Get off the beaten path by trail running in Montpelier! Running on the dirt, gravel, and grassy trails in and around the Capital City is a wonderfully challenging way to get exercise—with stellar scenery to keep your mind occupied. Depending on the season, you might see a hermit thrush, white-tailed deer, or grazing cows, and our wooded landscape features maple, birch, and pine trees, trilliums, jack-in-the-pulpits, and black-eyed Susans.

Local trail runner Amy Butler loves running in Montpelier because it’s a bit off the radar — the trails are less crowded than they can be in some mountain towns. “If you want to work on steep climbs and technical terrain, the Worcester Range and Groton State Forest are the places to go,” she says. “Within Montpelier proper, you can hit some beginner and intermediate dirt ribbons at North Branch Nature Center or Hubbard Park. These all can lead to the same place, downtown Montpelier. Grab a cold beverage or jump in the North Branch River to cool off.”

The local spots

Hubbard Park, North Branch Park, East Montpelier Trails

Just outside town

Irish Hill in Berlin, Spruce Mountain in Plainfield, Chase’s Mountain Trail in Middlesex, Stranahan Town Forest in Marshfield

Day tripping

Craftsbury Outdoors Center, Groton State Forest, ski areas, The Long Trail