Boondocking & Beginner Mountain Biking at Stratton Mountain, VT
Hey everyone!
As I rolled into Vermont from New York, I almost felt an immediate shift in the atmosphere. Somehow, Vermont just feels, well, more laid back. It’s like from the moment you cross into the state, the whole world collectively says, “slow down.” From the quaint New England-style visitor center right there to greet you, to the cars and folks driving at or below the speed limit because they aren’t really in a hurry to get… anywhere, I just seemed to naturally want to slow down.
And let me tell you—I love the culture of this state!
Our first stop: Green Mountain National Forest and Stratton Mountain Resort. As always, I bring you this trip report as a 47 year old Newbie learning to Mountain bike and give you my perspective on these rides!
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Basecamp 1: Green Mountain National Forest
Unlike some places where boondocking and free camping are disappearing faster than my motivation on a climb, Vermont seems to fully embrace the van life culture. It’s as though it’s your natural, God-given right to sleep anywhere in your car. So, being able to boondock is the rule, not the exception, and the exceptions are noted. Thank you State of Vermont – you guys are awesome and I’m already falling in love with this amazing place!!!!
After consulting iOverlander (I’ve linked to them here – a great resource!) and OnX Offroad, as well as an actual paper map (something I usually forget to do and then wonder how the heck I ended up sleeping so far from where I planned on going), I found a plethora of dispersed, or free, camping opportunities within 30-45 minutes of Stratton Mountain.
I initially had three specific campsites in mind based on iOverlander. But once you turn onto Kelly Stand Road, there are dispersed campsites galore. I proceeded to Branch Pond Access Road, where I found a great spot—well, until I realized it was covered in trash and I was worried about attracting bears. So, I picked up some other person’s trash and proceeded to find a slightly less-great site. But hey, it was still a great spot, and there are plenty available. Enjoy a day or two in the forest; you’ve got time. I stayed around here: 43.06952, -73.03007.x
Stratton Mountain: A Quaint Village
Stratton Mountain is like something out of a movie. The culture is so laid back and welcoming. Stratton is what Colorado ski resorts used to be before Vail Resorts (here’s a link to their site for context) bought up everything and then sucked the soul out of the skiing community like a vampire zombie leech in the name of standardization and cost efficiency.
It’s laid back. It’s fun. And the village is just adorable. While it’s probably just as corporatized as Vail behind the scenes, it doesn’t feel that way!
Stratton Mountain Quick Stats
Green Trails: 5 trails
- Blue Trails: 11 trails
- Ty’s Beginner Friendly Rating: 6/10
- Van Life Score: 9/10
- Must-Ride Trail: Bermie Sanders
- Best Season to Visit: Summer to early Fall
- Loam Pass / IMBA Epic: Loam Pass (2 days + 3rd day discount)
- Dog-Friendly: Yes (with restrictions on trails during operating hours)
- Trail Conditions Today: Click Here For Current Conditions.
The Rides: A Beginner's Reality Check
Well, I wish I could tell you that my second lift-served bike park experience was just awesome. But, it was… underwhelming. This is where my “learning journey” gets real. Not every park is going to be a home run, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the process of figuring out what you like and what makes you a better rider.
Again. The People and Culture are amazing – but I just want to call a Spade a Spade!
If you look at the trail map (I’ve linked to the official Stratton trail map here, so you can see for yourself), you can see it’s not a very big park. The lift has under 700 feet of elevation gain, so the rides themselves aren’t super long—even though on several, you might feel as though you’ve traversed a good portion of the mountain.
And there just aren’t a lot of trails. You can quite easily ride every blue in a day, multiple times. With your Loam Pass (check it out – it gets you great access to many parks), you get two days free and a discount on a third. Trust me when I say, you won’t need the discount because two days is one more than you need.
And the trails? Well, they’ve seen some better days. It feels like they were built once and then every year they do the minimum amount to make them rideable. It just didn’t have that same feel as Blue Mountain Resort in PA, where the trails felt meticulously and lovingly built and maintained, as if someone obsessed over each jump and landing zone to provide you with a perfectly curated experience. Yeah, none of that here.
Indeed, the rides are rather rocky. Whereas Pennsylvania had loose shale, Stratton has big rocks—sometimes in their berms. I can’t imagine how “fun” it is to catch that after some rain.
My Favorite Ride & A Glimmer of Hope: Bermie Saunders to "Lunch" Pad.
I did this ride about six times because it was just that fun. After clearing the initial weird rock formation that makes you second guess if this is really a blue, the rest of Bermie Sanders is just what the name sounds like, including a cool wooden feature.
