This ride’s general location is Randolph. A variety of scenery includes a panoramic view of Mount Cushman near the end of the ride. Trail markers guide you through this ride, but refer to your map often as many turns make it easy to become lost. This ride is 25% single-track and takes you through the remains of Peth Village. You will begin and end with the Stagecoach Road, an unmaintained Class 4 road that traverses a ridge and was once the main route for horse and buggy. Halfway through the ride you will be on Bouvant Road, another overgrown Class 4 with some challenging single-track descents. The most scenic section of the ride occurs at the end, on Braintree Hill Road, which affords expansive views of the Green Mts. to the west. This is a very challenging intermediate ride.

 

Activity Type Mountain Biking
Nearest Town Randolph
Length 55 total miles
Elevation Gain 1800 feet
Trail Type Loop
Skill Level Difficult

 

Trailhead: The ride begins in Randolph at the parking lot behind the New England Land Company, at the junction of VT 12 and VT 12A.

Latitude/Longitude: 43.927402,-72.666151

Directions: A word of caution – pay attention to where you are and take the time to orient yourself. There are a lot of turns onto hidden trails on this ride.

From the New England Land Company, turn left onto VT 12A. Immediately turn right onto Brigham Hill Road at the Y-intersection. Climb on pavement for a half mile. Just after the 30 mph sign, turn right onto a dirt road that looks like a driveway. Go past the house on the right, and just before a clump of trees, turn right onto a barely visible trail that looks more like a mound of dirt and gravel. Immediately turn sharply left and continue parallel to the dirt road you just exited. You will also be riding next to an electric fence. This trail is known as Stagecoach Road.

Stay left at every opportunity and soon you will come to a cornfield. Ride along the edge of the field, heading for the satellite dished that look like a cat’s head. Keep “kittie” to your left and come to a dirt road, Braintree Hill Road. Turn right. Continue a little way on this road, but when it veers obviously to the left, turn right at the huge maple tree. Descend steadily on a legal trail, always staying on the main vein.

Come to a trail junction (the trail to the right is posted with a No Trespassing sign). Head slightly left for the open, mowed field. Once int he field, stay to the right and ride toward the far-right corner, then descend through the woods to a jeep road. Turn right on the road and cross through a barbwire gate. Continue descending on the jeep road to a dirt road. Turn left and ride to a 4-way junction. Go left up the hill, keeping the flower farm on your right. This is Peth Village (mile 4).

Take the next right turn (at the mailbox that says Perry), going up the dirt road. Just before the beautiful red-brick house, take the right at the Y-intersection onto a jeep road. Go straight, keeping the beaver pond and log landing area to your left. Reenter the woods and descend to a driveway at a white house. Ride out the driveway to a dirt road and go left. This is the town of Snowsville (mile 6).

Go up a hill on this dirt road and continue for about 1 mile to a 4-way intersection. Turn right onto a tree-lines, canopied road. In .5 mile you will cross a small, nondescript bridge. Immediately turn left at the mailboxes and climb steeply up the Class 4 road, know as Bouvant Road. Go uphill along the creek, always staying left on the main trail. Come to a gate and go around it. Soon you will arrive at a nice camp with beautiful views; go left up the grassy trail.

Continue to follow Bouvant Road, which turns into a lovely, fern-lined, single-track trail. Descend, roughly at times, and cross over a rugged snowmobile bridge. Continue downhill and pass another camp on your right. Bouvant Road ends at a T-intersection with an old red schoolhouse onthe right. Across the road, a rock is painted with the name M Lean in white letters. This is Braintree Hill Road and the junction is called Connecticut Corners (almost mile 11).

Go left and descend. The road turns sharply right and continues descending. When the main road turns sharply left, take the right-hand turn. Ride up this narrow road between a house and a barn. Continue straight up, and when you come upon a fence line, go left, following the main trail. At the VAST sign and 4-way intersection, go left and continue downhill. The more you descend, the more road conditions improve.

Ride past a camp on the right, and stay right at the next fork. Go by a house on the left. Just after it you will ride over a bridge and a set of railroad tracks (mile 14.5). Shortly after the tracks you arrive at paved VT 12A. Turn left and after .5 mile start looking for a gray house on the right side of the road. Take the next hairpin left onto a dirt road, just before a concrete bridge. Climb up the dirt road, continuing straight through any intersections. This is, once again, Braintree Hill Road.

When you come to a sharp corner, bear right and ride along the ridge with spectacular views in all directions, but especially to your right. After about 3 miles of this scenic road, you will come to Braintree Church with the Catamount statues on on the front lawn (mile 21). Follow the Braintree Hill Road along the ridge, back to the Stagecoach Road and catlike satellite dished. Descend back down Stagecoach Road, retracing you steps back to the New England Land Company (mile 25).

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