Cross Vermont Trail
Celebrating local trails and working to join them together - across Vermont!
The Cross Vermont Trail is a project to make a multi-use path the width of Vermont following the Winooski River and Wells River.
Imagine walking out your front door and within minutes stepping onto a system of paths leading through village centers, to schools, parks, wild areas and beyond - a network of local trails, inviting to all - interconnected. This is the dream of the Cross Vermont Trail.
You can help! The Cross Vermont Trail Association is a non-profit organization working to make this dream a reality. We are member based and volunteer driven. Everyone is welcome to join.
Cross Vermont Trail is a state wide biking and walking route that highlights local trails, and identifies the best roads that can be used to connect them together to make longer trips. Read our online guide and maps to plan your exploration!
Cross Vermont Trail is a project to build new trails with the long term goal of creating a complete off road route, joining together local trails into a state wide network. This is a true grass roots effort, you can help!
The Cross Vermont Trail is a cooperation of many landowners and local groups. We link efforts across boundaries, and are a responsible partner to care for trails where property owners are interested in allowing public use.
Through PayPal, with any major credit card.
CVTA is a small non profit charity - all contributions go to work on the trail!
Our Annual Appeal
Celebrating 2022
and looking forward to 2023.
Amazing — we are celebrating the first year of the Cross Vermont Trail Winooski Bridge being open to the public!
Since the ribbon cutting last June, a steady stream of people have enjoyed the bridge and the first 1.5 miles of new trail leading to it. Every day we see trail users of all ages, all speeds, walking, biking, tail wagging — and a lot of smiling.
The bridge has also gotten attention in the larger world, including "Project of the Year" at the 2022 Vermont Bike-Ped Conference.
You can help us keep the momentum going. Ambitious work is planned for the year ahead, and we need your support. Thank you to those who have made a recent donation to CVTA! If you haven't given already, please consider making an end-of-year gift to power our progress into 2023.
Read our full annual letter here (pdf).
Make an donation.
Registration is OPEN
2023 Central Vermont Cycling Tour.
Join us next June 25, 2023 at Morse Farm in East Montpelier.
It's a classic ~ among the best one day bike tour routes in New England. Mountain vistas backdrop farmers haying in the fields. White steepled churches, historic barns. Waterfalls and lakes. The scenery is unbroken. And you are free to concentrate on the beauty because it is a supported ride with convenient food stops, well marked courses, and nationally certified bike patrol on duty. All wrapping up with a hearty, homestyle, picnic lunch - and a free creemee!
The Bridge is Open!
A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the bridge and the first section of new trail to public use was held June 4, 2022.
Throughout 2022 we worked on building the continuation of the trail up to U-32, and also some foot paths along the Winooski. We'll return spring 2023 to finish off this next phase of the project. Finally, later in 2023 year we will go to building further east to make the connection up to the rail trail on Route 14.
Read updates and see the full project summary here. And - just for fun - see the crazy drone footage from last July of the amazing launch across the water.
CVTA Strategic Plan 2021 - 2025
Charting the way forward for the Cross Vermont Trail.
The Winooski Bridge is the start line, not the finish line. Over the past year we have thought deeply and consulted widely about how to continue full steam ahead and make real the vision of the trail across Vermont.
We will:
- increase off road trail mileage
- expand visibility of the work we do
- build capacity to be a resilient organization
- promote partnerships to strengthen regional trail networks and increase community vitality
Feature articles about Cross Vt Trail:
The spirit of our statewide route.
Shared stories
from trail journeys.
Read about the trips folks have made on the Cross Vermont Trail route. Just finished your own journey? Let us know what you saw!
Guidebook to nature and history along the Cross Vermont Trail.
Look beneath the surface. Explore the landscape of the trail. (The nature and history guide is keyed to locations in the statewide route map set.)
The guide is written in part by local middle and high school students. We'd like to work with more classes to continue to improve and expand it.