And Launch Pad (I think misspelled on the trail map as “Lunch Pad”—which is a great metaphor for the entire riding experience at Stratton), is what its properly spelled name sounds like: a jump line. While it might have been an intentional play on words – its still a great metaphor for the resort as a whole – as though it almost hit and just fell short!
These were fun jumps. They were slightly more technical than I anticipated, with some having weird angles and one or two doubles that you needed to be at full trail speed to hit. Candidly, my first few times down the line didn’t feel great. I went back on day two just to re-ride it until I felt that gravity-defying, air-leaping, heart-in-your-throat sensation that makes this all worth it. This is what it’s all about for me, right? Pushing through the awkwardness until it clicks.
Honorable and Not-So-Honorable Mentions
- Honorable Mention: Gravitas. Gravitas was fun. It has some fast, flowy sections and a few jumps. One note: when you get to the end, you can go to Loam Shark or back on the Green Trail Forest One. Do yourself a favor and avoid Loam Shark.
- Least Favorite: Paper Route. This isn’t an inherently bad ride; it just feels neglected. It’s out there, on the edge, and just kinda forgotten about. And it shows. Lots of rocks and weird banks that aren’t flowy, but just there to catch you from going into the trees. It just feels—well, not fun.
- Second Least Favorite: Loam Shark. Okay, so it’s not that this trail is inherently bad, but like Paper Route, it’s just not fun. This one has root gardens and rock beds galore, combined with being dark and tree-covered. It’s pretty, I’ll give it that. But the ending? You end up a long way from the lift and have to ride a convoluted route on a sidewalk and behind condos to get back to the resort. No thanks.
A Note on Lessons
As is my usual practice, I decided to get some lessons. Two hours for $249… while that pricing is high, I figured why not? I really want to get good at this. And not every place I go has the opportunity to take a professional lesson.
While my instructor was nice and a Level 2 AASI Snowboard instructor, I don’t feel like he brought that much instruction to the table. In fact, after he learned of my background as a ski instructor, he informed me that “Mountain biking lessons aren’t like snowboarding lessons—they are more about guiding.”
Okay, for what works out to be a daily rate of over $1,000, I expect more than someone who can read a trail map. Seriously? Guiding? On a mountain with 11 blues (though a few of those are really one trail with branches), two blacks, and a couple of greens? I hate to say this, but I don’t feel like I got much out of my lessons and felt like I was almost as good as the instructor. He didn’t like jumping… good heavens, man! That’s what I live for and what I want to get better at!
Basecamp 2: Stratton Mountain Parking Lot
The next couple of nights I spent at Stratton Mountain in the Sun Bowl parking lot. This lot is great! There is no one here. It’s quiet with no light pollution. Hello, Milky Way!
And that is what makes Stratton cool. You can basically car camp in any lot. So it’s van lifer paradise.
Probably the main lot/garage is not the best solution, but Lot 1 is close enough you can walk up and have dinner in the village. Lot 2 is a drive or you could bike up in theory. But for me, who wants tranquil space, the Sun Bowl lot was perfect.
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Ty's Top 5 Takeaways
So, the verdict? Would I come back? You bet. But more for the cool culture and the fact that they welcome van life with open arms instead of nasty knocks!
- The culture is friendly and fun. It's a laid-back, do-what-you-want kind of place, and I love that.
- The blue trails are forgiving. Nothing here is going to toss you around like Ride Rock Creek (linking to a great park as a comparison) did to me. Nothing is going to scare you. But nothing is going to wow you either. It's a great place for an intermediate mountain biker to get comfortable.
3. Skip the lessons.
4. You only need one day to ride the entire mountain sufficiently. Two is nice, but you can do it in one.
5. Green Mountain NF is the bomb for boondocking, and the sites within 30 minutes of the resort are great. I passed several trailhead parking lots that were already full by 8 am for hiking, so if you have some time, get in some hiking!
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Chasing great mountain biking, camping smart, and living full-time in an RV. Hard-won wisdom. Zero fluff. Live Free. Adventure Often
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A Little Bit About Me.
I started writing this blog as a way to capture the adventurous and free lifestyle I’m privileged to live. I’ve traveled to over 28 countries and 35 U.S States. I’ve lived aboard in multiple countries and averaged over 100 days a year of travel for work. I’ve skied and hiked all over the world – and my new obsession is mountain biking.
What I bring to you isn’t AI generated. It’s based on my feet on the ground – or sometimes conversations with locals. Click here to read more about me! For a complete list of where I’m going, where I’ve been, and State-by-State guides, please check out my Itinerary and Destinations Page! by clicking here!!