven’t been able to convince my wife just yet.

Between Manchester and Arlington, in the village of Sunderland, the girls always ask us to take a spin on the Mount Equinox Skyline Drive. Completed in 1947, this 5.2-mile private road offers splendid views and exceptional picnic opportunities while climbing to the 3,848-foot summit. Route 7A merges into route 7 at the diverse college town of Bennington, which seems to be under siege by brightly colored moose statues on every street corner.

For an extra half-day outing, cross the border into New York for a trip along the 27.7-mile Mohawk-Towpath Scenic Byway, where you can explore a 200-year-old German neighborhood in Schenectady and sing the kids your rendition of “Erie Canal” on the famous banks.

Day Six

South of Bennington, after crossing into Massachusetts, our trip reaches another crossroads. Staying on Route 7, heading south, we can take another day to travel the entire length of the western edge of the Bay State, through the heart of the Berkshires and a number of quaint villages from Williamstown to Ashley Falls at the Connecticut border. The girls are typically game to explore the labyrinth of trails that lace the Commonwealth’s highest peak, 3,941-foot Mount Greylock in Pittsfield, featuring views of five New England states, and the historic Bradley Farm, which provides a peek at what the New England landscape looked like more than 150 years ago. Monument Mountain in Great Barrington is also a favorite destination. Another tempting side trip in the southwestern corner of the Bay State is Route 23, which intersects Route 7 at Great Barrington and heads east through deep woods, past Beartown and Otis state forests.

However, if time is getting tight, we might choose instead to veer east onto Route 2 - the Mohawk Trail - at Williamstown, and peruse the latest exhibits at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams (which this summer is hosting a large-scale exhibit on amusement parks). The town is also home to a beautiful stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Nearby, in the town of Florida, we can hunt for apple trees at Savoy Mountain State Forest atop the Hoosac Mountain Range. The Civilian Conservation Corps reforested deserted farmland here with Norway and blue spruce-the scattered apple trees are remnants of its farming past. If we can squeeze out another half day, we might paddle the reborn Deerfield River with the rafting enthusiasts at Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont, just east of town. And then, sated for another year and filled with stories of New England’s past and present, I steer the car toward home.

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